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><DIV
CLASS="sect1"
><H1
CLASS="sect1"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-BuildFileSystemChapter"
>5. Build A <SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>JavaStation</SPAN
>-Ready FileSystem</A
></H1
><P
>&#13;This chapter describes how one constructs a filesystem suitable for use
on the <SPAN
CLASS="application"
>Linux</SPAN
>-running <SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>JavaStations
</SPAN
>.
</P
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-FSBuildIntroSection"
>5.1. Preparing Yourself to Build Your Own Filesystem</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;Building a filesystem for use with the <SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>JavaStations
</SPAN
> is a time-consuming, but rewarding task for those
who undertake it.  You will learn more about library dependencies than
you ever thought you could, all the time while trying to keep the
overall image size as small as possible.
</P
><P
>&#13;WARNING: This is not an easy task.    Creating a lasting filesystem is
not for novices.   If you seriously consider undertaking this step,
prepare to budget a bit of time to get things just right, particularly
if you plan to make an embedded-root filesystem which fits in the
8MB limit.  You have now been properly warned.
</P
><P
>&#13;There are two common approaches one can take when rolling a new
<SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>JavaStation</SPAN
>-ready filesystem.
</P
><P
></P
><OL
TYPE="1"
><LI
><P
>&#13;Start with an established distribution's filesystem and whittle down
to the core.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;Start with an established distribution's <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"rescue disk"</SPAN
>
filesystem and add desired functionality.
</P
></LI
></OL
><P
>&#13;Which path you take, of course, is entirely up to you.  The <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"rescue
disk"</SPAN
> build procedure seems to work best though, as more base
commands in a rescue disk are statically linked, increasing the starting
image size but causing less initial library headaches.  Commands included
on a rescue disk also happen to be bare-bones, with many extraneous options
not compiled in.
</P
><P
>&#13;Obviously when building a filesystem in the context of the <SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>&#13;JavaStation</SPAN
>, you will be basing off of an existing
<SPAN
CLASS="application"
>Linux/SPARC</SPAN
> filesystem.  The filesystems
that come with the RedHat, SuSE or Debian distributions are good
starting points.
</P
><DIV
CLASS="warning"
><P
></P
><TABLE
CLASS="warning"
WIDTH="100%"
BORDER="0"
><TR
><TD
WIDTH="25"
ALIGN="CENTER"
VALIGN="TOP"
><IMG
SRC="../images/warning.gif"
HSPACE="5"
ALT="Warning"></TD
><TD
ALIGN="LEFT"
VALIGN="TOP"
><P
>&#13;In the future, you will also need to make sure you base off a filesystem
built with compiled 32-bit mode executables, as a 64-bit userland project
is presently in progress for 64-bit <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>SPARC</SPAN
>
<SPAN
CLASS="application"
>Linux kernels</SPAN
>.  As of Oct. 2001, this is
still a ways away, but it is being mentioned now for the future.
</P
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-FstabDescSection"
>5.2. Contents of the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"/etc/fstab"</SPAN
> File</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;The configuration lines placed into <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"/etc/fstab"</SPAN
> depend
on whether you will be using the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
> or
<SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> filesystem configuration.
</P
><DIV
CLASS="sect3"
><H3
CLASS="sect3"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-NFSRootFstabSection"
>5.2.1. <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
> Filesystem fstab</A
></H3
><P
>Here is an example of an <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"/etc/fstab"</SPAN
> for
an <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
> boot option.
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
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><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;###
#
your.nfs.server:/path/to/filesystem  /  nfs defaults,rsize=8192,wsize=8192 1 1
#
none                    /proc                   proc    defaults        0 0
###
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect3"
><H3
CLASS="sect3"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-EmbeddedRootFstabSection"
>5.2.2. <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> Filesystem fstab</A
></H3
><P
>Here is an example of an <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"/etc/fstab"</SPAN
> for
an <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> boot option.
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;###
#
/dev/ram /     ext2  defaults
#
/proc    /proc    proc  defaults
###
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-EmbeddedRootProcedureSection"
>5.3. The <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> Image Creation Procedure</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;Prepping up the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> boot image requires a
number of extra steps.  Due to these extra steps, the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
>
filesystem option is recommended for beginners to <SPAN
CLASS="application"
>Linux
</SPAN
> on the <SPAN
CLASS="productname"
>JavaStation</SPAN
>.  You might
also try the samples pointed to in this document.  Should you still wish
to build and embedded image on your own, this section outlines the basic
instructions.
