The purpose of Lnx4win in Mandrake 6.0 IS to install linux on a dos
partition. Linux is then used through a loopback device without the need to
have to partition your hardrive. This seems to be becoming popular.
Phatlinux 3.0 also does this. Both do this without using umsdos. I don't
understand the specifics of this and would like more info. Thanx for the
loadlin help.
SA
>From: Matt Stegman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: Linux-Mandrake Newbie List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: [newbie] lnx4win
>Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:46:36 -0500 (CDT)
>
>I'm afraid that Linux cannot reside on a DOS partition without some
>special means to protect the parts of the filesystem that Linux relies on.
>Certain security features in Linux/UNIX- file ownership & the permission
>modes- are features inherent in the filesystem, not the OS. FAT
>filesystems do not have these features, and so any program that makes use
>of them simply cannot run off a FAT partition. UMSDOS is a way of
>"protecting" Linux from the problems (well, some of them anyway) of FAT.
>
>Using loadlin, the "root=" part should always point to the root partition.
>The kernel image (which is usually present in /boot) should reside on the
>DOS partition with the loadlin executable. This is because loadlin cannot
>read ext2 filesystems. The kernel is loaded from DOS via loadlin, DOS
>gets pushed out of memory, and Linux takes over. The Linux kernel can
>read ext2 (unlike DOS) and then gets the root partition- from the loadlin
>parameter- and mounts it at /.
>
>I suppose- although I'm not sure how this could be implemented- that it
>would be possible to have an ext2 filesystem contained in a file on a FAT
>partition. I don't know if the kernel would accept a DOS path\filename
>for the root partition (probably not), but if you can round up a team of
>hackers, you might be able to use this to use Linux from a FAT partition
>without usinng UMSDOS.
>
>-Matt Stegman
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>On Mon, 16 Aug 1999, Sean Armstrong wrote:
>
> > I have installed the new Mandrake 6.0. However I can not seem to get
> > loadlin running. I set it to my new kernel and directed it towards the
> > root partition. I think the second part is my problem. Should I have
> > directed it towards my boot partition? Anyways, it begins to load linux
> > and then panics and stops. Also I had the same problems when I tried to
> > use Mandrake's lnx4win software to load linux on to a dos partition.
> > The readme for this is vague at best and I was wondering if anyone knows
> > of a better source to direct me how to load linux onto a dos partition
> > without the use of umsdos.
> >
> > thanx,
> > SA
>
>
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