Re: Results with 2.2.15-2000-06-10
Ben Collins wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 03, 2000 at 11:10:21AM +0100, Peter Haworth wrote:
> > Ben Collins wrote:
> > > On Fri, Jun 30, 2000 at 03:42:22PM +0100, Peter Haworth wrote:
> > > > So how should we format disks on Sparc linux? Admittedly, there are
> > > > plenty of PCs in my office, but I don't like to get up out of my
> > > > chair :-)
> > >
> > > Most disks are already formatted aren't they? :) If you have a disk
> > > already formatted for DOS or some other Operating System, then you
> > > don't need to format. All you need to do is "mke2fs /dev/fd0", or skip
> > > formatting altogether in the case of making a boot-floppy with the
> > > installer.
> >
> > Unfortunately, I have some disks formatted for TOS, which Linux doesn't
> > like, even though they are supposed to be the same as DOS. Surely mke2fs
> > isn't going to format for DOS, is it?
>
> You are missing the point. Formatting and initializing a filesystem are
> two different things. Once a floppy is lowlevel formatted for use (i.e.
> via superformat, however DOS nor Windows really makes the distinction
> between format and initializing), it doesn't need to be formatted again.
> You simply need to initialize the filesystem. So, you can run mke2fs on a
> DOS disk and end up with an initialized ext2 Linux filesystem floppy. No
> need to superformat.
I realise that. What I want to do is create a DOS filesystem on a floppy, not
ext2, so I can use it in my sneakernet. I suppose I could format once on
DOS/Windows, then use dd to create an initialised filesystem image, which I
could dd onto new floppies, but that seems like cheating somehow.
--
Peter Haworth pmh@edison.ioppublishing.com
"It's okay for me to ping Finland,
but if the Air Force does it - that might be an act of war"
-- Bill Cheswick
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