</P
><P
>&#13;Creating the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> boot image is a 5-Step Procedure:
</P
><P
></P
><OL
TYPE="1"
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Prototype Your Filesystem</EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;This whole chapter deals with rolling your own filesystem.
In this step, it is assumed you create your own filesystem,
perhaps by prototyping one on a working <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
>
filesystem configuration.
</P
><P
>&#13;One thing to keep in mind is that unlike your <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"NFS-Root"</SPAN
>
filesystem, the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
> filesystem must fit
within the confines of your allocated <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk,
generally 4-16 <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>MB</SPAN
>.  Your maximum size is dependant
on the setting of the <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk driver.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Create an Empty File for Your FileSystem</EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;You now need to create a file-based filesystem <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"container"</SPAN
>.
This is just a file that is the size of your <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk.
</P
><P
>&#13;To create this, try the <TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>dd</B
></TT
> command:
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>dd if=/dev/zero of=./fs_test.img bs=1k count=8000 </B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;Using this example, you now should have an 8 <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>MB</SPAN
> file
named <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"fs_test.img"</SPAN
>.  Note: Be <EM
>sure</EM
>
the count you use matches the <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk size you
allocated for in the kernel's <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk driver!
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Format your Filesystem <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Container"</SPAN
></EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Now that you have a <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"container"</SPAN
> for your filesystem, it
is time to format it and place a bare filesystem on it.
</P
><P
>&#13;In our kernel phase, we added in support for the ext2 filesystem.
We'll now format our <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"container"</SPAN
> with this filesystem
type.
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>mkfs.ext2 ./fs_test.img</B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;Ignore any warnings about the file not being a block device, and
proceed anyway.   This is an expected warning message.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Mount the Filesystem <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Container"</SPAN
> and Write to It</EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Now that you have your filesystem container, you can
mount it and load your prototyped filesystem on it.
</P
><P
>&#13;To mount the container, use the kernel loopback device.
Make sure your server's kernel has loopback support enabled
and issue a:
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>mount -o loop ./fs_test.img /mnt</B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;Copy your files to the filesystem, and make sure <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"/etc/fstab
"</SPAN
> has the <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>RAM</SPAN
>disk entries as described
elsewhere in this document.
</P
><P
>&#13;To avoid symbolic links being changed into actual copies of files, use
a copy tool like <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"tar"</SPAN
> or <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"cpio"</SPAN
> instead of a
<SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"cp"</SPAN
>.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Unmount and Compress the Root Filesystem</EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Unmount the root filesystem you just created.
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>umount /mnt</B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;Compress the filesystem file with maximum <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"gzip"</SPAN
>
compression levels.
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>gzip -v9 ./fs_test.img</B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;You should now have <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"fs_test.img.gz"</SPAN
> file.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<EM
>Hook the Root-Filesystem Onto the Back of Your Kernel Image</EM
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Now you must append the filesystem image onto your kernel.
</P
><P
>&#13;You do this with a utility program called <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"piggyback"</SPAN
>.
The piggyback program takes care of the task of appending the two and
letting the kernel know where both it and the filesystem begins and ends.
</P
><P
>&#13;The <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"piggyback"</SPAN
> program is found in your kernel source tree
under &#60;LINUXROOT&#62;/arch/sparc/boot.  It might also be found on your
favorite ftp.kernel.org site.
</P
><P
>&#13;For piggyback to work, it needs your <SPAN
CLASS="acronym"
>AOUT</SPAN
> format
kernel image, the System.map file from your kernel source root
directory, and the compressed root-filesystem you just created.
</P
><P
>&#13;We put it all together with a:
</P
><TABLE
BORDER="0"
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
WIDTH="100%"
><TR
><TD
><FONT
COLOR="#000000"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>&#13;<TT
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>piggyback vmlinux.aout System.map fs_test.img.gz</B
></TT
>
</PRE
></FONT
></TD
></TR
></TABLE
><P
>&#13;Be sure to backup your kernel image first, as piggyback used the same
<SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"vmlinux.aout"</SPAN
> filename for output.  Check the filesize of
your <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"vmlinux.aout"</SPAN
> file after giving this command and you
can verify the filesystem has indeed been appended.
