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Re: prerequisites for debian-installer image upload



On Wed, Oct 29, 2003 at 02:31:05PM -0500, Joey Hess wrote:
> Raphael Hertzog wrote:
> > Le Tue, Oct 28, 2003 at 07:24:26PM -0500, Joey Hess écrivait:
> > > debian-cd: 
> > > 
> > > What kinds of images do you use/need from the debian-installer tree for
> > > building CDs on the various architectures? There is both an initrd
> > > image, and a CD boot "floppy" image, and I do not want to waste space in
> > > the archive with both if they are not both needed on a given
> > > architecture.
> > 
> > We need :
> > - kernel + initrd for "isolinux" (for multiple choice at boot time) for
> >   the first CD
> > - kernel + initrd for starting the installation via LoadLin on
> >   Windows
> > - boot images (2.88MB mainly) for making the CD 2 & above
> >   bootable (the good old way which should still work if isolinux fails)
> > 
> > That's for i386. I can't tell for non-i386 arches but I bet that most
> > archs need only boot images.
> 
> Apparently powerpc needs only an initrd, which is put in the boot
> directory along with yaboot.

Wrong, o so wrong. This is if you only care about pmacs. and newworld
pmacs on top of it.

What is needed :

  - A initrd containing the -powerpc-small flavor of the modules. They
    are found in :

      kernel-modules-2.4.22-powerpc-small_2.4.22-2... i will upload today.

    This will be used together with the -powerpc-small kernel and miboot
    to do floppy booting.

  - A initrd containing the -apus modules to be used on apus with the
    apus kernel i don't maintain. This will need in addition of the
    kernel extracted from the -apus kernel-image, also a set of amigaos
    built stuff. The apusboot binary, and a script/icon to launh it.
    Same as we did for boot-floppies, and the exact same process will be
    used for m68k/amiga. Goswin may have the hardware to work on this.

  - A initrd containing the -powerpc flavor of the modules. They are
    found in :

      kernel-modules-2.4.22-powerpc_2.4.22-2... i will upload today.

    This initrd will be used for yaboot using new world pmacs and OF
    netbooting stuff (chrp, chrp-rs6k, pmac, maybe prep, not sure), and
    bootx. Additionnally chrp, chrp-rs6k and pmac need a version of the
    kernel with the initrd builtin.

This last point is the more difficult of all. The easy points are the
kernel with separate initrd. We get the following booting procedures :

  - pmac/chrp with yaboot : We simply have a separate initrd, and the
    needed yaboot stuff to boot it.

  - oldworld pmac with bootx : We include the bootx binary on the CD,
    and some instructions for it, like we did in boot-floppies. The CD
    must be mac compatible, so the user can simply mount it and launch
    BootX. Ideally BootX will come prefeed with the right kernel and
    initrd locations, don't know if this is possible.

  - netbooting pmac/chrp/chrp-rs6k/prep : You simply need the
    corresponding kernel and initrd. I am not familiar with the
    OF/netboot magic needed to make it boot though.

  - OF loading pmacs : I hear this only works with a serial console on
    old world, but it needs the .coff kernel and the initrd. Not sure
    about the initrd.

  - builtin initrd : this is needed for chrp/chrp-rs6k and prep, but
    should work on pmac also. I was able to create a boot-floppy builtin
    initrd kernel with the kernel-build-2.4.22-powerpc package, but when
    i use the debian-installer initrd, the kernel is not able to find
    the initrd, may be a broken initrd or wrong options. Or maybe a too
    big initrd even, will check. In this install case, you simply need
    to launch OF and load the kernel+initrd.

  - pegasos OF loading : i am in the process of adding a yaboot-like
    functionality to the pegasos OF. IT will search for a given menu
    file on the disk (on a place specified in an OF variable most
    likely) load it and offer a menu proposing the different kernels to
    load.

Friendly,

Sven Luther



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