Re: Proposal for a new installation boot concept
On Wed, 2 Oct 1996, Juergen Menden wrote:
menden>> The DOS format is universally supported across all platforms. If something
menden>> must be changed then any operating system can be used to copy/modify
menden>> files.
menden>
menden>sorry, i don't understand. are you talking about the
menden>dos filesystem type or about the operating system (if dos is one :-)
menden>
menden>in the first case: the filesystem type is not needed, if
menden>you put all things you need in simple files. and why do you
menden>need to start FreeDos?
With dos you can simply put the disk for example into the next mac and
change something.
I am talking about the boot procedure specifically on i386. If there is
anything that would make it more platform portable then please tell us.
What else would you have to boot up Linux?
The choices are:
1. lilo Disadvantage : cannot copy kernel to floppy from dos or OS/X
No support for a RAMDISK image in a DOS file.
2. loadlin Needs DOS to be started first to work.
3. Kernel Loader No configurability
4. syslinux Needs two disks cannot handle compressed ramdisk on same
floppy. Not updated since awhile
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Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 11:54:55 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Juergen Menden <menden@informatik.tu-muenchen.de>
To: Christoph Lameter <clameter@waterf.org>
cc: Debian development <debian-devel@lists.debian.org>
Subject: Re: Proposal for a new installation boot concept
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On Wed, 2 Oct 1996, Christoph Lameter wrote:
>
> I am talking about the boot procedure specifically on i386. If there is
> anything that would make it more platform portable then please tell us.
>
> What else would you have to boot up Linux?
>
> The choices are:
> [lilo, loadlin, kernel-loader, syslinux]
on m68k the standard boot procedure involves a prg called
'bootstrap', which is near to loadlin. of course the kernel
loader has to run in the native os of the machine.
the filesystem type is unimportant, but the native os has
to support it of course.
the bootstrap takes two major parameter: the kernel file (vmlinux)
and the ramdisk image file used by initrd (if wanted) and lots
of config options if one needs them.
"distributions" currently exist in form of a ramdisk image to
boot with, and a tar-ed archive of /, /usr and /var. users mount
the desired root and the native-os partition/disk containing the
archives and extract them to the place where they should live.
i think debian could go the same way instead of using boot disks.
the boot disks could be transformed in a tar file, which could
be part of a cdrom distribution. a script on the ram-disk image
might semi-automate the process of installing it (similar to now?).
if dos can 'mount' cdroms directly (to start the bootstrap/loadlin)
one doesn't need more then a cdrom drive. not even a native-os
partition is needed. otherwise a disk (or a native partition)
containing the bootstrap/loadlin, a generic vmlinux and a
ramdisk-image is needed. with luck all this fits on a single
disk :-)
(i think this is somewhat the same as you proposed, sorry
for creating such a long 'me-to' :-)
jjm
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