Re: Running Linux from external Jaz via PCMCIA

[ahn@indigo2.rad.bgsm.edu (Dave Ahn)]

> What I've succeed in doing so far is to setup a small partition on the
> Thinkpad's hard drive with a basic core of Linux including PCMCIA
> support. This happily recognises the Bus Toaster and allows me to
> access the Jaz drive - but by this time my root partition is /dev/hda3
> and I can't change it to be /dev/sda1. How can I get round this?

It's been a while since I fiddled with odd LILO configs.  You should
get the LILO docs to get detailed info.  But, you will probably need
to modify the "append" line in /etc/lilo.conf.  Your linux bootable
partition section should point to your mini partition on /dev/hda3,
so that LILO will find a kernel on the HD, but you need to instruct
your kernel to override the default root directory (/dev/hda3) with
your new root directory (/dev/sda3).  I believe the append line
should read either "root=/dev/sda3" or "mount=/dev/sda3".

Note that in order for this to work, you need to load LILO into
the MBR of your HD.

There are two other ways to load linux for your config:
1 boot off of floppy; or,
2 use loadlin, a command line DOS/Win95 linux loader (which requires you
  to boot into one of those OS's first.
Neither of these two methods need LILO.

> Presumably I need to create a LILO boot image with PCMCIA
> built in that sets up PCMCIA support before trying to mount the
> root (SCSI) directory.

LILO just tells the computer where the linux kernel is.  And since
LILO is loaded at boot time, it can only access devices that are available
at that time thru the BIOS (i.e. no PCMCIA).  So, yes.

> I realise that I could keep my core Linux on the hard disk and
> setup various partitions - /usr, /etc, /lib etc on the Jaz disk, but
> this is messy. I would much prefer to have everything for Linux
> on the Jaz disk (the whole filesystem in one partition) with only
> the required boot (LILO?) files on the Thinkpad or floppy.

All you need on your HD or your floppy is a kernel that recognizes your
PCMCIA devices.  No partition splitting is necessary.

> All suggestions/guidelines would be most welcome - although
> I'm experienced in Unix, I'm new to Linux (and LILO) - please
> be detailed in any Linux/LILO specific instructions.

You really should read the LILO documentation.
Good luck,
Dave.

> 
> cheers,
> 
> Andrew.
> 


-- 
Dave Ahn,  ahn@indigo2.rad.bgsm.edu     "When you were born you cried, and the
                                         world rejoiced.  Try to live your life
Medical Visualization Lab, Radiology,    so that when you die you will rejoice,
Bowman Gray School of Medicine           and the world will cry."  -1/2 jj^2