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ThiNK
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 13, 2002 6:28 am    Post subject: PCMCIA Network Install without CDROM Reply with quote

PCMCIA Network Install without CDROM

These instructions where a product of my despiration to get Gentoo on my Sony PCG-505TS, with nothing more then an External Floppy and my PCMCIA network card. You will need one working linux box and two 1.44 floppy diskettes as well.

I used the boot and root floppy from http://www.toms.net/rb/ to boot up my laptop. Login and run fdisk something like this (just like in gentoo install instructions except we add a home mount):
    hda1 = 100 /mnt/gentoo/boot
    hda2 = Double amount of physical ram /linux-swap
    hda3 = 1.5gig or more /mnt/gentoo
    hda4 = greater then stage# size /mnt/gentoo/home

The size of hda4 important because thats where we will be d/ling our stage#-ix86-1.1a.tbz2 and were we will copy our boot files for setup. After setup is complete you may delete everything in /home and use like normal.

For those of you that need FDISK help go here:
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/Partition/

OK, partions created we should be at step #6 on the Gentoo install instructions: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/build.html
Make your swap and filesystem types, I used ext3 for all mine.
Move to step #7 in gentoo instructions and add
Code:
# mkdir /mnt/gentoo/home
# mount /dev/hda4 /mnt/gentoo/home

OK, all partitions mounted. Lets get some files. We need to have the files
from the gentoo boot cdrom. Specifically /isolinux/kernel & /isolinux/rescue.gz
and then of course the stage#-ix86-1.1a.tbz2. I got my files by placing the files from the iso on an anonmymous ftp. Then:
Code:
# cd /mnt/gentoo/home
# wget ftp://serveraddy/path/kernel
# wget ftp://serveraddy/path/rescue.gz
# wget ftp://serveraddy/path/stage#-ix86-1.1a.tbz2

OK, we have the files we need for gentoo. Umount your partitions and shutdown.

Now we need GRUB boot loader on floppy. ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/grub/ install it if you dont already have it on your working linux box. Then:
Code:
# su
# mkfs.ext2 /dev/fd0
# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy/
# grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/floppy/ '(fd0)' <--maybe /sbin/grub-install
# umount /mnt/floppy/


Need more info? See http://www.gentoo.org/doc/altinstall.html, under using grub.

OK, we have a GRUB boot diskette, boot that puppy up and:
Code:
grub> root (hd0,3)  #<--where (hd0,3) = /dev/hda4 where your d/led gentoo files are
grub> kernel (hd0,3)/kernel devfs=nomount vga=normal load_ramdisk=1  prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=40000 root=/dev/ram0 rw (all on one line)
grub> initrd (hd0,3)/rescue.gz
grub> boot


Boom! your favorite laptop is up and ready to start the gentoo install. Start at step #2 and just skip the fdisk and fs creation since its all ready done, then resume at Step #7.

Contributed by newbie linux user Brent Schwartz, see even newbs can help contribute!
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