Subject: Re: Alpha Server 800 5/333 help
From: Lee Parker - Compaq's Tru64 UNIX Custom Device Drivers and Realtime Support (parker@decatl.alf.dec.com)
Date: Mon Nov 29 1999 - 10:55:58 AKST
Carl,
Here is the installation procedure we used for RedHat 5.2, we have
not gotten the system back to try 6.0 yet. Maybe you can get enough
info out of this to get going. I'll try RedHat 6.0 as soon as I can
arrange to get the Alpha Server 800 back.
Hope this helps!
Lee Parker
Compaq Tru64 UNIX and Linux Support
Atlanta Customer Support Center
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Installing Linux Redhat 5.2 on ALPHAserver AS800
1. Create a Boot Diskette and a Ramdisk Diskette and label them:
See Redhat Linux ALPHA Installation Addendum, page 4 for a
list of available images. The noritake-s-5 image that is part of
the CDROM does not work. I had to copy a patched kernel image from
the gatekeeper: ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/Kernels/.
Copy the noritake-s-5-980831.gz file in binary mode.
Create a bootable boot diskette:
fdformat /dev/fd0H1440
mke2fs /dev/fd0
mount /dev/fd0 (by default it gets mounted on /mnt/floppy)
e2writeboot /dev/fd0 /boot/bootlx
cp noritake-s-5-980831.gz /mnt/floppy/vmlinux.gz
I did the above from a Linux system since I needed to put a bootblock
on a floppy which Linux understands.
Create a ramdisk:
Mount the Linux cd on a UNIX system.
# /usr/sbin/mount -r /dev/rz4c /mnt
# cd /mnt
# cd images
# dd if=ramdisk.img of=/dev/rfd0c
2880+0 records in
2880+0 records out
[After this installation was done, just for fun, I started the
installation using the generic kernel - generic-up-221.img and
generic-up-223.img.
I was able to go through the installation without any problems. I
copied the generic kernel using the dd command:
dd if= generic-up-221.img of=/dev/rfd0c.]
2. From the SRM prompt, issue the following command:
>>> boot dva0 -file vmlinux.gz -flags "root=/dev/fd0 prompt_ramdisk=1
load_ramdisk=1"
dva0 is the boot floppy which contains either noritake-s-5-980831.gz or
the generic kernel image.
If you get a kernel panic or get aboot> prompt, it means that
there is a syntax error. Reset the system and type the correct
command.
If the boot was successful, it will prompt for the ramdisk. Place
the ramdisk in the floppy drive and press enter.
If all goes well, you will see the Red Hat installation menu on
the screen.
(The system I used had a Mylex Dac960 raid controller. With the
controller present, Linux installation would not recognize the
SCSI controller. I had to remove this from the system and use
the internal SCSi controller.)
3. Begin installation.
During the installation process, we need to partition the disk and
specify mount points.
Use fdisk to partition the disk. (You cannot use Disk Druid to
partition the disk if any disk on the system has BSD style
labeling or if the disk will be booted from an SRM console.)
From the fdisk menu, select "b" for BSD disklabel. We can install
aboot only on disks with BSD type disklabel.
Command (m for help)b
If the system prompts to write the disklabel, type "y" to accept.
BSD disklabel command (m for help)n
Here is the partition table I used for my system:
a / root ext2 (Cyl. 2 - 60)
b swap (Cyl. 61 - 100)
c /usr ext2 (Cyl. 101 - 160)
Linux allows up to four partitions and needs a minimum of two
for installation. One partition needs to be Linux native type
(ext2) and the other need to be swap.
The following are the commands one could use from fdisk.
w to write the partition table to the disk.
q to quit.
m to list the help menu
t to change the partition type
n to create a new partition
d to delete an existing partition
l to list all known types for the disk
p to list current partition table
The first partition should start at the second or third cylinder,
so that there are 1024 sectors free into which bootstrap code can
be installed in front of the first partition.
Mount the disk partitions.
Select the swap partition.
Format the swap partition.
Format the disk partitions.
Select the components to install.
All the items listed above are menu driven and are listed in the
Redhat installation manual starting on page 44.
If the during the installation it finds a graphics card, it will
ask if you want to configure it. You can do it now or use
Xconfigurator after logging in.
After the installation is complete, it asks if you want to
configure the network.
The installation menu will ask if you want to configure the
printer.
It will now prompt for the boot diskette. The system copies the
kernel from the floppy to the harddisk.
4. Install the boot loader.
Remove the floppy, reset the system, and reboot.
>>> boot dva0 -fi vmlinux.gz -flag "root=/dev/sda1"
Login to the system.
When using the SRM firmware, aboot is the preferred way of booting
linux. Install the boot loader on the harddisk using the
swriteboot command.
swriteboot expects that the first few sectors of the harddisk are
reserved for booting purposes (which is why the disk partitioning
was started on cylinder 2.)
#swriteboot /dev/sda /boot/bootlx
Shut the system down and boot from the hard drive. Reset the
system before booting or the system will do a dump and reset.
To boot from the hard disk:
>>> boot dka0 -file 1/vmlinux.gz -flag "root=/dev/sda1"
You could set the following console variables and type boot
at the >>>
>>>set boot_file kernels/vmlunix.gz
>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/sda1"
>>>set bootdef_dev dka0
5. To boot using aboot loader:
>>> boot dka0 -fl i (i = interactive)
aboot> 1/vmlinux.gz root=/dev/sda1
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