Re: MILO + initrd

[Donald Spoon <dspoon@astcomm.net>]

Anthony Hinsinger wrote:
> Hello,
>
> i've installed Debian Woody on a Alpha + Samsung 164 UX/BX (Ruffian)
> The system is correctly running with the default 2.2.20 kernel, but i'd like
> to set up a 2.4.18 kernel (from apt)
> When i install the package, it create an initrd image (and i've configure
> mkinitrd to load my sym53c8xx controller driver)
>
> the problem is ..... i'm unable to load the initrd image :(
>
> when MILO (using ldmilo.exe)  is load, i use this boot command :
> MILO> boot sda2:/vmlinuz initrd=/initrd.img root=/dev/sda2
>
> it seems it doesn't try to load the initrd image but it try to directly
> mount the root device (so the scsi module isn't load but the initrd and the
> kernel crash.)
>
>
> Any idea about the loading of the initrd image with MILO ?
>
> Thanks !
> Anthony
>
> ps : MILO is v2.2-17 get from http://people.debian.org/~rbf/files/ruffian/
> (the default coming with woody doesn't load)

A couple of thoughts here.

1.  Make sure the /initrd.img is a symolic link to the "real" initrd.img 
file.  On my system the "real" file is called "/boot/initrd.img-2.4.18" 
and is located in the /boot directory.

2.  The initrd.img file is put into a ramdisk for execution.  Maybe you 
have to define a "ramdisk=??" option on your command line.  I do NOT 
have to do that here, but then I have a different ALPHA, and I use the 
linload.exe + milo combination on AlphaBIOS, which works fine for me.

You might want to try the milo for ruffian from: > 
http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/TESTING/

These milos were done by Jay Estabrook shortly before Woody came out and 
solved my problems with MILO for that Dist.  They are based on the 
2.2.19 kernel, I believe.  That is the one I am using for my Dec XLT-300.

Cheers,
-Don Spoon-