Jan 15 '97
A few days ago (around Jan 6th '97) I have installed the Debian 1.2
on a HP Vectra XU system, using the InfoMagic "Linux Developer's
Resource" CD-ROM collection.
See ftp.fortuna.org/pub/linux/Debian/InfoMagic-LDR.Dec96
My experience was, that the installation from the the above InfoMagic-Dec96
was quite *smooth*, and in a final result quite successful.
Three days ago (Jan 12ve '97) I repeated the Debian 1.2 installation again,
this time to an older (?) Gateway2000 system.
The final result was, again, quite successful, but I experienced an
intermittent problem, because at a certain point of the installation
the "dselect" could not find my Mitsumi CD-ROM drive, and could not
accept the inserted CD-ROM#3 as a source to continue the installation.
I have resolved the problem using the MAKEDEV utility, which in turn caused
another problem (I have solved it, too :)
I am publishing my experiences, because I believe that my problems were
quite common during (some ?) Debian 1.2 installations.
Instead of just discussing-only-some-problems I decided again to write down
the whole procedure of the Debian 1.2 installation, pointing out the applied
correction procedures.
========= Installation of the Debian 1.2, 1/12/97 ===========
My configuration:
Gateway2000 P5/66
32 MB RAM
Mercury/Neptune PCI motherboard
Adaptec 1542 SCSI/ISA interface
1.6GB Micropolis 2217 drive
Mitsumi 2x CD-ROM/ISA
1.44/1.2 floppy drives
Number Nine GXE lvl 12 graphics card
On that system was installed Linux/Slackware operating system, with A.OUT
binaries, 1.2.8 Linux kernel and XFree86 3.1.1 (January '95) graphics.
I decided to install the Debian 1.2 ovewriting the existing Slackware.
So, I began with making the proper backups.
In addition, I *reminded* myself about some system details, like the
graphics card name/version, CD-ROM type, etc. I also needed to know the
partitioning of the SCSI disk: this I learned running the "fdisk" from the
still operational Linux/Slackware.
The short description how to install the Debian 1.2 was present on the
DISK3 of the InfoMagic-LDR set: it is an ASCII file
"(cdrom)/disks-i386/1996-12-8/install.txt"
In case of reading the CD-ROM under Windows, it will be
"(X:)\disks-i3\1996-12-\install.txt"
Step 1:
Prepare 7 formatted 1.44 floppy disks and label them as "Rescue", "Device
Drivers", "Custom Boot", "Base 1", "Base 2", "Base 3", "Base 4".
I mounted the above DISK3 under Linux, so instead of using the rawrite2.exe
I used dd to copy data to those floppies, e.g.
dd if=/cdrom/disks-i386/1996-12-8/resq1440.bin of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 \
conv=sync
Then copied the drv1440.bin, base14-1.bin,...,base14-4.bin
(the "Custom Boot" was created later).
Step 2:
Boot from the "Rescue" floppy, watch the messages, and seeing "boot:"
hit -ENTER-.
One of the boot messages announced the MITSUMI CD-ROM as /dev/mcd (important).
#Comment:
# Seeing the /dev/mcd mentioned I was relaxed :) believing in yet-another
# smooth installation. But later I had to use some tricks to make it working.
I selected the color display from the "Set Color or Monochrome" dialog box.
Step 3:
Select "Next" (hit -ENTER-) to "Continue with the installation".
Then again select "Next" to "Configure the Keyboard" (I selected the "us",
for U.S English (QWERTY))
#Comment:
# It is a spelling error QUERTY, instead of the QWERTY
Step 4:
At this point the installation agent had informed me, that there are
"Linux native" and "Linux swap" partitions on my system.
#Comment:
# If the disk would not have Linux partitions, one should select "Previous"
# to "Partition a Hard Disk"
FWIW, my disk was partitioned (a few years ago) in the following way:
sda1: 51- 200 Linux native
sda2: 1- 50 Linux swap
sda3: 201- 300 Dos 16-bit
sda4: 301-1612 Extended
sda5: 301- 957 Linux native
sda6: 958-1612 Linux native
From the Debian installation point of view important was to know about the
/dev/sda1 (for "/") and /dev/sda2 (for swap).
#Comment:
# It happened, that the installation of the basic Debian 1.2 system
# + Linux 2.0.27 kernel source + X Window 3.2 basics
# required EXACTLY 150 MB (so I was lucky)
Step 5:
Next - to "Initialize and Activate the Swap Disk Partition" - ENTER
then again
Next - to "Initialize a Linux Disk Partition" - ENTER
#Comment:
# Selected the /dev/sda2 and /dev/sda1, respectively
# Accepted to erase the data while initializing.
I accepted (of course) the suggestion to mount the /dev/sda1 as the root
partition by pressing ENTER.
