Re: Please explain in simple terms ...
[note: please break your lines better, it's easier on the eyes :) ]
On Sat, Oct 16, 1999 at 10:48:19AM +1300, lanz was heard to say:
> Please explain in layman terms ...
> -------------------------------------------------
> ( I have read all faq's/howto etc)
I'll try, but I may be somewhat brief.
>
> Example
> ------------
>
> A system with a 2 GB hardrive and following partitions.
>
> 1) 25 mb > dos/fat16
> 2) 500 mb > win95c/fat32
> 3) 1393 mb > ext2 (proposed)/(debian/gnu/ --- hurd and/or linux mix/match)
> 4) 128mb > swapfile
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------------------
>
> Given the example above:-
> --------------------------------------
>
> Q1) I understand debian/gnu/hurd uses a ext2 partition
> Does this have to be a primary partition or can it be a partition
> contained
> within a dos/extended partition as a logical partition an ext2 etc
> and be
> booted via grub instead,or for some reason must it be
> primary,therefore
> why,and for what specific reasons,and also can the swapfile be placed
> within a dos extended logical partition area instead of in the
> primary area
> and/or can gnu/linux have a swapfile in such area/partition.
A logical partition is fine. You have to know, though, that the partition
numbers start at 5 for logical partitions (primaries get 1-4)
> Q2) I understand debian/gnu/hurd can't simply be installed like linux,and
> that
> the hurd requires linux to be present to install the hurd in the
> nominated
> partition designated/planned for the hurd?.After the hurd is
> installed can
> one remove the linux partition which was used to install the hurd in
> the
> hurd/ext2/partition?I ask this because I have doslinux using 10 meg
> in
> my dos partition and could use this just to install the hurd in it's
> area
> or is there/will there be a dependancy between the hurd and
> debian/linux.
You can just delete the Linux partition if you wish. I'm not sure whether
cross-install will run in doslinux, but I don't see any reason to not try.
> Q3) Once this Hurd has been installed I need to know if/and/how it
> interacts
> with linux,mainly because I wonder if one can then install linux into
> the
> same partition that the hurd resides or must linux reside in another
> seperate ext2/partition instead of sharing same partition with the
> hurd.
Yes, you can install them to the same partition -- sort of. It's possible
to boot the Hurd from a subdirectory of an ext2 partition, or from a big file
inside an ext2 partition. Check the list archives for more details on this,
it comes up periodically (and I'm too lazy to look it up myself :P )
> How does the hurd handle linux programs/software now/future and can
> you please define the 2 types/linux binaries and how they differ from
> what executables are/and how the hurd interacts with debian/linux and
> applications or is there a factor for recompiling linux stuff to work
> with
> the debian/gnu/hurd.
Binaries are programs which have been compiled to machine code, executables
are anything that you can execute as a program(including scripts).
As far as Linux programs go: the Hurd doesn't currently run them. It might
in the future. For now most of what the Debian GNU/Hurd port is doing (as far
as I can tell) is trying to recompile stuff en masse.
> Q4) I understand that if say I have a Debian/linux/ext2 partition running
> linux
> I can possibly install/run the hurd in a subdir of the linux
> partition? T/F ?
> Perhaps this is only a plan for the future or can they exist in the
> same
> partition but in different directories and I also assume if this is
> the case
> installation packages must share libraries for compiling etc too ???
Hm? No, the environments are entirely separate. There would be a Hurd
directory somewhere ("/usr/local/hurd" maybe) with the Hurd filesystem, kernel,
programs, libraries and all, stuck inside it. You'd then use some GRUB magic
to boot it (again, check the archives..)
I think that cross-install doesn't handle this case yet, and you'll have to
install this way by untaring one of the big-tarball distributions into a
directory somewhere.
> Thanks ( in advanace/I'm trying to understand the faqs/howto explanations)
> ..
Good luck :)
[blank lines snipped]
Daniel
--
"I can see that you are clearly a much better swordsman than I am!"
"Then why are you smiling?"
"Because I know something you don't know."
"And what is that?"
"I am not left-handed."
-- "The Princess Bride"
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