diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/README')
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/README | 366 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 366 deletions
diff --git a/docs/README b/docs/README deleted file mode 100644 index 18cab9475..000000000 --- a/docs/README +++ /dev/null @@ -1,366 +0,0 @@ -Well here is a little description of what DrakX needs to work in comparison -to the RH newt install. - -******************************************************************************** -* CVS ************************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -Like all good free software, DrakX is in CVS :) - -You can access it at http://www.linux-mandrake.com/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/gi - -or via - -export CVS_RSH=ssh -export CVSROOT=:ext:anoncvs@cvs.mandrakesoft.com:/cooker -cvs checkout gi - (enter password 'cvs') - - -This is only read-only access. If you want more, tell me (pixel@mandrakesoft.com) - -Alas, all is not in CVS as a lot of things are binary files. -For the other things, take SRPMS/DrakX-*.src.rpm - -Please note that redoing *all* the stuff is not for the faint of heart. I myself -sometimes wonder what the whole make does :-% -Instead, changing some .pm files is quite easy (nice interpreted language) - -******************************************************************************** -* Making your custom install *************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -If you have your own rpms you want to add, or make your own updated cdrom, you -just have to issue: - -% gendistrib --noclean --distrib <DIRS> - -Where <DIRS> is the root of all the media that the install will see, this first -one is the main one : - -(1) network or 1-cdrom installs - DIRS == the root directory of the Distribution - -(2) multi-cdrom install - DIRS == the root directories of all the media that the install will see - -``gendistrib'' will scan the file Mandrake/base/hdlists in the main root -directory (the first one in DIRS) to search for all media used. Typically you -use Mandrake/RPMS* for RPM packages repository. -For multi-cd, please use Mandrake/RPMS or Mandrake/RPMS1, Mandrake/RPMS2, etc. -For one CD or a network/hd volume, please use Mandrake/RPMS. - -Optionnally, you can modify ``Mandrake/base/rpmsrate''; this file manages -the relative importance of the files, and thus their installation or not. - -Also, mdkinst_stage2.gz must be remade if you modify files in Mandrake/mdkinst. -See below for information about these files. - -******************************************************************************** -* FILES ************************************************************************ -******************************************************************************** -First here are the different things needed : - -Mandrake/base/hdlists - description of the available install media. - format is one line for one medium as - <hdlist_name> <rpms_directory> <description> - <hdlist_name> should be match regexp /hdlist\S*.cz2?/ - for example (two cd install) you get - hdlist1.cz Mandrake/RPMS1 Boot CD - hdlist2.cz Mandrake/RPMS2 Extension CD - -Mandrake/base/hdlist*.cz - table of rpm's headers, referred by ``hdlists'' - their contents can be listed using ``packdrake -l <hdlist_file>'' or - or ``parsehdlist <hdlist_file>''. - ! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS* changes (with ``gendistrib'') ! - -Mandrake/base/depslist.ordered - for each packages, tell which package it depends on. Also contains the - size for some (obscure) bloody reasons. - ! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS* changes ! - (with ``gendistrib --noclean --distrib .'') - -Mandrake/base/compss - obsoletes comps. It store packages in different categories, generated - from the %{GROUP} field - ! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS* changes ! - (with ``gendistrib --noclean --distrib .'') - -Mandrake/base/rpmsrate - ranks and classify packages, so that the installer will know which - ones to install. format is : - <intern_group> - <level> <packages> - where <intern_group> is a symbolic name used in Mandrake/base/compssUsers* files, - and <level> defines importance level as described below : - 5 must have - 4 important - 3 very nice - 2 nice - 1 maybe - by default (for non expert), group selects packages for level 4 (important) - and 5 (must have). export mode add 3 (very nice) level. other level (below 2) - can only be selected using individual package selection. - -Mandrake/mdkinst - live system used on certain installs. See ``Ramdisk or not'' below for - more. - -Mandrake/base/mdkinst_stage2.bz2 - for the ramdisk. live sytem in ext2 filesystem bzipped2. - generated from Mandrake/mdkinst tree using misc/make_mdkinst_stage2 - See ``Ramdisk or not'' below for more. - -Mandrake/base/rescue_stage2.bz2 - rescue ramdisk. live sytem in ext2 filesystem bzipped2. - this is the ramdisk loaded when typing rescue on boot prompt. - there is no live system available, only the ramdisk is used. - -images/*.img - boot images to use with DrakX. Use: - - cdrom for