path: root/docs/README

Well here is a little description of what DrakX needs to work in comparison
to the standard newt install.

********************************************************************************
* CVS **************************************************************************
********************************************************************************
Like all good free software, DrakX is in CVS :)

You can access it using:
% export CVSROOT=:pserver:anoncvs@linux-mandrake.com:/home/cvs/cooker
% cvs login
% Passwd: cvs
% cvs checkout gi

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 cooker-contrib others/src/gi.tar.bz2

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 cdrom *********************************************
********************************************************************************
If you have your own rpms you want to add, or make your own updated cdrom, you
just have to update:
- Mandrake/base/hdlist: use ``misc/genhdlists --distrib .''
- Mandrake/base/depslist: use ``misc/gendepslist2 -o Mandrake/base/depslist Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2''

Optionnally, you can modify Mandrake/base/compssList and compssUsers.
Also, mdkinst_stage2.gz must be remade if you modify files in Mandrake/mdkinst.
See below for information about these files.

********************************************************************************
* FILES ************************************************************************
********************************************************************************
First he are the different things needed :

Mandrake/base/hdlist
	obsolete in 7.1

Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2
	table of rpm's headers. 
	! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS changes (with ``misc/genhdlists --distrib .'') !

Mandrake/base/depslist
	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 ``misc/gendepslist2 -o Mandrake/base/depslist Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2'')

Mandrake/base/depslist.ordered
	more compact depslist with closure done, internally indexed

Mandrake/base/compss
	obsolete in 7.1

Mandrake/base/compssUsers
	obsoletes comps. It contains the different user classes like ``Graphics
	Manipulation'' and ``Games''

Mandrake/base/compssList
	for each packages, it gives the appreciation for each type of user.
	used to choose packages
	(see beginning of perl-install/pkgs.pm for more)

Mandrake/mdkinst
	live system used on certain installs. See ``Ramdisk or not'' below for
	more.

Mandrake/base/mdkinst_stage2.gz
	for the ramdisk. live sytem in ext2 filesystem gzipped.
	generated from Mandrake/mdkinst tree using misc/make_mdkinst_stage2
	See ``Ramdisk or not'' below for more.

images/*.img
	boot images to use with DrakX. Use:
	- hd for hard-disk install
	- cdrom for cdrom install
	- network for ftp/nfs install
	- pcmcia for pcmcia install (see ``PCMCIA install'' below for more)


********************************************************************************
* 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-F5: the graphical install lives there (may switch to console 7 one day :)

- 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, you have two choices:
- use the pcmcia boot disk
- use another boot disk and it will ask you a supplementary disk. Give it the
pcmcia 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)

|       | 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 < 40MB, ramdisk otherwise

When i say live, it means that the install1 stage 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.cgz
- in /lib/modules.cz2

/modules/modules.cgz is used in stage1. It contains only modules interesting for
one kind of install. For example in an hd install, it contains scsi modules.
For an network install, it contains network card modules.

/lib/modules.cz2 contains every module, 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.cz2 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

********************************************************************************
* Adding a new step to DrakX ***************************************************
********************************************************************************
Say we want to add a question for setting "alawindows" option.
We put it pretty early in the install, let's say after "Select Installation
Class".

1. in install2.pm

add

  selectAlawindows => [ __("A la windows or not"), 0, 1, '' ],

after

  selectInstallClass => [ __("Select installation class"), 1, 1, '' ],

the 0, 1, '' means not "redoable", "skip on error", "don't hide"

2. add your function selectAlawindows in install2.pm

sub selectAlawindows  { $o->selectAlawindows }

3. add your function selectAlawindows in install_steps_interactive.pm

sub selectAlawindows {
    my ($o) = @_;
    $o->{alawindows} = $o->ask_yesorno('', _("Throw everything away as windobe does?"), 1);
}

4. add your function selectAlawindows in install_steps.pm (not needed in that
case, except for auto_install)

sub selectAlawindows  {}


********************************************************************************
* Miscellaneous ****************************************************************
********************************************************************************
>  o Media access methods: nfs, ftp, http, hd, cdrom
>  o Stages: install1, stage1, stage2
>    - What exactly each stage does

the stage1 takes care of loading the stage2 :)
the 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/install
/sbin/install 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/install.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 either
   1. dd if=/dev/hdb of=/dev/hdc
   2. dd if=/dev/hdb of=/dev/hdc count=1 ; kernel_reread /dev/hdc ; 
      mke2fs /dev/hdc1 ; mount /dev/hdb1 /source ; mount /dev/hdc1 /dest ; cp -a /source /dest

- try the oem feature
   3. - burn a cd out of *latest* cooker
      - boot on it telling "oem" to syslinux
      !! it will destroy every data on the harddrive !!
      - 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.

   4. (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.


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]);
}