Step 6:
Next - to "Install the Base System", where I selected the /dev/fd0 as the
floppy drive. The "Please insert disk 1 and press ENTER ..." worked OK,
so was with the other 3 "base" floppies.
I knew from the previous installation, that even in the case when one of
the floppies would not work, one could create it anew (see COMMENT1 at
the end) -- but this time I was lucky.
This phase of installation was concluded with the "Extracting files ..."
which took a short while.
Step 7:
Next - to "Install the Operating System Kernel"
Here the "Rescue" floppy was demanded.
Step 8:
Next - to "Install the Device Drivers"
Here the "Device Drivers" floppy was demanded.
Step 9:
Next - to "Configure Device Drivers Modules"
Here I went through the possible devices and added some which I needed,
for examples:
"fs" - binfmt_aout (to preserve the old a.out functionality)
- binfmt_java (to provide the command line Java execution)
- hpfs (Microsoft High Performance File System)
- nfs (Network File System)
- vfat (Windows95 long file names on an MS DOS filesystem)
"ipv4" - (Internet Protocol drivers)
"misc" - lp (Parallel Printer Ports)
- psaux (PS/2 mouse)
- serial (for standard serial interfaces)
"net" - 3com Etherlink II 3c509 (because I have it)
- ppp (because I intend to use it)
- rarp (because I plan to experiment with it)
- slip (because I was using it under the Slackware)
"scsi" - sg (generic SCSI)
- st (for SCSI tape/DAT)
Step 10:
Next - to "Configure the base system"
Here the installer asked me about the timezone and I opted for US/Pacific
and local (not GMT) clock.
Step 11:
Next - to "Configure the network"
What is here needed is the following information:
hostname (short format, without the domain attached)
domain name
IP address - e.g. nnn.mmm.232.111
network mask - 255.255.255.0
broadcast - nnn.mmm.232.255
Gateway IP - nnn.mmm.ooo.1
DNS - nnn.mmm.ooo.1 (it can be different than Gateway)
When asked if "using Ethernet" I said yes, because I will be using both
PPP and (local) Ethernet.
Step 12:
Next - to "Make Linux Bootable Directly fromHard Disk"
I had already LILO installed on my hard drive, so did not hesitate here,
and pressed ENTER to confirm.
Otherwise, it might be resonable to answer "no" and use only a bootable
floppy.
Confirmed also to "Install a master boot record on /dev/sda"
and to "Boot from Debian" by default.
(I knew that later I will be able to activate an alternate booting from the
Windows /dev/sda3 partition)
Next - to "Make a Boot Floppy"
Here the labelled "Custom Boot" floppy was used.
Actually, it was re-formatted again, so it did not have to be "formatted"
at the beginning.
Step 13:
Next - to "Reboot the system"
I was watching the boot messages. Between others I noticed something related
to the "Mitsumi" CD-ROM and the mcd drivers, so was encouraged, that
the system assigns the proper driver to this device.
However, I had to work out some "tricks" later (see comments below).
After the reboot:
- I was asked to set the root password
- then to create the first non-root user (I've done it)
- at the conclusion, the installer started the "dselect" utility,
to select Debian packages to be added to the system.
Step 13:
Here starts the "dselect" - which potentially makes a lot of problems
(as reported by many Debian installers).
But ... knowing some dselect weaknesses one can continue without major
problems:
0) Access
- I opted for access from the CD-ROM, from my /dev/mcd device
However, the installer program reported, that it couldn't access the
/dev/mcd.
After switching to another virtual terminal with ALT-F2 I realized, that
there was no /dev/mcd device file at all.
So, I tried to create it with:
# cd /dev
# ./MAKEDEV mcd
But then the "MAKEDEV" reported an error in the "makedev.cfg" file, line 34.
With "find / -name makedev.cfg" I have found out, that this file is located
at "/etc" directory, then "wc /etc/makedev.cfg" showed that the error was
at the end of the file.
So could look at it with "cat /etc/makedev.cfg".
Apparently, the error was caused by the *empty* function
omit {
}
So, I modified the /etc/makedev.cfg, using *tricks* in the situation when
I could not find any working editor:
# cd /etc
# cp -p makedev.cfg makedev.cfg.ORIG
# head -33 makedev.cfg.ORIG > makedev.cfg
# cat >> makedev.cfg
echo empty omit function
}
CTRL-D
Then I was able to create the /dev/mcd file:
# cd /dev
# ./MAKEDEV mcd
Finally I switched back to the original virtual terminal with ALT-F1,
and then typing in /dev/mcd enabled to continue installation.
(continuing with the "dselect")
- set "none" as the "top directory", so the dselect asked for names
of some other distribution directories.
