controlling installation from a serial terminal

["James R. Van Zandt" <jrv@vanzandt.mv.com>]

As I have written before, I have been working on a method for
controlling a Debian installation from a serial terminal.  This would
let a blind user install Debian, using a second computer with a
terminal emulator and a speech synthesizer. 
  	  
I think I have this worked out, and I would like to make a proposal.

In the slink installation directory (e.g. the "release" directory in
the boot-floppies main directory), I would like to add a subdirectory
"serial" which would contain modified versions of these files:

  linux
  	  A 2.1.125 kernel configured with SERIAL_CONSOLE, so that it
  	  respects the "console=ttyS0" boot parameter, which sends boot
  	  messages to the serial port.
  
  drv1440.bin
  	  drivers for the 2.1.125 kernel, including dtlk.o, for the
  	  Double Talk internal speech synthesizer.  (I maintain those
  	  driver sources, and also the Debian dtlk package.)
  
  kernel.cfg
  	  The configuration file for the above kernel.

  root.bin
  	  A root filesystem modified to accept the "control=ttyS0" boot
  	  parameter, which sends installation dialogs to the serial
  	  port.  It also modifies etc/inittab on the base system to
  	  start getty on the serial ports.

  resc1440.bin
  	  A rescue disk with the above kernel, but without the root
  	  filesystem (because it would not fit).  The normal default
  	  boot method (just press enter) does not work, but all the
  	  others do (ramdisk0, ramdisk1, floppy0, floppy1, or rescue).
  
  thepatch
  	  A patch file for the boot-floppies sources, which make the
  	  above modified files.
  
  README
  	  Rudimentary documentation for the above.  It would include
  	  two cautions: These files are recent additions, so they are
  	  less well tested than the standard ones.  Also, they use a
  	  developmental kernel, so (although slink is largely "2.2
  	  ready") some problems may arise.

I could also add the kernel patch that provides the dtlk driver, if
people think that's appropriate.

The way I propose to set this up _for slink only_ is to supply the
above files to Enrique for him to incorporate into his upload.  I
think I can have the files ready today (by midnight EST, Saturday).

We can work out a more automated method for potato.  

Would this be okay?  I plan to upload a set of modified installation
files to my web site and the blinux (that's "blind Linux") ftp site
(leb.net).  However, those would have much less visiblity.


			- Jim Van Zandt