first review of boot-floppies doc for sparc
Hello Adam,
I'm starting reviewing the installation manual for sparc specific parts.
I'm sorry but I just have printed material handy, not the source therefore I'm
unable to send you patches directly.
Here are some comments:
sec 5.3: Description of Installation System Files
-------------------------------------------------
-- Root image is required to boot from floppy because it doesn't fit on the
rescue disk.
The root floppy should be made along with the rescue floppy to boot from
floppy (have to be documented on sec 5.8 too "Booting from floppies").
sec 5.7: Installing from NFS
----------------------------
rescue & drivers images could be also installed from NFS if the network is
configured first. It is important if installation is done for a workstation
without floppy and cdrom drives (tftp boot).
sec 5.8: Booting from Floppies
------------------------------
Create the rescue & root disks then insert the rescue disk first in the drive.
Type "boot floppy" or "boot /fd" (for old PROMs) at the monitor prompt to boot
from the rescue disk.
After the kernel is loaded, the disk is ejected, and the kernel is waiting for
the root disk to be inserted.
chapter 7
=========
7.2: "Select Color or Monochrome display"
-----------------------------------------
this step does not appear if booting on serial console.
7.4: "Configure the Keyboard"
-----------------------------
this step still appears even if no keyboard is connected to the host (eg.
booting on serial console). It is a bug but it will not be fixed before the
release. A message like "Cannot open /dev/tty0." is displayed when trying to
load a keymap on inexistent device.
7.6: "Partition a Hard Disk"
----------------------------
Steps ordering is slightly different if installing for a diskless workstation:
"Configure the network" appears first (just after "Configure the Keyboard")
followed by "Mount an already initialized partition" because there is no local
disk hence no fdisk/mke2fs have to be run.
After the network was configured, a new entry "NFS" is selectable in the
listbox of possible sources for "Mount an already initialized partition" (in
effect this is the only entry available because other are usually local disk
partitions).
After the user has selected this entry, a new box is displayed to enter the
path to the server (in the form <server name or ip addr>:/<path on the server>).
This path will then be mounted as the root fs.
The installation process then continues to step 7.9 "Install Operating System..."
NB: diskless workstation cannot use swap at all (at least during installation;
a patch for the linux kernel exists to allow swap-on-nfs).
NB2: step 7.14 "Make Linux Bootable Directly From Hard Disk" is not available
to this kind of installation. You can still create a rescue floppy but the
best way to reboot on the newly installed system is to reconfigure the server
on which you have installed the root fs (assuming it is the one you boot
from):
symlink from linux-a.out to <CLIENT IP ADDR IN HEX FORM>.SUN4<TYPE> in /boot
symlink from /tftpboot/client_root_fs_top_dir to <CLIENT IP ADDR IN QUAD DOTTED FORM>
The reboot the client.
7.9: "Install Operating system Kernel and Modules"
--------------------------------------------------
If you want to install rescue & drivers images from NFS, you need to configure
the network first (already done if installing for diskless workstation but not
in other cases).
A new entry "nfs : NFS (network filesystem)" will be added to the end of the
list of devices from which you can install the kernel & modules.
Selecting it further display a new box to enter the path to the NFS server.
resc1440.bin & drv1440.bin should be available on this server.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Could you add these informations to your documentation ?
Thanks in advance.
PS: I will continue to review the doc tomorrow.
PPS: undocumented features that still need to be added:
dual sparc/ultrasparc boot using tftpboot-2.2.1.img image
alternate 2.2.1 kernel for sparc
--
Eric Delaunay | "La guerre justifie l'existence des militaires.
delaunay@lix.polytechnique.fr | En les supprimant." Henri Jeanson (1900-1970)
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