Re: Linux and the 701

[Ken Manheimer <klm@TETHER.MIT.EDU>]

[I'm cc'ing the list on this first response, in case anyone else is 
interested in this linux-on-701 discussion.  However, i'd be glad to 
confine further followups of mine to just those people that express 
interest, if anyone on the general list would prefer *not* to see the 
ensuing discussion...  Ken.]

On Tue, 14 Nov 1995 kevan.riley@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu wrote:

> sure I have read some messages from TP 701 owners running Li
> nux.  Well, I have been trying to get the A series of
> slackware to install for over a week now.  I nolonger know
> what to try.

I've gone through sorts of interesting permutations, playing with 
installing linux on my 701.  (Started by using existing partition via 
umsdos install, and once i got that working, graduated to repartitioning 
so i could use a native ext2 fs.  Still can't get lilo to work because 
OS/2 uses partitioning values not acceptable to lilo, but loadlin from the 
DOS partition is adequate, and fun...-)  It's been a twisty road, but i'm 
not unhappy with the process, and the result is *great*.

>   First, I CAN get the LILO boot, and the ROOT disk with
> setup on it (I believe it is color).  [I have been usiing

For my native-fs install i wound up having to use the slackware PCMCIA 
rootdisk, which has a line-oriented setup, so i could do an NFS install - 
slick - but i'm familiar with the umsdos rootdisk version, which has the 
screen-oriented color setup prog.

> setup on it (I believe it is color).  [I have been usiing
> mount root=/dev/fd0 and it seems to work OK. some of the FAQ

Did you establish that you *need* to use the 'mount root=/dev/fd0' 
statement??  This may be getting in the way, when you're trying to read 
the source dir for the a series.

> mount root=/dev/fd0 and it seems to work OK. some of the FAQ
> say stuff about using thinkpad?? I get the impression this
> is for the 2.88  driveson the 755s??]    What I CAN NOT do

I did *not* have to do the 'ramdrive floppy=thinkpad' lilo directive, and 
in fact it sometimes got in the way.

> is for the 2.88  driveson the 755s??]    What I CAN NOT do
> is get the silly setup to see my A series.  I first tried a
> floppy install a feww times.  It didn't seem to like my
> taking the  ROOT disk out.  So then I thought I would use

That may well be due to the 'mount root=...' directive you gave.

> for A is the type of error I get.  So I decided to mount the
> hard drive by hand first then install from mounted drive.  I
> CAN mount my DOS partition, like mount /dev/hda1 /dos -t
> msdos.  I can see it, ls and cd around on it, including
> seeing my directories a1,a2,a3,a4, and a5.  But back in
> setup, I set the source, and install product A, and it prepa
> res to install and says cannot find soucre disks for A.  And
> there I am.  
> [...]
> PS. I have tried all sorts of directory names, putt all 5
> disks of file in one directory, put the a1-a5 directories
> under different directories, including an directory called
> 'a'.  Why can I see them with ls -l and setup can't??
> 

You need to use the "already mounted directory" option, and then you need
to be certain that you are specifying the right directory, which can be
tricky, considering the multiple filesystems, etc.  *And*, you need to 
*not* situtate the installation images in a directory named /linux.

I used the directory /DOS/linstall, which contained a1, a2, etc (and i 
also did the n series, so i could use then bootstrap the net and do the 
rest with nfs).  So i specified '/DOS/linstall' to setup, and it worked.

And you need to trim out the 'mount root=...', if it is not definitely 
necessary.

> PSS. I love this group!  It is nice to hear what others are
> doing, buying, trying, with the same equipment I have.

Me too!  But there is a problem - there's some unresolved controversy
about whether it's ok to post about (1) non-75x-model thinkpads, and (2)
minority os, like linux.  (This is unfortunate, since this is also the
only thinkpad mailing list that i've found, and likely to remain so since
it fills the niche rather tidily.) 

In fact, there seems to be a schism there, because some of the
introductory spiels acknowledge that the domain has expanded to all
thinkpads, while some other spiels do not, and some people on the list
seem happy to see traffic about experiences with various models, and some
do *not* - hence a recent flurry or resignations, when the list got
active, partly with traffic on "other"  models and OS. Sigh. 

Anyway, keep plugging at the install, and let me know how it goes - i may 
recognize some problem, and have some info.  

ken manheimer		klm@cnri.reston.va.us		  (703) 620-8990 x259
	Corporation for National Research Initiatives
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