Re: howto install debian on netwinder?

[Tor Slettnes <tor@slett.net>]

>>>>> "cbrake" == cbrake  <cbrake@accelent.com> writes:

    cbrake> What is the easiest way to install debian (I assume 2.2r3
    cbrake> is the way to go) on the netwinder?  I spent a couple
    cbrake> hours digging and at this point it looks like it might be
    cbrake> a couple day project to figure out the gaps between the
    cbrake> debian and netwinder documentation.  Can someone point me
    cbrake> to documentation or suggest a method?

The easiest way is unfortunately not documented anywhere, it seems.
I recently re-installed Debian potato on my netwinder, due to ongoing
problems with `unstable' right now.

   - You will need another Linux- or UNIX-machine on your LAN, with a
     TFTP server installed.  (Actually you could probably use Windows
     Legacy Machines also, but YMMV).

   - You also need internet access via your LAN.

   - Connect "eth0" on your Netwinder (that's the low-speed/10 Mbps
     ethernet port) to your LAN.

   - You need to get the Netwinder rescue image:
       ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-arm/current/rescue_netwinder.bin

   - Put in in the TFTP root directory on your server (On a Debian
     machine, that would be in "/boot").

   - Reboot your netwinder

   - Press a key to suspend booting when the countdown timer starts,
     to edit the NeTTrom parameters.

   - Assuming that your Netwinder has address 192.168.0.2, and your
     TFTP server has an address of 192.168.0.1, you will do the
     following:

        setenv eth0_ip 192.168.0.2/24

        setenv kernconfig tftp
        setenv kerntftpserver 192.168.0.1
        setenv kerntftpfile rescue_netwinder.bin

   - Type "boot".  If everything goes well, you should now get
     the Debian installer.

   - I had to enable the "Linux 2.0 compatability filesystem"
     when I installed, otherwise my (older) NeTTrom would not be
     able to read the kernel image from the newly installed disk.

   - Pay attention to where your kernel image is stored 
     (/vmlinuz, /vmlinux, /Image, /boot/Image, /boot/vmlinuz....).

   - First time you reboot, you will need to tell NeTTrom where that
     image is.  Stop booting again, and type something like:

        setenv kernfile /boot/Image
        save-all
        boot

     I don't remember the exact syntax;  type "help" at the NeTTrom
     prompt to be sure.

-tor