can't install on my alphastation 200 4/233 (Avanti) - disk partition problem?
amiller@almaden.ibm.com writes:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> ****************
> Confused State 1
> ****************
>
> what are the alias names for these disks?
>
> resc = rescue diskette, right? but is this the same as the kernel?
Yes
resc1440.bin == rescue disk and contains: linload+milo+kernel
drv1440.bin == drivers disk contains additional kernel modules.
> first I boot the rescue diskette, then it asks for the root
> diskette?
This is the root1440.bin disk which contains the filesystem used
during installation in a ramdisk image.
> which of these diskettes are equivalent to the "vmlinux.gz"
> diskette?
>
> which one is the ramdisk?
I guess you are using Redhat terminology here, the organisation of the
Debian/Alpha disks is much much closer to the Debian/Intel ones than
to any Redhat ones, and is explained above. The only difference with
Debian/Intel is that there is a separate root disk instead of it being
the same than the rescue disk (this might actually be also the case for
the next Debian/Intel release).
>
> Because there are so many different documentation files, I am really
> confused as to what is equivalent to what.
Start from the Debian/Alpha Intallation HOWTO, which is intended to be
sufficient by itself (and a superset of the installation disks README)
and maybe also have a look at the generic part of the Debian/Intel
installation guide. If you cannot install with just that (ignoring at
first other documentation where partial redondancy with the Debian
ones, and things specific to RedHat indeed introduce more confusion
that they solve problems), then either recontacts us, or explore
yourself the other documentations, and tell what we need to add to the
Debian docs.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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?)
You do not need to get anything from gatekeeper, the Debian disks and
documentation are intended to form a coherent and sufficient set for
installation (feedback welcome if it is not the case).
> Now I try to follow the instructions in:
> http://lhpca.univ-lyon1.fr/axp/README
>
>
> I can't enter anything besides /dev/sda in the drive field,
> and it always results in FATAL ERROR: Bad primary partition
This is strange, for some reason, cfdisk does not recognize your previous
partitioning.
Maybe you can try to launch a shell (either by switching virtual
console with <alt>-<F1> <alt>-<F2>,...), or by selecting the right
entry in the main menu. And then using fdisk, or starting with cfdisk
-z which shoudl erase all previous partitions.
>
> Is my harddrive (8.x Gb) too large for the Debian "fdisk" program?
> Is there a maximum limit for the physical drive size?
If you select View partition table in the main menu, is it able to see
your NT partitions?
The disk size maybe the explanation, the original PC format of the
partition table was not planned to support disks greater than 8Gb
(neither disks with more than 1024 cylinders). fdisk, cfdisk or
arcinst may have different workarounds around this limit, which would
explain why they cannot reread a table written by another one. Tell us
if neither dd (as suggested by Anders Hammarquis), cfdisk -z, or fdisk
work for you.
Loic
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