boot-floppies package
Hello, We have a ton of older PS/2 MCA machines around here, many with ESDI disks, others with the IBM SCSI HBA. Neither ESDI nor the IBM HBA are supported by the current rescue disks. So, in a not quite right state of mind, I decided I would make some boot floppies so that my coworkers, and anyone else with PS/2s out there could make use of my work rather than hack through the installs (the usual method) However, the boot-floppies system has got me confused. I'm not a Makefile wizard, so digging in there is a bit tough. The documentation is otherwise quite sparse (it says "Edit the variables in the Makefile" :) Here's the problem ... I need to use a special kernel image. How do I tell boot-floppies to use it? If I give it the path to my kernel-image package, it bombs out saying "I don't know how to make which is required by linux ..." which isn't too meaningful to me. Doesn't it just want to unpack the kernel-image deb? I'm confused. I really don't need to remake the entire boot-disk set, just the rescue disk and the drivers disk. Someone want to slap me and set me straight here? Thanks, -- Nathan Norman MidcoNet - 410 South Phillips Avenue - Sioux Falls, SD 57104 mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.midco.net finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] for PGP Key: (0xA33B86E9) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: > We have a ton of older PS/2 MCA machines around here, many with ESDI > disks, others with the IBM SCSI HBA. Neither ESDI nor the IBM HBA are > supported by the current rescue disks. The lastest boot disks from Debian 1.3 work just fine; I've used them for installing on a MCA Laptop (ESDI drive) which I upgraded to "hamm-current" immediatly after. But I agree it's not a reason not to support MCA in hamm too. ;) Cordialement, -- - Vincent RENARDIAS [EMAIL PROTECTED],pipo.com,debian.org} - - Debian/GNU Linux: Pipo:WAW: - - http://www.fr.debian.orghttp://www.pipo.com http://www.waw.com - --- - "La fonctionnalite Son Visuel vous delivre des avertissements visuels." - - [Message durant l'installation de Windows95]:wq -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: > Hello, > > We have a ton of older PS/2 MCA machines around here, many with ESDI > disks, others with the IBM SCSI HBA. Neither ESDI nor the IBM HBA are > supported by the current rescue disks. > > So, in a not quite right state of mind, I decided I would make some boot > floppies so that my coworkers, and anyone else with PS/2s out there > could make use of my work rather than hack through the installs (the > usual method) > > However, the boot-floppies system has got me confused. I'm not a > Makefile wizard, so digging in there is a bit tough. The documentation > is otherwise quite sparse (it says "Edit the variables in the Makefile" > :) > > Here's the problem ... I need to use a special kernel image. How do I > tell boot-floppies to use it? If I give it the path to my kernel-image > package, it bombs out saying "I don't know how to make > which is required by linux ..." which isn't too > meaningful to me. Doesn't it just want to unpack the kernel-image deb? > I'm confused. > > I really don't need to remake the entire boot-disk set, just the rescue > disk and the drivers disk. Someone want to slap me and set me straight > here? > If all you need to do is put a different kernel on the rescue floppy (which is what it sounds like) simply take the delivered image, mount it, and copy the kernel image from your custom package (the vmlinuz file) to the file "linux" on the mounted image. You can either dd the image to a floppy, mount the floppy (msdos) and copy the kernel, or you can mount the image file with one of the loop devices and do the replacement to the image file. Any future copies of that image file will have the new kernel. HTH, Dwarf -- _-_-_-_-_- Author of "The Debian Linux User's Guide" _-_-_-_-_-_- aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (850) 656-9769 Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tallahassee, FL 32308 _-_-_-_-_-_- If you don't see what you want, just ask _-_-_-_-_-_-_- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Fri, 10 Apr 1998, Vincent Renardias wrote: : : On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: : : > We have a ton of older PS/2 MCA machines around here, many with ESDI : > disks, others with the IBM SCSI HBA. Neither ESDI nor the IBM HBA are : > supported by the current rescue disks. : : The lastest boot disks from Debian 1.3 work just fine; I've used them for : installing on a MCA Laptop (ESDI drive) which I upgraded to : "hamm-current" immediatly after. : But I agree it's not a reason not to support MCA in hamm too. ;) : : Cordialement, But, they do not support the "IBM MCA/SCSI Adaptor", which means you see the disconcerting "No hard drives found" message. -- Nathan Norman MidcoNet - 410 South Phillips Avenue - Sioux Falls, SD 57104 mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.midco.net finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] for PGP Key: (0xA33B86E9) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Dale Scheetz wrote: : On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: : : > Hello, : > [ snip ] : If all you need to do is put a different kernel on the rescue floppy : (which is what it sounds like) simply take the delivered image, mount it, : and copy the kernel image from your custom package (the vmlinuz file) to : the file "linux" on the mounted image. : : You can either dd the image to a floppy, mount the floppy (msdos) and copy : the kernel, or you can mount the image file with one of the loop devices : and do the replacement to the image file. Any future copies of that image : file will have the new kernel. Yes, I know this. However, what people have been asking for is an image of the rescue disk, not a new kernel for the disk (it is difficult to run rdev.sh if you have no Linux system handy) Furthermore, it might become necessary to change the available modules (I honestly don't know whether this is the case), and I don't believe the rescue disk has device files for ESDI disks. They are /dev/ed[ab], correct? Vincent Renardias says the 1.3 boot disks support MCA (they do) and ESDI (I never found /dev/ed[ab] devices). No Debian boot disk supports IBM MCA/SCSI afaik. Finally, I'd really like to *know* how to build these things! Why is it so opaque? Thanks, -- Nathan Norman MidcoNet - 410 South Phillips Avenue - Sioux Falls, SD 57104 mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.midco.net finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] for PGP Key: (0xA33B86E9) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: > On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Dale Scheetz wrote: > > : On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, Nathan E Norman wrote: > : > : > Hello, > : > > [ snip ] > : If all you need to do is put a different kernel on the rescue floppy > : (which is what it sounds like) simply take the delivered image, mount it, > : and copy the kernel image from your custom package (the vmlinuz file) to > : the file "linux" on the mounted image. > : > : You can either dd the image to a floppy, mount the floppy (msdos) and copy > : the kernel, or you can mount the image file with one of the loop devices > : and do the replacement to the image file. Any future copies of that image > : file will have the new kernel. > > Yes, I know this. However, what people have been asking for is an image > of the rescue disk, not a new kernel for the disk (it is difficult to > run rdev.sh if you have no Linux system handy) The paragraph you cut out would do that. If you need modules added you must unpack the root fs and add them. If you mount resc1440.bin on a loop device, you can treat it just like any other file system (BTW this is the way the boot-floppies package builds the image in the first place), replacing the kernel or the root file system > > Furthermore, it might become necessary to change the available modules > (I honestly don't know whether this is the case), and I don't believe > the rescue disk has device files for ESDI disks. They are /dev/ed[ab], > correct? Vincent Renardias says the 1.3 boot disks support MCA (they > do) and ESDI (I never found /dev/ed[ab] devices). No Debian boot disk > supports IBM MCA/SCSI afaik. > The SCSI drivers are usually "built-in" to the kernel, so this is just another kernel issue. > Finally, I'd really like to *know* how to build these things! Why is it > so opaque? Building the root file system is a non-trivial problem. The boot-floppies package builds everything that you find in a disks-i386 directory, so it is a bit complex. The cryptic instructions that you indicated previously are an indication of the place to tailor the package to your system. If memory serves, there are two paths defined in the top of the make file. One is the path to the kernel image (note: not a kernel package...I think), while the other is the path to your archive (used to built the root fs) Also, I don't believe that there are any modules installed on the root fs of the rescue disk. It is assumed that any other drivers will be installed from the drivers disk. This disk just contains a tarball of the modules directories. For my last custom CD I rebuilt the rescue and drivers disks to use the 2.0.33 kernel. This was simply a matter of replacing the drivers disk tarball with one built from the 2.0.33 kernel modules directories, and replacing the kernel image on the rescue floppy with the kernel image from the 2.0.33 kernel. I did both of these things to the image files (resc1440.bin, resc1200.bin, drv1440.bin, and drv1200.bin) which could then be used by the installer to build rescue and drivers disks. I don't see where you gain any needed functionality by doing this job with the boot-floppies package. In addition, you stand the chance of building an unusable root file system if the archive you build it from is different from the one used to build the original. As you don't need anything changed in the root fs (as far as I can tell) why take the chance of making it non-functional? Luck, Dwarf -- _-_-_-_-_- Author of "The Debian Linux User's Guide" _-_-_-_-_-_- aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (850) 656-9769 Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tallahassee, FL 32308 _-_-_-_-_-_- If you don't see what you want, just ask _-_-_-_-_-_-_- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: boot-floppies package