</P
></LI
></OL
><P
>&#13;Congratulations!  You've created an <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Embedded-Root"</SPAN
>
kernel/filesystem boot image.
</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-SampleFilesystemsSection"
>5.4. Sample FileSystems</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;Here are some sample filesystems for you to start with.   They have
been contributed by various JavaStation users.
</P
><P
>&#13;Warning: Some of these filesystem images may be considered out of date,
and should be avoided in a production environment. It is up to you
to decide how much of a liability you feel running them holds. The
document author and filesystem contributors cannot be held liable for any
damage caused by the use of these files. They are provided with
absolutely no warranties.
</P
><DIV
CLASS="sect3"
><H3
CLASS="sect3"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-jsroot_varol_19991221"
>5.4.1. jsroot_varol_19991221</A
></H3
><P
>&#13;filesystem (md5sum 450669bc5f3f8a4006fdc75471c0454b):
<A
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/filesystems/jsroot_varol/jsroot_varol_19991221.tar.bz2"
TARGET="_top"
>&#13; http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/filesystems/jsroot_varol/jsroot_varol_19991221.tar.bz2
</A
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Description:
</P
><P
>&#13;This image, created by Varol Kapton <TT
CLASS="email"
>&#60;<A
HREF="mailto:varol@ulakbim.gov.tr"
>varol@ulakbim.gov.tr</A
>&#62;</TT
>,
was based on RedHat 6/SPARC.  It has the Xfree 3.3.5 framebuffer
server dated 19990823, but only works with Krups.  If you are working with
a Mr. Coffee unit, you must substitute the other X server discussed later in
this HOWTO.
</P
><P
>&#13;As the network settings included are configured for Varol's network, you must
first mount this image, and edit /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf accordingly.
</P
><P
>&#13;Confirmed OK: YES
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Mr. Coffee: YES
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Krups: NO
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Espresso: NO
</P
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-XBinariesSection"
>5.5. Sample X Servers</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;One of the most frequently asked questions users have is where
to get an X server from.  Here are some sample X servers for you
to start with.   They have been contributed by various JavaStation users.
</P
><P
>&#13;Warning: Some of these files may be considered out of date,
and should be avoided in a production environment. It is up to you
to decide how much of a liability you feel running them holds. The
document author and filesystem contributors cannot be held liable for any
damage caused by the use of these files. They are provided with
absolutely no warranties.
</P
><DIV
CLASS="sect3"
><H3
CLASS="sect3"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-XF86_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104"
>5.5.1. XF86_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104</A
></H3
><P
>&#13;X server (md5sum 88b49bbbfa1c36a5049b62b44c54ed81):
<A
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/xfree/XF86_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104.bz2"
TARGET="_top"
>&#13; http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/xfree/XF86_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104.bz2
</A
>
</P
><P
>&#13;XF86Config file (md5sum d9fa291efbd178812b3bd253dffb1893):
<A
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/xfree/XF86Config_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104.txt"
TARGET="_top"
>&#13; http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/xfree/XF86Config_FBDev_3.3.3.1_19990104.txt
</A
>
</P
><P
>&#13;Description:
</P
><P
>&#13;This is a server for XFree 3.3.3.1 with support for the framebuffers
of Mr. Coffee and Krups.
</P
><P
>&#13;Confirmed OK: YES
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Mr. Coffee: YES
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Krups: YES
</P
><P
>&#13;Good for Espresso: NO
</P
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="sect2"
><H2
CLASS="sect2"
><A
NAME="FileSystemBuild-OutsideFilesystems"
>5.6. Outside Sample Filesystems</A
></H2
><P
>&#13;Of course, other filesystems and tools exist outside this document, and
have been used by JavaStation users.  Here are a few files that were
reported on the sparclinux mailing list as having been used.
</P
><P
></P
><OL
TYPE="1"
><LI
><P
>&#13;<A
HREF="http://busybox.lineo.com"
TARGET="_top"
>&#13;http://busybox.lineo.com (a single executable which has dozens of common
unix tool functions built in)
</A
>
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
>&#13;<A
HREF="http://www.ultralinux.org/js"
TARGET="_top"
>&#13;http://www.ultralinux.org/js (Jim Mintha's filesystems)
</A
>
</P
></LI
></OL
></DIV
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