Re: More install problems under Ultra10 and tftp...

[Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net>]

On Sun, 27 Jun 1999, Eric Delaunay wrote:

> Steve Dunham wrote:
> > Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net> writes:
> > 
> > > I got the same failure to activate the swap partition, (along with a
> > > truncation message during mkswap...is there a prefered size for the
> > > Ultra?)
> > 
> > The mkswap on the install floppies is broken (doesn't play nice with
> > 2.2.x kernels), you'll have to do mkswap after the install.
> 
> You can try my experimental stuff at:
> ftp://lix.polytechnique.fr/pub/Linux/debian/sparc/exp/disks-sparc/current/
> It is based on 2.2.7 kernel and have new mkswap util.
> (the 2.2.7 kernel here is somewhat buggy for sparc32 due to pci stuff compiled
> in, but the ultra one should work).
> 
I had several problems with these disks, and still don't have a base
system installed:

1. No ISO9660 support, so I could do a CD install.

    Work around: I fell back to a kernel _with_ support and copied the
                 needed files to a disk partition.

2. For either "Hard disk" or "Mounted" access methods, when the image file
   is finaly found, the install croaks and returns to the initial "color
   choice" screen. The kernel is not extracted from the disk image.

   Investigation: The only file system supported by the kernel is ext2.
                  The kernel also fails to support the loop device, so
                  the rescue image file can not be mounted even if msdos
                  support _were_ provided by the kernel, which it isn't.

3. Built a rescue disk as a floppy. The floppy access method says that it
   can't mount the floppy. No kernel installed.
 
   Investigation: On second VC, tried to mount the floppy manually:

                  mount -t ext2 /dev/fd0 /floppy

   returns the error:

                  Mount: /dev/fd0 is not a block device

   However, /proc/devices lists fd under block devices, and /dev contains
   an entry for the device.

   I _can_ mount the floppy on my Intel Debian box, and see the contents
   of the disk, so it is probably the install program that isn't doing the
   mount correctly...


Which returns me to my earlier question:

How do I extract the contents of a tftpboot.img file? If I can get the
pieces parts from the same image that I boot from, I should be able to
install them by hand. Right now, the image that I have a full set from
isn't functional enough to extract the individual components for me to do
this.

BTW, it seems that 'cp -r' doesn't work right on these disks either. It
places the contents of a lower directory into the current working
directory, and stalls on files that it claims are not in the directory,
which actually are there! It was a major chore moving the necessary files
from the CD to the hard disk. BTW this was on the 2.2.1 image file, not
the 2.2.7 one.

I am certain that if someone can tell me how to extract the contents from
a tftpboot.img file, I can get past these problems.

Thanks,

Dwarf
--
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