can't install on my alphastation 200 4/233 (Avanti) - disk partition problem?
Hi,
I'm a linux newbie (but not a stranger AIX and SunOS - unfortunately
that doesn't seem to help me.)
I have new AS200 that I bought from Webauction with the intention
of having a Unix box to do my CompSci class programming on - so
I want gcc/g++, Xserver, some gui-based debugger, bison, flex, perl,
and so on.
I started by upgrading the ARC bios to as200_v6_9.exe
Then I went to http://www.debian.org/
-> Port Specific Pages
-> Dec Alpha
-> Debian and Alpha-Related Links
-> Installation Disk Page
so, now I'm at http://lhpca.univ-lyon1.fr/axp/debian.html
I use my web browser to download the following files to
my Win-x86 system:
981115/root1440.bin as root1440.bin
981115/base14-x.bin as base14-x.bin (x = [1-6])
981115/avanti/resc1440.bin as resc1440.bin
981115/avanti/drv1440.bin as drv1440.bin
then I use rawrite2 to transfer each of these *.bin files
to a 1.44Mb floppy diskette, and now I enter:
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****************
Confused State 1
****************
what are the alias names for these disks?
resc = rescue diskette, right? but is this the same as the kernel?
first I boot the rescue diskette, then it asks for the root diskette?
which of these diskettes are equivalent to the "vmlinux.gz" diskette?
which one is the ramdisk?
Because there are so many different documentation files, I am really
confused as to what is equivalent to what.
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I take a DOS FAT format diskette and use my web browser to pickup:
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/Digital/Linux-Alpha/Miniloader/
alphabios/linload.exe
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/Digital/Linux_Alpha/Miniloader/
latest-Images/AlphaStation%20200/milo
(there is also a milo.dd file, but this is appropriate for a unix
raw binary floppy, right?)
------
Now I try to follow the instructions in:
http://lhpca.univ-lyon1.fr/axp/README
(My system reports I have Alpha Firmware Version 4.57)
I create the following boot menu entry:
LOADIDENTIFIER=Milo
SYSTEMPARTITION=multi(0)disk(0)fdisk(0)
OSLOADER=multi(0)disk(0)fdisk(0)\linload.exe
OSLOADPARTITION=multi(0)disk(0)fdisk(0)
OSLOAFILENAME=\milo
OSLOADOPTIONS=
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I insert my linload/milo diskette,
press reset,
some BIOS messages flash by, then
Initializing firmware., then
I get the Boot menu,
I select "Boot Milo" and press [enter]
I see:
Linux Loader V1.5
then the screen clears,
my BIOS messages flash by again,
a few messages quickly roll off the screen,
and I'm left with:
dev_config:fixing up latency from 0 to 32 for 8086:484
dev_config: setting NCR SCSI0 host id to 7)
NVRAM is not supported on this system
Linux/Alpha Miniloader (MILO)
MILO:
Built against Linux verion 2.0.30 (rusling@linux.reo.dec.com) (gcc
version 2.7.2.1) #11 Fri Sep 26, 18:30:01 GMT 1997
Video is Digital BIOS Emulation (VGA), Zlxp (TGA)
Loaded from WNT ARC
Device drivers are IDR, SCSI (NCR 810, Qlogic ISP, AHA2940UW), Floppy
Memory size is 96Mbytes
Calibrating delay loop.. ok - 231.74 BogoMIPS
OSLOADOPTIONS=
MILO>
now I take out the linload/milo diskette and
put in the resc1440.bin diskette ( rescue diskette )
and I enter (all on one line, without the \)
boot fd0:linux root=/dev/fd0 rw ramdisk_size=5120 load_ramdisk=1 \
prompt_ramdisk=1
blah...blah..blah.. messages
DCHS09F scsi disk
CDRM00203 CD-ROM
blah...blah..blah..
Partition check:
sda: sda1 sda2 < sda5 sda6 >
VFS: Insert root floppy disk to be loaded into ramdisk and press ENTER
I take out the resc1440 diskette and put in the root1440.bin diskette
and press [enter]
RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0
screen clears, and I get a black on grey full-screen menu:
Debian GNU/Linux System Installation
Select Color or Monochrome display ( ->color )
->next
Now I see the Release Notes (my floppy was built on November 16, 1998
by Loic Prylli <lprylli@graville.fdn.fr> Merci!!
->next : configure keyboard
->us
->next : partition a hard disk (I need swap and native partitions)
select drive to partition: /dev/sda
FATAL ERROR: Bad primary partition
Press any key to exit fdisk
I can't enter anything besides /dev/sda in the drive field,
and it always results in FATAL ERROR: Bad primary partition
so, I'm going to try the alternate: do without a swap partition
but, this is to no avail, because if I can't partition my hard disk,
then I can't mount anything, and then I can't install the system.
!!! Help !!!
I previously formatted this hard drive for Microsauce NT 4
using the "cd:\alpha\arcinst" ARC installation program
that comes on the Windblows NT CD-ROM. So at this point,
I have a boot-able NT system, and I planned on deleting
those partitions and defining the usual stuff:
/ (root) 100Mb
/usr 1000Mb
/tmp 100Mb
/home 200Mb
(swap) 96Mb
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************************
Decision Point
************************
Do I re-run the NT cd:\alpha\arcinst program and delete everything?
Is my harddrive (8.x Gb) too large for the Debian "fdisk" program?
Is there a maximum limit for the physical drive size?
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Thanks for reading this far.
When I get up and running, I promise to contribution documentation
so other dunderheads like me can spend our time writing compilers,
not partitioning hard drives.
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Sincerely,
Alex Miller
amiller@cats.ucsc.edu
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