Re: Subject: LS-120 install
It's a lot more tricky. Basically with a compliant x86 system the BIOS
calls that access the FDC/FDD are translated into ATAPI calls so REAL-MODE
accesses work. This allows bootloaders such as syslinux to transparantly
boot floppy disks in one of these drives. I don't know how this happens in
detail, but it is the observed behaviour.
However, when the kernel takes control it looks specifically for an FDC
and checks in the BIOS data area to learn what physical devices are
registered there.
So basically why disk change doesn't work with LS-120 drives is that the
kernel recognises fd0 and fd1 only being legacy floppy devices.
This might change as part of devfs, but I really don't understand the
inner kernel or BIOS workings to be able to more than just guess.
On Thu, 4 May 2000, Thomas Crulli wrote:
> is this just an issue of having an option in the
> install script that specifies what device to use for
> the floppies or are there more tricky issues?
>
> thomas
>
> --- Kenneth Scharf <scharkalvin@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >I was trying to install debian (frozen) on my
> > laptop
> > >the other day but got stuckon the following. i have
> > a
> > >LS-120 drive (for "superdisks" which is backwards
> > >compatible with 1.44MB disks) which i was using to
> > >boot the install disk. the
> > >images i used were the ones from the idepci
> > >subdirectory.
> > >
> > >the system started booting, the image on the floppy
> > >started booting as well
> > >until it gave the following message:
> > >
> > > Insert the root floppy disk to be loaded into
> > >RAM disk and press Enter.
> > >
> > >(or something like that)
> > >
> > >i tried pressing enter with the disk i had used to
> > >boot from since i believe
> > >that's all i needed (i was gonna do an harddrive
> > >install with base2_2.tgz on
> > >another linux partition). i even tried the driver
> > disk
> > >just in case...
> > >nothing seemed to do it...
> >
> > Actually you need two floppy disk images (at least)
> > the boot disk, and the root disk. The boot disk has
> > the kernel, the root disk has the rest of the system
> > (includes the installer).
> >
> > However (someone correct me if I'm wrong) the disks
> > were written to run on a real floppy NOT off an
> > ide-floppy (which the ls120 is) and would probably
> > die
> > at the point that you tried to insert the the root
> > disk and hit return, it would never find the root
> > disk
> > since it was looking at /dev/fd0, not /dev/hdxx
> > where
> > the ls120 is! I have never managed to install of an
> > ls120 so I still have a floppy in my
> > computers.....along with an ls120.
> >
> > I bet zip drives have the same problem. OTOH
> > booting
> > off a cd rom drive DOES work....
> > am i doing something wrong with the disks i'm using
> > or
> > is it a problem with the LS-120 support?
> >
> > thanks for any help,
> >
> > thomas
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > =====
> > Amateur Radio, when all else fails!
> >
> > http://www.qsl.net/wa2mze
> >
> > Debian Gnu Linux, Live Free or .....
> >
> >
> >
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