How to format large HD to install IRIX in EFS format.

[kikems]

This days reinstalling my SGIs, some time before I'd read than EFS is faster filesystem than XFS specially in lower systems with old scsi drives. I'm my experience my old Crimson with 1Gb Disk Drive and IRIX 5.3 in XFS format works too slow, apps works good but usability of IRIX or install apps it's too slow, when change to IRIX 5.3 in EFS all works fast and the experience using IRIX or install new apps works fast and good.
Now I'm trying to reinstall my O2 R5000 with IRIX 6.3 in EFS format ( this O2 with IRIX 6.5.22m and XFS works too slow like Crimson with XFS ), the problem is I have a 9,1 Gb disk drive in the O2 and I can't repartition as lower size volume in the form of IRIX 6.3 can install in EFS, Installer always say someone like "not possible make large EFS makefilesytem".
I'd try to use some confusing guides on internet to resize partition as lower than 8 Gb, but can´t do it works.

Someone can help me with a step by step instruction to reformat/resize my HD to work in EFS ? I want make a 7,8 Gb partition or similar size.

Thanks in advance.

 

[weblacky]

I assume you know SGI EFS has a hard limit, I found this page, seems to say, create more (smaller)partitions: using larger HDDs in Irix 5.3

 

[kikems]

Yes I'm know the limit of 8 Gb , but on low profile SGI general perfomance is better than XFS. I'm use the guide you link but maybe some terms of guide don't understand at all and not work for me. Later I'll post a screenshot of my fx partition table.

 

[hbent]

Here's how I have a 36GB drive partitioned for IRIX 4. I have three maximal size partitions (8GB) plus a little extra for root/swap; I could make another partition as 4 but I don't really need it right now.

fx version 4.0.5H, Mar  4, 1993
fx: "device-name" = (dksc)
fx: ctlr# = (0)
fx: drive# = (1)
...opening dksc(0,1,)

Warning: this disk appears to have mounted filesystems.
         Don't do anything destructive, unless you are sure
         nothing is really mounted on this disk.

...controller test...OK
Scsi drive type == SEAGATE ST336704LW      0002

----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)-----
[exi]t               [d]ebug/             [l]abel/
[b]adblock/          [exe]rcise/          [r]epartition/
fx> l/s/a

----- current drive parameters-----
Error correction enabled          Enable data transfer on error
Don't report recovered errors     Do delay for error recovery
Don't transfer bad blocks         Error retry attempts          11
Do auto bad block reallocation (read)
Do auto bad block reallocation (write)
Drive readahead  enabled          Drive buffered writes  enabled
Drive disable prefetch   65535    Drive minimum prefetch         0
Drive maximum prefetch   65535    Drive prefetch ceiling     65535
Number of cache segments     3
Read buffer ratio      128/256    Write buffer ratio       128/256

----- current drive geometry-----
      Tracks/zone =  905       Sect/track =  168
    Alt sect/zone =    0       Interleave =    1        Cylinders = 14100
 Alt track/volume =    0    Cylinder skew =   90            Heads =   12
   Alt track/zone =    6       Track skew =   85   Data bytes/sec =  512
  Rotational rate = 10016
----- partitions-----
part  type       cyls             blocks          Megabytes   (base+size)
  0: efs        3 + 130        6048 + 262080        3 + 128
  1: rawdata  134 + 260      270144 + 524160      132 + 256
  5: efs    17041 + 8322    34354656 + 16777152   16775 + 8192
  6: efs      395 + 8322     796320 + 16777152     389 + 8192
  7: efs     8718 + 8322    17575488 + 16777152    8582 + 8192
  8: volhdr     0 + 3             0 + 6048          0 + 3
 10: entire     0 + 35559         0 + 71686944       0 + 35003
----- bootinfo-----
 root partition = 0     swap partition = 1    bootfile = /unix
----- directory entries-----
 0: sgilabel   block    3 size     512  2: symmon     block 1726 size  202240
 1: ide        block  258 size  751616  3: sash       block 2253 size  132608
----- sgi-info-----
   serial = 0000                         name = SEAGATE ST336704LW      0002

----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)-----
[exi]t               [d]ebug/             [l]abel/
[b]adblock/          [exe]rcise/          [r]epartition/