cdrom install - - network for ftp/nfs install (non-pcmcia devices) - - hd for hard-disk install - - pcmcia for pcmcia install (see ``PCMCIA install'' below for more) - - the following modules have been removed from: - network.img: acenic sk98lin de4x5 - cdrom.img and hd.img: BusLogic seagate fdomain g_NCR5380 dc395x_trm tmscsim - hd.img: dpt_i2o eata eata_pio eata_dma - cdrom.img: aztcd gscd isp16 mcd mcdx optcd cm206 sjcd - pcmcia.img: apa1480_cb - they are now in "other.img", - - blank.img is a blank boot image without a kernel nor initrd. this image - can be used to generate custom boot disk. - - if you think one of those modules is used a lot, tell me, i may find some room - to put it back on the main floppies. - - -******************************************************************************** -* logs ************************************************************************* -******************************************************************************** -During install, a lot of interesting stuff can be found in different places: -in consoles and in files. To switch to console 2 for example, do Ctrl-Alt-F2 -from the X install. -- alt-F1: the stdout of the install. Not very interesting stuff -- alt-F2: simple shell. Quite a lot of commands are available but as they are -written in perl (for space), they do not handle the very same options as normal. -After install, you can do ``chroot /mnt'' to see your system just like after -rebooting. ``rpm -qa'' works for example. -- alt-F3: a lot of interesting things. Be carefull, some ``ERROR'' messages are -not interesting. -- alt-F4: kernel's place. aka the output of dmesg. -- alt-F7: the graphical install lives there - -- command "bug" puts on floppy lots of interesting stuff. -- /tmp/ddebug.log: same (or nearly the same) as alt-F3 -- /tmp/syslog: same as alt-F4 -- /mnt/root/ddebug.log: at the end of each step, DrakX tries to backup -/tmp/ddebug.log to /mnt/root. Available only after mounting of /. -- /mnt/root/install.log: the log of the installation (or upgrade) of the rpms -(just like rpm's /mnt/tmp/(install|upgrade).log) -- /mnt/root/auto_inst.cfg.pl: a kickstart file generated at the end of each -step. Can be used in 2 ways: kickstart install or ``defcfg'' install. Hopefully -you know about kickstart. ``defcfg'' is a way to customize the default values in -install. For example, French can be the default language with a qwerty keyboard, -the auto-partitionning partitions can be changed, the default user class can be -set to developer (!)... - -******************************************************************************** -* po translation files ********************************************************* -******************************************************************************** -DrakX uses .po files for its translation. A script takes the different -strings out of the .pm files. It generates the DrakX.pot file which contains -all the english strings to translate. -To add a new language, you just have to add it to lang.pm (if it's not there -already) and put the .po in the perl-install/po directory (see ``Ramdisk or -not'' to know if you have to regenerate the mdkinst_stage2.gz) - -******************************************************************************** -* PCMCIA install *************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -If the media you use to install is a pcmcia device, use the pcmcia boot disk. - -******************************************************************************** -* Ramdisk or not *************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -The DrakX install is much bigger than the newt one. So the ramdisk which was -used is getting big, and costs a lot in memory -(eg: the mdkinst_stage2 is 14MB - 23/09/99) -(update! now size is 21MB - 24/01/01) -(update! now size is 19MB - 26/04/01) - -| | newt | DrakX -|-------+---------+---------------------------------------------------------- -| nfs | live | live -| ftp | ramdisk | ramdisk -| http | ramdisk | ramdisk -| hd | ramdisk | live if Mandrake/mdkinst/usr/bin/runinstall2 is a link, -| | | ramdisk otherwise -| cdrom | ramdisk | live if memory < 52MB, ramdisk otherwise - -Where ramdisk is needed, if detected memory is below the limit allowed for -ramdisk (maintained in file gi/mdk-stage1/config-stage1.h; currently 52 Mb), -a failure dialog will be printed explaining that there is not enough memory -to perform the installation. - -When i say live, it means that the stage1 will *mount* the -Mandrake/mdkinst and use it that way. - -The ramdisk is used in place of the live in some cases. This ramdisk is filled -with mdkinst_stage2.gz - -For cdrom install, the ramdisk is used to speed up things (access time is quite -high on cdrom drives) - -For pcmcia, it depends on the type of install. - - -******************************************************************************** -* modules ********************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -Modules can be found in at least 2 places: -- in /modules/modules.mar -- in /lib/modules.cz<KERNEL_VERSION_RELEASE> - -/modules/modules.mar is