Received: (from major@localhost)
	by minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (8.8.8/8.8.8) id AAA24019
	for pups-liszt; Wed, 2 Sep 1998 00:47:31 +1000 (EST)
Received: from seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu (seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu [152.1.88.4])
	by minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id AAA24014
	for <pups@minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au>; Wed, 2 Sep 1998 00:47:24 +1000 (EST)
Received: (from rdkeys@localhost)
	by seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) id KAA15214;
	Tue, 1 Sep 1998 10:42:23 -0400 (EDT)
	(envelope-from rdkeys)
From: "User Rdkeys Robert D. Keys" <rdkeys@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
Message-Id: <199809011442.KAA15214@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Looking for rationale of fs naming conventions
To: pups@minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 10:42:20 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: rdkeys@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu (User RDKEYS Robert D. Keys),
        bsdbob@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu (Robert D. Keys)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL38 (25)]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-pups@minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au
Precedence: bulk

I am curious as to the rationale and reasoning behind:

1) fs naming conventions

2) fs space allocation conventions

3) fs to partition mapping conventions

4) partition conventions

historically in unix (particularly the BSD's).

Why the differences between 4.3 and 4.4 as relates to var?

Why the differences between 4.3 and 4.4 as relates to the contrib sections?

Why the convention of hd0a/b/c/d/e/f/g/h for the various fs?  I understand
the reasoning of a/b/c, but after that the rhyme and reason goes wild,
with everyone seemingly doing their own thing.  What was the logic of it,
originally?

Why the sizes of the various fs?

I am trying to understand historically the hows and whys things developed
as they did.  The SMM's don't really cover it very well.

Thanks

Bob Keys


