Bug#232523: low memory install possible if cfdisk in installer
Package: install
Version: debian-installer beta2
Severity: important
Ok, first download the boot and root floppies from the stable release
(they contain cfdisk, and the beta2 installer does not). Note that
said stable, not testing or unstable! That's stable at pre-sarge
release time, for those googling in the future :-)
Boot these floppies and create the partition table you want, including
creating a swap partition, and making it type '82' to indicate it is
a swap pttn.
Then reboot and follow the procedure for using the beta2 Debian
installer, but when you come to load drivers (either from floppies
or CDs) use the time it takes for them to load/unpack/insmod to do
the following:
Use ALT-F2 to flip to the second VT, press ENTER to get a prompt and
then run the following commands:
mkswap /dev/ide/bus0/target0/lun0/part2
swapon /dev/ide/bus0/target0/lun0/part2
(In my case 'part2' is the second partition, and the one which I
marked as type '82' for swap).
If the device corresponding to your previously-created swap partition
does not exist (i.e. if the first command fails) then wait a moment
and try again (the drivers are being unpacked and loaded while you
try to run these commands so they should appear eventually).
Then during th partition configuration tell it to leave the contents
of the specified partition alone (so it doesn't try to run mkswap on
sonething that is already being used for swap!).
And then everything else is as normal.
But, obviously, this depends on using cfdisk (or fdisk or
whatever). But this is not included on the boot floppies.
Yes, I know it says "at least 32Mb" in the requirements for doing the
installation, so I shouldn't even be attempting to hack around, but
the addition of this *one* tool on the floppies means that everything
required to install on less *is* possible. And I think this makes it,
much more that a 'wishlist' item, but really a 'extremely desirable'
item.
Therefore I request that cfdisk is added to the floppies (and CD too
I guess).
keywords for google: debian testing sarge debian-installer install
installer low memory swap partition cfdisk fdisk beta2
Alexis Huxley
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