DEC ALPHA

[Ronald Maggio]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Darin Perusich" <Darin.Perusich at cognigencorp.com>
To: <nflug at nflug.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: DEC ALPHA


> the only time i create a seperate /boot filesystem is when my root fs is
> not ext2. i like to use the reiserfs on my systems for that extra
> reliablilty and fast boots in the event of a system crash. default
> redhat kernels load reiserfs as a module, it's not compiles into the
> kernel. because of this if /boot is on a reiserfs slice the system will
> not boot since the root filesystem has not be mounted and thats where
> the modules live. i have an updates diskette that i use when i setup my
> redhat systems that allows me to create reiser filesystems. if anyone
> would like this i'll email you the image.
>
<-------------------------------snip----------------------------------------
----->

Only one problem I see here, and I'm not to sure if I understand the above
statement.
Ok I'm installing RH and weather fdisk or diskdruid it asks me to create a
boot
partition. You mean I don't have to do that, but with some other item this
(reiserfs) it will
boot Linux. Ok what do you do? I mean how does that get installed and to
where? and also
what do I tell, and how do I tell MILO to see and use it. This seams like
the long way around
since RH's standard installation wants a boot partition made.

The manual and other items I've read only covers typical installations.
I can understand that you have used this because:
"I like to use the reiserfs on my systems for that extra reliablilty and
fast boots in the
event of a system crash" and so on, but I think I need to look into your way
of doing it, but I
need to think about it. The established convention ie: RedHat and this way
well....,
I need to figure out which way is best.
Maybe a little more information on this method would be of help if you want
to sell me on the idea.
If I can understand the W5's maybe I'd see it and try it out. But if not do
you think my idea works:
"To make a 10mb dos partition on sda to install MILO on in order to boot the
(system) with doing
this it would point to boot and load Linux" See web like right below! and
thi one as well:
http://www.azstarnet.com/~jemorrow/multia

This is how its related in installation Guide: pages 97 to 99
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-7.1-Manual/alpha-install-guide/
Oh this like takes you to a PDF file.
Also these older guides for RH 6.0 6.1 6.2 and 7.0. to see how each author
presents the topic and how its resolved.
All in all its not a cut and dry issue. It seams that there is a way to do
this, but which is right for this system?
Well I'm takin my time! Hay this sounds like a good idea for a presentation
at a meeting when I'm all done and
its up and running. I could do a show and tell of how a DEC Alpha drove me
nutts trying to install Linux on it.
Pass out...No pass out a little white paper on how I got the info I needed,
what I needed to do it, and how I did it.
Sounds like a plan?

Oh by the way I have posted on the usenet and got this information, but have
not had the chance to read it all through. Here's the sites:

http://www.azstarnet.com/~jemorrow/multia

http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/computers/udb.html

http://www.elric.com/UDB/udbinsid.html

this last one gets a 404 error:

http://www.progsoc.uts.edu.au/~telford/reference/multia/

The first one I was tolled tells you how to set up MILO.
I'm going to bookmark it and print it out to read it.



> they way i boot my alpha systems is i create a boot floppy and install
> milo there. i then setup the NT console to boot linux off the floppy. it
> may not be very elegant but i could figure out how to get the DEC
> console to boot the system, and it was my only other solution.
>
> > Ok but where should I put boot? and also should I make a 10mb dos
> > partition on sda to install MILO on in order to boot the (system) with
doing
> > this
> > it would point to boot and load Linux?
> >
> > > to me this would be a reasonable setup for a system. it's flexable
> > > enough to allow for the addition scsi storage (disk, cd, tape). in the
> > > event of a drive failure you would only lose that filesystem, you
could
> > > then boot into rescue mode, off a cdrom or floppy and recover
important
> > > files.
> > >
> > > as for you being able to access the drives it will be transparent to
the
> > > user, the drives will be mounted on the appropriate directory.
> > >
> Darin Perusich
> Unix Systems Administrator
> Cognigen Corp.
> darinper at cognigencorp.com

Thanks

Ron Maggio

I'm a proud member of the AMA
Amalgamated Morons Association