A running description of activity related to DragonFly BSD.
I’m actually some days late in reporting this, but there’s a new full build of packages for DragonFly 6.0; it’s following the quarterly release schedule for ports, so 2021Q2 is the base.
This goes with the recent merges from -current into 6.0. Now is a good time to update your system completely, if you have not already.
If you’ve got unshielded disk cables in a tiny PC, you can run the AHCI link a bit slower to better handle interference.
Matthew Dillon’s fixed a possible deadlock in HAMMER2, plus some optimizations that I can’t quantify, but are fun to read about.
If you like csh/tcsh, and also Emacs, there’s a eLisp file to put Emacs in csh script mode, now in DragonFly.
(Someone who uses Emacs more than me tell me if I have a wrong description.)
You may run into a setup issue with Wireguard when trying to set it up on DragonFly. Keep an eye on this Go bug report if so.
Update: here’s a solution in the works.
The drivers amdsmn(4) and amdtemp(4) have received several updates. The output still may have issues, but this is useful if you have newer AMD hardware.
It’s worth saying because people don’t realize it: In-code documentation updates, even if the code itself isn’t changed, is a worthwhile way to contribute.
If you have an AR9485 wireless adapter, this bug report notes the appropriate config for DragonFly. Might work for other hardware too?
This query had karu.pruun write a short note on how to contribute (device driver) development work to DragonFly. Don’t forget grok.
If you are one of those unlucky/foolhardy people running DragonFly with very little RAM, this maxvnodes change will help you out.
(DragonFly is not that RAM-hungry in normal circumstances, anyway; 1-2G is ‘safe’, last I knew.)
James Cook continues to work on zalloc, and he’s published a small report on his progress.
James Cook is interested in working on zalloc in DragonFly, taken from the projects page. Follow his questions and the answers if this interests you.
Matthew Dillon implemented POLLHUP for pipes in DragonFly, in -current and 6.0. I mention it because it was for Zig support, and it’s always nice to get a bug report directly from people developing a tool or language.
I’ve seen this a number of times over the years: if you’re installing DragonFly and the install drive seems to disappear, it might be the USB port you plug into.
If you are upgrading an older 5.8.x system to DragonFly 6, and get a lua error when updating pkg: manually copy over a config file, and you’ll be set.
Sascha Wildner has added the PCI IDs for various recent ichsmb(4) devices. This I think just means a correct device name in dmesg, but unidentified smbus devices has plagued me for years, even with other operating systems.