Re: Debian installer for Linuxcare rescue CD
Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> writes:
> > Is it feasible to perform an installation under these conditions, if
> > we had, say, base2_1.tgz or base2_2.tgz (plus the contents of the
> > appropriate drivers disk) available somewhere on the CD-ROM?
>
> I think it is, though it's going to be quite hackish.
>
> It's not too hard to get from just base2_1.tgz to a chrooted Debian system
> on any linux platform. You just unpack it, twiddle a comple of files that
> the normal install modifies (like I think some files under /root, and in
> your case things like /etc/timezone, and /etc/init.d/network.)
>
> You can chroot into the base debian system at this point and it's basically
> a complete debian system. Then you have to make it bootable. This will
> involve pulling apart drv1440.bin, getting the tarball inside it that
> contains kernel modules, and installing it into the appropriate place, then
> pulling apart resc1440.bin and getting the kernel image from it and
> installing that, then possibly setting up LILO.
It would pretty much be trivial to adapt the scripts which make the
base system to add in, say, kernel images and modules, etc.
> On the other hand, you might be better off if you just do a Debian install,
> tar that up to put on the CD, and extract that onto your target system, and
> finish by fixing up lilo.
This doesn't seem to be what he wants -- as I understand it, we're
talking about a live bootable filesystem.
I wish someone would elucidate what all is required to have a live
bootable filesystem on a CD... then I could do a better job evaluating
if boot-floppies should provide (or help with the providing of) this
functionality (potato or woody).
For instance, some questions. This is all assuming i386.
- do you boot into a 2.88 el torito image?
- then do you mount the CD as a RO root, or loop mount a file on
the CD ?
- how do you deal with writable areas of the disk, like /tmp or /var/run ?
- do you use an initrd?
- are the kernel and modules on the "live filesystem" or the bootable image?
why?
--
.....Adam Di Carlo....adam@onShore.com.....<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>
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