Re: Linux on a RiscPC 600
>> Would it be possible to use my Red Hat discs to format a partition, uncompress
>> the base.tgz file from another ARM port on it, and bootstrap a system like
>> that? I've used that technique with success on a PowerPC before when the
>> installer wouldn't work.
>
>I think so. There are some steps performed by the bootstrap installer
>that you will need to figure out and do manually if you go this way.
>(I don't know what they are, but I know they are there.)
I've done this bit before; it's not terribly hard, just fiddly (you have to
configure all the stuff in /etc manually). Anyone who's ever installed
Slackware, and then got it working, will have no problems.
>> And, finally, have I got the right mailing list?
>
>Certainly. If you don't mind guinea pigging you could look through the
>debian-arm archives for I believe march and april for the RiscOS
>installation messages and get the image loaders in hand. I would then
>feed you a stream of ever refined installation images until we got
>one that worked. (I don't have a RiscPC, but I can build the bootstrap
>images.)
Ah. Yes. The mailing list archive. *cough* Sorry.
Okay, I've had a look.
Partitioning: from what I understand, to partition an Arc on a FileCore (ADFS) system, you have to run !HForm (the Risc OS formatter) and lie to it about the number of cylinders on the disc. It will then create a file system occupying some of the drive. You then run !PartMan and add some Linux partitions; you boot Linux and it magically understands the partition table. I think. (What's the largest FileCore file system you can create?)
Booting. AFAIK, Risc OS always boots from ROM, so to boot Linux you need an ADFS file system somewhere with !Linux on it and your kernel (and initial ramdisk if you are so inclined). What's this LoadMap thing?
Kernels. The Red Hat discs I've played with had a 2.0.X kernel. This seemed to work fine for me; it mounted my ADFS file system without hassles (but read-only), and it came with an EtherB module. This seemed to work but the Mac address came up as 00.01.02.03.04.05; I note someone reported the EtherB as not quite working on the list. I didn't try actually sending packets with it. What's the state of the 2.2.X kernels? Can we write ADFS disks yet?
Floppies. Risc OS uses 800kB and 1600kB disks throughout. When I tried a Risc OS disk in my PC, or on the Risc PC under Linux, it barfed big time. Doesn't the Linux kernel support that disk geometry? I've got a /dev/fd0u1600, so I thought it would work.
I'm perfectly willing to be a guinea pig, but you'll have to wait until my new drive arrives (tomorrow, hopefully).
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+- David Given ---------------McQ-+
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