- at this time the CD-ROM (still the DISK3 of the InfoMagic-LDR) was
automatically mounted at /var/lib/dpkg/methods/mnt
so I could use the Alt-F2 to open another virtual terminal, verified
the mounted CD-ROM with "df", and then I could
"ls /var/lib/dpkg/ethods/mnt" to see the names of the requested
directories.
- coming back to the primary virtual terminal (Alt-F1) I answered with
"binary" for main binary directory and "contrib" for the contrib files.
At certain point I answered also with the name "local".
The "non-free" does not exist on the CD-ROM (rather obvious ?).
1) Update
- the information about 21 packages was updated
2) Select
- after pressing "Space" to leave the help, I selected the "All packges"
(the first possible choice)
3) Install
- after pressing ENTER the "dpkg" utility started to install the selected
packages.
- I was asked some questions (for example: to skip the "INN" ? - I selected
"y" to skip it)
- selection of languages: selected only "english"
- picked my hostname as the mail name for the system (do not intend to
use it now, anyway)
- selected to "deliver mail only locally"
- picked "american" for ispell
- when "gpm" started to be configured, I switched again with ALT-F2
and created a symbolic link "# cd /dev; ln -s psaux mouse" so that
I could use the name /dev/mouse for my PS/2 mouse.
When asked for the "type" I first typed "help" to get a list,
then selected "ps2".
Then came the EXPECTED (reported by many) error while configuring the
"latex" and "texbin".
Here I switched again to another virtual terminal with "Alt-F2", and
used "dpkg" manually:
1. First, I added the "/usr/X11R6/lib" to the "/etc/ld.so.conf".
Instead of using any editor, it was sufficient to append the missing line:
# cat >> /etc/ld.so.conf
/usr/X11R6/lib
CTRL-D
Then I executed the "ldconfig".
Finally, configured the missing packages:
# dpkg -C
(to see the list of mis-configured packages again)
# dpkg --configure texbin
# dpkg --configure latex
# dpkg --configure psnfss
It worked this time OK.
Returned with ALT-F1 to the "dselect".
6) Quit dselect
Step 14:
It was better now to prepare the kernel sources, so I could configure it
in a more flexible way. The DISK3 of the InfoMagic-LDR has the 2.0.27 sources
in "source/devel/kernel-source-2.0.27_1.00.orig.tar.gz", so I could
unpack the sources to the "/usr/src" directory:
# mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/hdc /cdrom
# cd /usr/src
# tar xzvf /cdrom/source/devel/kernel-source-2.0.27_1.00.orig.tar.gz
Then created the "linux" symbolic link:
# ln -s kernel-source-2.0.27_1.00.orig linux
Now I could create a new kernel:
# cd /usr/src/linux
# make config
# make dep
# make zImage
# make modules
# make modules_install
Saved the current kernel:
# cp -p /vmlinuz /vmlinuz.OLD
Placed the new kernel:
# cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/zImage /vmlinuz
Created a simple "booting" disk (instead of installing LILO on the HD).
Here I inserted a new (empty) floppy, and executed:
# make zdisk
This created a simple "booting" disk, which could replace the "Custom Boot"
floppy.
I created also a "booting" disk from the old (saved) kernel.
To another floppy:
# cp /vmlinuz.OLD /dev/fd0
# rdev /dev/fd0 /dev/sdb2
# rdev -v /dev/fd0 -1
This floppy may be re-used as soon as the new kernel will prove its ability
to boot.
This completes the installation of the Debian 1.2 from the InfoMagic-LDR.Dec96
CD-ROMs.
Note, that the DISK3 contained not only the complete (correctly working)
distribution of the Debian 1.2, but it contained also the sources of the
kernel.
I was have happy using this CD-ROM, indeed !
COMMENT1:
If any of the "Base ?" floppies is rejected, one can create it anew, without
repeating the installation from the beginning.
It happened, that the DISK3 (selected as the source of data) was mounted
at the "/var/lib/dpkg/methods/mnt" directory.
So, one can switch to another virtual terminal (e.g. with the Alt-F2) and
create the needed "Base ?" floppy with
# cd /var/lib/dpkg/methods/mnt/disks-i386\1996-12-8
# cp base14-3.bin /dev/fd0
(in case when the "Base 3" needs to be re-created)
Then "Alt-F1" returns to the installation, where we can select to "Install
the Base System" again.
COMMENT2:
ftp.fortuna.org/pub/linux/Debian/InfoMagic-LDR.Dec96 contains a description
of my installation of the Debian 1.2 system to different HW
ftp.fortuna.org/pub/linux/Debian/X-on-Debian1.2-InfoMagic.txt contains some
details how to install the X Window System on a top of the Debian 1.2
(using the InfoMagic CDs)
Zenon ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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