used in mdk-stage1. It contains only modules -interesting for one kind of install. For example in an hd install, it -contains scsi modules. For a network install, it contains network card -modules. (To create, extract or view files in a ``mar'' archive, please -use gi/mdk-stage1/mar/mar; this is basically an archive format meant to -be minimalistic) - -/lib/modules.cz<KERNEL_VERSION_RELEASE> contains all modules, it is used -in stage2. - - -To install a module, use modprobe which is in /usr/bin. It's a perl wrapper -around /usr/bin/insmod. It uses the dependencies found in -/modules/modules.dep (stage1). - -/usr/bin/insmod is a wrapper around /usr/bin/insmod_. It just extracts the -module out of /lib/modules.cz in /tmp. Then it calls insmod_. - -/usr/bin/insmod_ is the real prog (which you usually find in /sbin/). You need -to give it the complete path. - -******************************************************************************** -* Making screenshots *********************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -On a test machine, make a network install, switch to console (ctrl-alt-F2), enter: -% xhost+ - -then, on another computer: -% DISPLAY=test_machine:0 xwd -root | convert - screenshot.png - -******************************************************************************** -* Miscellaneous **************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -> o Media access methods: nfs, ftp, http, hd, cdrom -> o Stages: init, stage1, stage2 -> - What exactly each stage does - -init loads stage1 -stage1 loads stage2, on various medium type - -stage2 is too big to fit on a floppy, that's why stage1 exists - -> - How each stage relates to the various media access methods - -stage1 knows only how to access to the media is compiled for. It contains only -the kernel modules needed for that media. For eg, the nfs/ftp/http stage1 -doesn't contain scsi modules nor ide. - -> - How one stage terminates and another begins. i.e., How does -> stage1 find, mount, and launch stage2? - -/sbin/init just starts /sbin/stage1 -/sbin/stage1 takes care of mounting stage2 (in ramdisk if necessary) - then it runs /usr/bin/runinstall2 - -> o Text and Graphic mode installers -> - Architectural overview of each - -have a look at gi/docs/object_class.fig - - -******************************************************************************** -* OEM ************************************************************************** -******************************************************************************** -> I am a system OEM in Bangalore,India selling systems bundled with -> Mandrake Linux. The problem is that with every system I sell, I need to -> install & configure the system which takes HOURS!. Can I do a diskcopy -> instead? -> -> Please Help. This is a major bottleneck for me. - -many solutions: - -- make an install on drive hdb, then : - dd if=/dev/hdb of=/dev/hdc - but you should make sure the hardware is *REALLY* identical. - -- try the oem feature - 3. - burn a cd out of *latest* cooker or 8.0 and above. - - boot on it telling "oem" to syslinux - !! it will destroy every data on the harddrive or - resize (or use free space) if *ONLY* one fat partition is defined !! - - you now have a very automated install matrix - (duplicate it with "dd if=/dev/hdb of=/dev/hdc bs=1M count=730") - - put the harddrive in the oem box, the user will now have an *very* automated - install, just asking the root password and user password, and some other - question according its hardware. - - 4. just like 3. but you may have to mount /cdrom after typing rescue on - syslinux prompt (oem script do it automatically if a automatic boot nfs - network has been done as server is known). under /cdrom may be anything - as long as it provides an installation tree of Linux-Mandrake. - after that run oem script by typing "/etc/oem -f" for normal installation - or "/etc/oem -f server" for server installation (normal with server installed). - - 5. (just like 3. without burning a cd, doing the first part by hand) - have a look at the /etc/oem script on the rescue and do it by hand... - - -cu Pixel, fpons. - - -comments: -1. maybe copy unnecessary things -> take too long - solution -> use bs=8k count=xxxx -2. kernel_reread can be found on the new rescue, source is also at end of this -mail. This solution works with one partition. Can be easily enhanced to many -primary partitions... For extended partitions, more complicated, but not much :) -3. has just been added in latest cooker. It may still have some pb. The main -current limitation is IDE only, though it can be fixed easily for special cases. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -#include <stdio.h> -#include <sys/mount.h> -#include <fcntl.h> - -void die(char *msg) -{ - perror(msg); - exit(1); -} - -void kernel_read(char *dev) -{ - int fd; - if ((fd = open(dev, O_RDONLY)) == -1) die("can't open device"); - ioctl(fd, BLKRRPART, 0); - close(fd); -} - -int main(int argc, char **argv) -{ - if (argc != 2) { - fprintf(stderr, "usage: kernel_read_part <hard drive device>\n"); - exit(1); - } - kernel_read(argv[1]); -} |