iMike wrote:Well, now I have tried arcload but ran into the anticipated problem of
Code: Select all
Not enough space left in volume header
So, the vital question: how can one make new or larger volume headers? As noted in
fdisk odd cylinder choice, the fdisk available on the netboot image does not contain, as far as I can tell, a way to make an IRIX partition table with SGI volume headers. At least it's not simply typing "g", as stated in the handbook. Hints, anyone?
'fdisk' is often referred to as a pile of broken code. Those who have worked with the code say it's surprising any of it ever works as it's intended to. That said, fdisk prohibits the creation of a new SGI Disklabel if an existing disklabel is present, thusly, before you can create a new disk label, you have to eradicate the old one entirely.
See this segment in the Handbook for more information:
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/h ... #doc_chap3
Mike wrote:
Other questions regarding arcload:
- A. What does "discord" mean? I didn't find documentation on it. It's in the orginal arc.cf file in the context of "root=/dev/ram0" "discord";
It's a gag I put in. It displays the build date in "Discordian" format. Type "man ddate" on a normal Linux system for info.
Mike wrote:
- B. Does this look like something close to correct for changes to the orginal arc.cf file for an O2?
Code: Select all
ip32 { ...
append "root=/dev/sda3";
...
rm5000 { image system "/kernel-2.6";
...
}}
That looks good. Minor change: rm5000 whould be rm5200 if that's the processor that you have. If what you have is an R5000, then it needs to be called "r5000".
Mike wrote:
- C. After setting OSLoadFileName to ip32(rm5000, video=800x600) in the PROM do I execute 'sashARCS', as it says at the bottom of the arc.cf file, or do I execute 'kernel-2.6', my kernel name, instead?
You can go about this several ways. One is to craft the entry like so in (B), and use the auto-detect feature of arcload, but this implies no change in configuration and can't be overriden with the current iteration of arcload (It will in future versions).
The filename itself of arcload doesn't have to be "sashARCS". It can be whatever you want to call it, as long as it does not exceed 8 characters (dvh limitation). I used "sashARCS" on the CD because SGI has this name hardcoded into the PROM of Indy and O2 systems ("sash64" on 64bit systems).
And yes, you execute the name of the bootloader instead of the name of the kernel. Afterall, the purpos eof a bootloader is to load the kernel. We'll get our docs updated with arcload basics in the near future.
--Kumba
Is there something more I should re-emerge or should I try again later?
Cool that you guys are working up something like this! 
I hope to try in too sometime, but first, I'll be happy just to get my netbooted O2 up on its own feet.