Re: woody root.bin

[Boris DAIX <Boris.Daix@insa-lyon.fr>]

Andor Demarteau <ademarte@students.cs.uu.nl> writes:

> while this method no doubt works (I'll have a look at it, seems
> interesting enough).
> I'd advice against using woody for first-install just yet.

I've done it many times (with help for interactive stuff) and hadn't
any trouble. Better, I was wondering about installing the "unstable"
version, but it implies more risks doesn't it ?

> It still is in the testing-stage.
> I have successfully installed debian via brltty-enabled root.bin on 2
> floppies using the potato distro.
> Be sure to note that the default root.bin is a compressed ext2-filesystem.
>
> It may seem that the woody-root.bin has more data in it then the
> potato-version.

Sure : in woody floppies, there is support for choosing language
(among other things)

> If this is not the case (you have to unpack and mount both via loopback to
> check that), then brltty will certainly fit inside it.

How to "unpack" ? Because the .bin files don't seam to be mountable
via loopback (I tried but autofs wasn't enoubh to find what fs it was)

> Note that make install directly to the image will NOT work.

That's my problem :-) (main one)

> Best is to install a staticly-linked brltty on yoru system and use
> install-brltty script.
> If this is not possible, copy the files by hand ;) to /sbin /lib/brltty
> and /etc/brltty (creat the last 2 dirs by hand as well) and don't forget
> to creaqte /dev/vcsa0 ;)

So, I do this on mounted floppies, don't I ?

> then edit /etc/init.d/rcS to include /sbin/brltty

the same ?

> now, are the files you load from the 3rd disk loaded into memory (ramdisk)
> or directly executed from the floppy?
> In the last case you will run into trouble if you need to insert the
> rescue-disk for installing the kernel and stuff.

The first thing seams better to me, but it is not the default - so how
would I do this (loading 3rd floppy stuff in ramdisk) ? Because I
don't need to give floppy for install except in the last steps where
you have to do a boot-floppy (I can't make lilo write to the MBR). But
it will ask for floppy during the whole process ? I mean, wouldn't the
brltty executable and config files be mounted in memory "normally"
(preventing from many I/O getting the system slower) ?

> also note that you'd better create /dev/vcsa0 on the root.bin itself
> already.

Ok : I'll create this everywhere :-)

> -- 
> slainte mhaith (good health), slainte (cheers)
> Uisce Beatha (water of live/health)
> -----------
> Andor Demarteau                 E-mail: ademarte@students.cs.uu.nl
> student computer science        www: http://www.students.cs.uu.nl/~ademarte/
> Utrecht University              irc: see webpage for details
> -----------
> Believe in yourself, know what you want, and make it happen!
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blinux-list mailing list
> Blinux-list@redhat.com
> https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list

Thank you

regards,

Boris