Marquette University

Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science

Wim Ruitenburg's MSCS 206 linux learning 970920

Most linux installations begin with buying an installation package including some CD-ROMs and a guide. For those of us with a fast Internet connection, an alternative is available. Below we list the few items we discussed with the installation attempt on 20 September 1997.
Where on the Internet do we find the linux files? This question is slightly wrongly phrased, because there is no such thing as THE linux files. There are several varieties of linux, all based on one unique linux kernel construction package, but with different software tools and applications at the `higher' levels. The ones best known to me are RedHat linux and Slackware linux. Both are available for free on the web. For example, RedHat has an ftp RedHat site and a matching RedHat web site. Slackware is available from the source slackware site, but there are some other good `main' sites, the most prominent of them maybe the one buried but easily dug up at the slackware subdirectory at sunSITE. Note that both RedHat and sunSITE give you a list of shadow web sites from where you can download the same files. Warning: Although most of these so-called MIRROR web sites are excellent alternatives for downloading files, some may be out of date.
What are we supposed to download? Let us first discuss the installation programs that we need, before we get to linux itself. To install linux we need 2 floppy disks; in our case very likely those 3.5in plastic hard case floppies. On these disks we put programs to turn them into the so-called boot disk and a second disk with additional materials. The 2 files that you need off the web to create these 2 disks are different for the RedHat and the Slackware versions of linux.
- The RedHat case. Here you need 2 binary files named boot.img and supp.img. You could search the RedHat ftp site and find these binary files at ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.2/i386/images/. But before you use ftp and binary file transfers to copy these files to your machine, you may also find them on our local student machine `studsys' in the directory /hot_software/Linux/RedHat_4.2/i386/images/. Such a local site is one heck of a lot faster! Transfer the 2 files to a machine with a 3.5in floppy drive; in most cases a Microsoft Windows machine or a linux box on the Net. We discuss below how to next transfer the files properly to your floppy disks using the floppy drive on your machine.
- The Slackware case. Slackware has 2 lists of files. The first (1) list of files consists of all possible boot disks that they could think of. The reason of this list of choices is that the boot disk must contain the software for both the device from which you install linux, as well as the device on which you put your (new) linux. And the collection of all possible device drivers does not fit on a single floppy. The list of possible boot disks can be found at http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/slackware/bootdsks.144/. But before you use ftp and binary file transfers to copy one of these files to your machine, you may also find them on our local student machine `studsys' in the directory /hot_software/Linux/Slackware_3.3/bootdsks.144/, or with ftp go to ftp://warrior.mscs.mu.edu/pub/slackware/bootdsks.144/ (not currently available). Such local sites are one heck of a lot faster! In our example case we just happen to install from the Net, and on a SCSI hard disk drive. So we choose the binary file scsinet.s. This file will have to be put on our boot disk later on. The second (2) list of files consists of several possible `root' disks that contain additional data necessary at different times. The list of possible `root' disks can be found at http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/slackware/rootdsks/. But before you use ftp and binary file transfers to copy one of these files to your machine, you may also find them on our local student machine `studsys' in the directory /hot_software/Linux/Slackware_3.3/rootdsks/, or with ftp go to ftp://warrior.mscs.mu.edu/pub/slackware/rootdsks/ (not currently available). From the `root' disks most people select the file color.gz (Do NOT uncompress this file as part of the installation procedure!). Transfer the 2 files to a machine with a 3.5in floppy drive; in most cases a Microsoft Windows machine or a linux box on the Net. We discuss below how to transfer these files properly to your floppy disks using the floppy drive on your machine.
How do we create the 2 installation floppies (from the 2 files on our machine with its 3.5in floppy disk drive)? We consider 2 situations.
- Our machine is running Microsoft Windows. There is a DOS program that performs the needed `raw' copy, called RAWRITE.EXE. For example, if we want to put supp.img on a floppy, we put the floppy disk in the first floppy drive and type rawrite supp.img a: But where do we get this program RAWRITE.EXE from? For those of you who looked around on the websites mentioned above, you may already have seen it in several directories. Our local sites are directory /hot_software/Linux/RedHat_4.2/i386/dosutils/ or /hot_software/Linux/Slackware_3.3/bootdsks.144/ or /hot_software/Linux/Slackware_3.3/rootdsks/ on `studsys'. See also the corresponding ftp sites on warrior.mscs.mu.edu. Binary transfer the file to the Windows machine and use it to create the 2 floppy disks of your choice.
- Our machine is running linux. Put the floppy in the `first' floppy drive, and copy one of the files, say scsinet.s, with the command dd if=scsinet.s of=/dev/fd0 bs=1440k Explanation: dd performs a `raw' copy from file scsinet.s to device /dev/fd0, which happens to be the first floppy drive; the bs=1440k parameter means that exactly 1440 times 1024 bytes must be transferred. Do the same with the other file and the other floppy disk.
But which floppy disk contains which file? Write on the sticker of each floppy disk the date and the name of the file. For example boot.img and 19970920, or color.gz and 19970920.
How do we install the actual linux once we have the 2 floppy disks ready? We choose to install linux using our 2 floppy disks and the Net. The first step will be to put the boot floppy in the first floppy drive, and reboot. The computer does its usual self-checks, and then starts programs from the boot floppy. On the screen appears some text and a last line that ends with `boot: ' or `login: '. Just hit the <enter> key. Next time we discuss the installation steps.

Last updated: November 1998
Comments & suggestions: wimr@mscs.mu.edu