Linux Configuration and Installation:Installing Linux






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All SCSI bootdisks feature full IDE hard-drive and CD-ROM support, plus additional drivers listed in table.


NOTE:  All of these images support UMSDOS, if you prefer this method of installation. UMSDOS will be covered later in this chapter in the section, “Should You Use UMSDOS?”

You’ll need one of the images listed to get Linux started on your system so that you can install it. Because of the possibility of collisions between the various Linux drivers, several bootkernel disk images are provided. You should use the one with the least drivers possible to maximize your chances of success. All of these disks support UMSDOS.

At first glance, Tables 2.1 and 2.2 can be a little confusing. To clear things up, Table 2.3 contains a handy little guide where you can match installation medium and hard disk format to the preferred image (in bold).

Table 2.3 Chart for Choosing Bootdisk Images

Installation Medium

IDE Destination
SCSI Destination
MFM Destination



Hard drive

bare.i
Use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table.
xt.i

SCSI CD-ROM

Use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table.
Use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table
-

IDE/ATAPI CDROM

bare.i
Use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table.


Aztech, Orchid, Okano, Wearnes, Conrad, CyCD ROM non-IDE CD-ROM

aztech.i
aztech.s


Sony CDU31a, Sony CDU33a CD-ROM

cdu31a.i
cdu31a.s


Sony CDU531, Sony CDU535 CD-ROM

cdu535.i
cdu535.s


Philips/LMS cm206 CD-ROM

cm206.i
cm206.s


Goldstar R420 CD-ROM

goldstar.i
goldstar.s


Mitsumi non-IDE CD-ROM

mcdx.i, mcd.i
mcdx.s, mcd.i


Optics Storage 8000 AT CD-ROM (“Dolphin”)

optics.i
optics.s


Sanyo CDR-H94A CD-ROM

sanyo.i
sanyo.s


Matsushita, Kotobuki, Panasonic, Creative Labs (SoundBlaster), Longshine, and TEAC non-IDE CD-ROM

sbpcd.i
sbpcd.s


NFS

net.i
scsinet.i


Tape

bare.i (for floppy tape); for SCSI tape, use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table
Use a SCSI controller bootdisk from the list following the table
xt.i (for floppy tape)




The SCSI controller bootdisks are:

7000fast.s, advansys.s, aha152x.s, aha1542.s, aha1740.s, aha2x4x.s, am53c974.s, buslogic.s, dtc3280.s, eata_dma.s, eata_isa.s, eata_pio.s, fdomain.s, in2000.s, iomega.s, n53c406a.s, n_5380.s, n_53c7xx.s, pas16.s, qlog_fas.s, qlog_isp.s, seagate.s, trantor.s, ultrastr.s, ustor14f.s
Choosing the Proper Rootdisk Image
After selecting the proper bootdisk, you’ll need to select the proper rootdisk. The selections are more limited, so you won’t have to put much work into this selection. The rootdisks are stored in the ROOTDSKS directory and will work with either 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch high-density diskettes.
Your rootdisk image selections are listed in Table 2.4.

Table 2.4 Rootdisk Selections

Filename
Purpose



COLOR.GZ
This image contains a full-screen color install program and should be considered the default rootdisk image. This version of the install system has some known bugs, however; in particular, it is not forgiving of extra keystrokes entered between screens. This is probably the file you’ll want to use.

UMSDOS.GZ
This is similar to the color disk, but it installs using UMSDOS, a filesystem that allows you to install Linux into a directory on an existing MS-DOS partition. This filesystem is not as fast as a native Linux filesystem, but it works, and you don’t have to repartition your hard drive.

TEXT.GZ
This is a text-based version of the install program derived from scripts used in previous Slackware releases.

TAPE.GZ
This image is designed to support installation from tape. See the section “Installing from Tape” later in this chapter.

PCMCIA.GZ
Similiar to the color disk, but used for installing on a laptop’s internal hard drive through a PCMCIA card (SCSI, ethernet, or CD_ROM drive).





NOTE:  You’ll notice that these filenames end with the .GZ extension; this indicates that the files have been compressed with GNU zip. Some older distributions of Linux required that the files be decompressed prior to use, but this is not necessary anymore. The kernel on the bootdisk will detect that the rootdisk is compressed and will automatically decompress the disk as it is loaded into RAM. This allows the use of a 1.44MB uncompressed image size for both 1.44MB and 1.2MB floppy drives.

Most users will use the COLOR.GZ rootdisk image.



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