166 lines
6.5 KiB
HTML
166 lines
6.5 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="SGML-Tools 1.0.9">
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<TITLE>Linux Install From PPA-Zip drive mini-HOWTO: Prelude</TITLE>
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<LINK HREF="Install-From-ZIP-2.html" REL=next>
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<LINK HREF="Install-From-ZIP.html#toc1" REL=contents>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY>
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<A HREF="Install-From-ZIP-2.html">Next</A>
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Previous
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<A HREF="Install-From-ZIP.html#toc1">Contents</A>
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<HR>
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<H2><A NAME="s1">1. Prelude</A></H2>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.1">1.1 Intro:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>The following method has been written for use with the Slackware
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Linux distribution. It assumes some familiarity with it's
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installation. The installer will also need access to a working Linux
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system of any distribution. It also assumes the destination system
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has 4 to 6 megs ram. More powerful systems can use this method also
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but you will probably be able to find a faster easier way. It is not
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intended to be used by first time installers or by people new to Linux.
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Only issues specific to the use of a zip drive as source media will be
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covered here.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.2">1.2 Background:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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I have an OLD 486/20 slc with a 120 meg hd, 4 megs ram and a 2400
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baud modem that I wanted to run Linux on. It has no cdrom drive or
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pcmcia connectivity, and will never see a network card (parallel port
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style). There is nothing left that can be upgraded on this unit.
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<P>Linux has been at the cutting edge from the start but also breathes
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new life into some older 386 and 486 hardware. The documentation
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says "386 with 2 megs ram no math coprocessor" but try to find a
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distribution that will do it today. Slackware can be placed on a 4
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meg machine with some work and a prayer. The following system greatly
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reduces the work. Prayer always helps, even with the best of systems.
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<P>I've used the following system with 3 other laptops, and one 386
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desktop machine. The lamest being a 386 with 4 megs ram & 60 meg HD
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no math coprocessor. While this system works well I'd like to be able
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to do similar tricks with Debian, RedHat, Caldera Lite, and some of
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the other popular distributions offering more choice to Linux users I
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help this way.
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<P>
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.3">1.3 Advantages:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>Installing from cdrom or Ethernet are the methods of choice when
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available. In cases where floppy disk install appears to be the only
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choice a parallel port zip drive offers numerous advantages. These
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include better speed than a floppy disk, and fewer disk changes. In
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addition on systems with minimal ram "6 megs. or less" the ability to
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install a swap file on the root disk uncomplicates the install greatly
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by freeing you from the need to creat one on the hard disk before
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running setup. When installing Slackware the swap file allows
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installers to choose the <B>color.gz</B> root disk or <B>text.gz</B>. The <B>color.gz</B> is not recommended for floppy based
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installs on machines with such limited resources. With a zip disk you
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may also produce an emergency boot disk during the initial install, by
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freeing the first floppy drive. Something not possible during a normal
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floppy based install on systems of this type.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.4">1.4 Material:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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This method has been used with Slackware Ver's. 3.1, through 3.4
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A full Slackware install requires 2 zip disk's not counting source
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packages if they are desired. You will need one parallel port zip
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drive & cables, and a 1.44 meg boot disk. Pencil and paper are
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optional for making a few notes during install.
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<P>At least two systems are required to use this install method. The
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first (host) system is used to prepare the installation media and
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must contain a working Linux system. The second will be the target
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system. Once the media has been prepared it can be used to install to
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as many target systems as you like. I work from cdrom but you can
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down load your distribution from the Internet if you have a fast
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enough connection. For me this is not practical.
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<P>
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.5">1.5 Conventions:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
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<PRE>
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let (floppy) represent the path to and directory you
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mount your 1.44 meg floppy disk on.
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let (zip) represent the path to and directory you
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mount your zip disk on.
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let (cdrom) represent the path to and directory you
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mount your cdrom on.
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let (verx.x) represent the distribution version you
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are installing.
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</PRE>
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</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P>If you down load your disk images please let (cdrom)/slakware the path
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and directory to those images. My parallel port zip drive shows up on
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my system as
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<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
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<PRE>
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/dev/sda4
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</PRE>
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</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE>
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I've never seen it come up as any thing else unless I run fdisk on it
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and change the partition table, creating more than one partition on
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the disk. Then I always get corrupt disk error messages when I try to
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use it. You may however mark the partition type 83 Linux etc... if
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you wish with out trouble. You also need to know the device names of
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your cdrom and 1.44 meg floppy drives. Mine are
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<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
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<PRE>
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/dev/hdc cdrom
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/dev/fd0 1.44 meg floppy
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</PRE>
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</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE>
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I'll use my device names, you use yours ;-|)
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<P>About Slackware and slakware (note the missing c in slakware).
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Slackware is the name of the overall distribution and slakware is the
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name of the directory where Patrick Volkerding places the stable "not
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experimental or developmental" packages for installation. Whenever
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I'm writing about slakware I'm writing about the directory.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss1.6">1.6 Other reading:</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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<CODE>
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<A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/LDP/gs/gs.html">Linux Installation and Getting Started</A></CODE> by Matt Welsh
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<P>If you are having trouble accessing your zip drive please see the
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Linux <CODE>
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<A HREF="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/mini/ZIP-Drive">ZIP drive mini-HOWTO</A></CODE> by Grant Guenther
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<P>When you have completed your install I can not recommend strongly
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enough that you work through the <CODE>
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<A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/mini/Small-Memory.html">Small-Memory mini-HOWTO</A></CODE> by Todd Burgess
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<P>
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<P>
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<H3>Slackware</H3>
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<P>I also recommend the LOWMEM.TXT document from the Slackware
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documentation on your cdrom or Slackware ftp site. This document
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discribes a system that eleminates many of the difficulties discribed
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in that document.
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<P>
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<P>
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<HR>
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<A HREF="Install-From-ZIP-2.html">Next</A>
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Previous
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<A HREF="Install-From-ZIP.html#toc1">Contents</A>
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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