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Sparc ELC w limited resources - trouble installing



Hi,

 I have a working ELC, after replacing the NVRAM... it did boot SunOS 4 last
time I tried.
I'm having some trouble figuring out the (best) way to install Linux on this
machine.

I've studied the available install doc from Debian, UltraSparc and RedHat to
no total enlightenment.
I've tried several methods to not much success so far.

Configuration:
12 MB RAM
Ethernet and a fully functional 2.2.15 PII connected (rarp and tftp set up
and working)
650 MB Hard disk I can either use on the PII Linux box or the ELC.

I thought that should do it - but not much luck.

My equipment precludes me from using either CD or Floppy, apparently the
preferred install
media. That together with little RAM seems to block the more treaden paths
(rescue disks etc.).

TFTP:
I know my memory is a little tight and none of the tftp boots have ever
worked. Should they have?
One thing I noticed that my machine always seems to hang after the load
unless I pad
the file to a multiple of a block size.  That might be worth noting or even
add to the scripts for producing these thingies we tftp over.
The doc on 'low memory TFTP install' is a complete mystery to me - see NFS
questions below.

NFS:
I also tried to boot with an NFS root, but the the kernel never managed to
mount it:  
"cant mount root on 00:00\nPress L1 A to reboot".
The docs are not clear what the correct syntax is for an NFS mounted root...
that shouldn't be hard to add.  I tried root=/dev/nfs
nfsroot=192.168.100.100:/the/root/path
Obviously that depends on the kernel to have support built in for it, but
how can I tell if the .config
isn't provided with the kernel? (Debian linux-2.2.1.a.out or so)

HD:
I managed to partition and setup the HD with the base2_1.tar.gz content.
That booted great,
but simply told me to stick in the boot floppy, then confiure the system.
Stuck.
Why is it so hard to set up a minimal system from Linux box of a different
architecture I don't understand.

If left to my own resources,  I'll try the same stuff again with a newer
potato install kit I've learned
about on the list today.  I'll also try to abuse my swap partition on the HD
as a 'root'.
That should be feasible for Debian, but RedHat wanted all their RPMS in
there, taking too much
space.

Am I missing something important?

Bonus question:
Also, I can't claim I've fully understood the full detailed mechanics of an
installation. Wha'ts the
main thing to kick off after a minimal RAM or disk based system is up and
running and why can't
it be on the same partition as the system being installed?

Your help is very much appreciated...

	Martin



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