On Fri, 10 Apr 1998, Dale Scheetz wrote: [ snip ] : > Furthermore, it might become necessary to change the available modules : > (I honestly don't know whether this is the case), and I don't believe : > the rescue disk has device files for ESDI disks. They are /dev/ed[ab], : > correct? Vincent Renardias says the 1.3 boot disks support MCA (they : > do) and ESDI (I never found /dev/ed[ab] devices). No Debian boot disk : > supports IBM MCA/SCSI afaik. : > : The SCSI drivers are usually "built-in" to the kernel, so this is just : another kernel issue. Yes, you're correct. I've built a kernel that works fine, and as you mentioned if I unpack the root fs I could add the device files (some of this is becoming more clear as I go on) : > Finally, I'd really like to *know* how to build these things! Why is it : > so opaque? : : Building the root file system is a non-trivial problem. The boot-floppies : package builds everything that you find in a disks-i386 directory, so it : is a bit complex. : : The cryptic instructions that you indicated previously are an indication : of the place to tailor the package to your system. If memory serves, there : are two paths defined in the top of the make file. One is the path to the : kernel image (note: not a kernel package...I think), while the other is : the path to your archive (used to built the root fs) Well, looking at the Makefile, there is a directive for the archive base. I have a local mirror mounted via NFS, so I specified that. No problem. Further perusal of the Makefile reveals that it is indeed looking for a kernel-image deb ... aren't the kernel-image- files built with kernel-package? I thought they were ... At any rate, if I run ``make'' without modifying the Makefile, I end up with a set of floppy images. However, if I change the ``kernel'' definition to point at my own kernel-image deb, make bombs out with "No rule to make target `kernel-image-2.0.33_2.0.33-6.deb', needed by `linux'. Stop" which indicates to me that I don't have a clue what's happening here. : Also, I don't believe that there are any modules installed on the root fs : of the rescue disk. It is assumed that any other drivers will be installed : from the drivers disk. This disk just contains a tarball of the modules : directories. Indeed. That was my motivation for using the boot floppies script in the first place: if I roll a new kernel, with a different set of modules, and then want that to be usable for others I need to distribute the rescue disk *and* the drivers disk, right? I figured I would use the tool provided for the job rather than doing it all by hand. Perhaps this was an error. : For my last custom CD I rebuilt the rescue and drivers disks to use the : 2.0.33 kernel. This was simply a matter of replacing the drivers disk : tarball with one built from the 2.0.33 kernel modules directories, and : replacing the kernel image on the rescue floppy with the kernel image from : the 2.0.33 kernel. I did both of these things to the image files : (resc1440.bin, resc1200.bin, drv1440.bin, and drv1200.bin) which could : then be used by the installer to build rescue and drivers disks. This is more or less the functionality I'm looking for. Are there compatibility issues with different kernel versions vs. the "base" disks themselves? : I don't see where you gain any needed functionality by doing this job with : the boot-floppies package. In addition, you stand the chance of building : an unusable root file system if the archive you build it from is different : from the one used to build the original. As you don't need anything : changed in the root fs (as far as I can tell) why take the chance of : making it non-functional? I don't understand this part. Could you explain this a bit more, if you have time? Private email is fine ... I feel terribly stupid but I just don't quite get why the filesystem would be "unusable" Having said that, you are probably correct as far as the usefulness of boot-floppies for this project. I'm probably trying to kill a gnat with a shotgun ... Thanks for your time :) -- Nathan Norman MidcoNet - 410 South Phillips Avenue - Sioux Falls, SD 57104 mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.midco.net finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] for PGP Key: (0xA33B86E9) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
