As suggested in the earlier thread, thanks by the way, I tried the TFTP install on my Netwinder. First a couple of comments on the install for future reference, then some questions.
The install worked almost like suggested in the manual. I was using DHCP and ran into one quirk: during the DHCP queries it appears that the NW resets the kerntftpserver setting. To get around that I did one attempt of "boot diskless" to get an address, then switched the netconfig_eth0 to "flash", set the kerntftpserver and the boot worked. I also had to use cmdappend root=/dev/ram, which isn't documented in the manual but I could guess that I needed that from descriptions elsewhere. After the DHCP adjustments I got the debian-installer (sarge) to boot over TFTP. However, I cannot reboot after the base install. I noticed a couple of things that seem not quite right. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction: a) At the end of the base install there's a window with NetTTrom settings for the new kernel. I accepted the standard partitioning where I get a boot, main and swap partition It says to use /dev/hda1 for the kernel device and /vmlinuz for the kernel file. I think it should be either /dev/hda2 and /vmlinuz or /dev/hda1 and the full name of the kernel file, right? b) Before I rebooted I opened a second console and checked what the installer did. In the temporary file system of the installer, which booted fine, I saw the vmlinuz-netwinder... kernel file. However, on the disk (/target/boot) I saw a different kernel file, evidently for the risc station (vmlinuz-riscstation...). When I set the kernel file and kernel device so that NetTTrom was able to find the kernel file I just got an immediate black screen and it seemed like the NW just powered off. Shouldn't the installer put the -netwinder kernel on the disk? Or should the -riscstation kernel work as well? c) Just for my education, could someone tell me (or point me to a FAQ) how the installer decides where to get the kernel? I gave the installer an FTP server and a distribution but I didn't tell it to use ARM or netwinder. Is that hardcoded in the installer? When I get back to the office on Monday I'll try the woody installer, maybe I'll have more luck. To answer a few obvious questions that might be asked: 1) I downloaded the installer from the sarge-arm-netwinder directory and at the end I did get a screen with Netwinder-specific info so I think I got the right installer 2) I selected "testing" as the distribution to install. I thought that made the most sense to go with the "sarge" installer 3) I didn't get any weird error messages during the install. Thanks, Andrew Queisser HP Corvallis
