I haven't actually done it, but a few months ago I took a close look at what
it would take to accomplish this. The project I was investigating this for
never took off, though, so I didn't create the needed install disks, and
from my looking around back then, I don't think anyone else had either. So
while the rest of this isn't a direct answer to your question, I still hope
some of it might help you a bit in pursuing your investigations.
In principle, it should be fairly easy to create either a bootdisk and a
rootdisk (to use the Slackware terminology I am most familiar with), plus
perhaps a single supplemental disk, for the client (the laptop you are
installing Linux on). The server (the machine with the CD drive) would need
to be running PPP as a server, along with NFS -- both things a Linux box can
readily do (But I don't know about Win95). For general background on how to
do this, take alook at the Bootdisk HowTo, available widely, including at
URL http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO.html .
In the absence of such a customized disk set, I think you could do something
similar to what you want using Slackware.
1.As of the current version (3.6), Slackware still lets you install the A
(base) and N (networking) series by floppy. Takes 18 floppies (plus the
bootdisk and rootdisk) to do this right, and you can make them from a CD-ROM
under either Linux or Win95 (or get them by ftp from www.cdrom.com or sunsite).
2. So the approach would be to install those 2 series, then set up the Linux
box to run PPP as a client.
3. Then set up the server to provide PPP over a serial port and export the
needed CD directory over NFS. (If you don't already know how to do this, the
PPP part can be a bit intricate. If you decide to pursue this and need help,
I can provide instructions for doing this on a Slackware server.)
4. Then make a PPP connection between client and server, and have the client
mount the CD under NFS.
5. Use pkgtool to install the other series you want (or just do it by hand).
6. Or, instead of 3-5, use PPP and a modem to download the rest of what you
want from an online ftp site, then install it (if your hard disk is roomy
enough for this).
Debian 2.0 also has a option to install its base system (which includes PPP)
from floppies, but I have no experience using this method. While Debian
supports base-system installation via NFS, it doesn't seem to provide an
option for installation over PPP.
As far as I know, none of the other major distributions (Red Hat, Caldera,
S.u.S.E.) still supports any installation from floppies. All support either
ftp or NFS installs, though, so if someone added pppd, and its support
scripts and programs, to the appropriate install disk, you could then do
what you want.
The floppy-oriented distribution from the Linux router project (URL
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/linux-router/dists/stable/ )
appears to include PPP support. It includes an option to download what they
call the "idiot.image-2.9.3-1..." disk that includes a "raw image of a
'stock' 1.44MB LRP floppy." Whether this version includes PPP support is
unclear to me, but if it does, it may either serve your purpose (allowing
you to bootstrap another distribution on top of it) or guide you in how to
make a custom install disk or bootdisk/rootdisk set for the distribution of
your choice.
None of the other second-tier distributions at sunsite appears to support
PPP, but you might want to check more closely than I did.
If anyone has actually pulled together the stuff to do an installation of
ANY distribution simply using NFS or ftp over PPP, I'd be interested in
hearing about it as well.
At 04:50 PM 1/2/99 -0500, Peter Flinkfelt wrote:
>has anyone ever installed Linux through a null modem cable?
>i have a 486 Laptop I want to install linux on, however there is not a
>CD Rom for the laptop.
>Is it possible to load a base install, with PPP, and access a CD rom on
>a Win95/Linux box? From what Linux Unleashed says, I can. However there
>aren't any freakin directions. Kind of pointless to mention it if they
>tell you nothing about haw to do it.
------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"---
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
762 Garland Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3603
650.321.3561 voice 650.322.1209 fax [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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