From: Guillaume Cornet (CornetGJ@Cardiff.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Oct 12 2001 - 02:16:05 CEST
Hello, I am new here. I have just subscribed and I am not sure I'm
already registered.
I'am studying abroad for one year, and have come here (Cardiff, UK)
without any computer. I'm trying to run linux on the university
network.
I know, that's bad, but the clients are Windows NT 4.0, and I can't
have fun with Windows.
I want to use muLinux, to play with it. Well, it runs, but in RAM
(128Mb or 256Mb, it depends on the computer, but it's enough,
anyway). The network cards are eepro100, so that's OK.
But the network is a Novell-based one, and the muLinux kernel doesn't
support IPX protocol. I have read in the doc/kernel.txt that IPX was
compiled as a module for that kernel. But I can't find it in the
distribution. And I'm quite sure that I have looked everywhere!
So I need to compile a kernel. But I lack disk space. The hard disks
are in HPFS. And muLinux kernel doesn't support it. As I don't have
the network yet... what can I do? (As you can see, muLinux is the
only possible linux for me at the moment! I looked some other mini
distributions home pages, but none of them seem to have ipx and
ncpfs, except one called monkey linux, but the loop device is
compiled as module, so that kernel is not usable with muLinux).
I found *one* old PC (64Mb RAM) on the LAN which hard disk is in NTFS
for the first partition and in FAT for the second (/dev/hda5, an
extended partition). So I want to install muLinux in UMSDOS on it.
It's non-invasive and there are about 1Gb unused on that computer.
But I can't boot a floppy from that particular PC, and the BIOS setup
is protected by a password. Since that computer is in a library, and
is not mine, I can't take a screwdriver to open the box and take off
the battery... ;-]
So, I have put all the downloaded mulinux addons in C:\temp (the
/dev/hda5 DOSFS hard disk), then rebooted a true DOS, and
uncompressed the dostools, then launched boot.bat. But I can't
install muLinux in UMSDOS. It just does not work at all. What's the
problem? Should I be able to install muLinux in another partition
than /dev/hda1?
If I can install it, I'll be a happy man! I will then be able to
compile a kernel, with ipx and ncpfs as modules, to put them into the
last muLinux, and to run it on any PC on this LAN. Then mount my home
directory (mine, really, using my password !) with freshly compiled
ncpfs.o module and the packages ipx and ncpfs (ncpmount, ncpumount,
...) and so forth. My final goal is to build a floppy with an initrd
which 1/mounts my home directory 2/mounts another filesystem
contained in a loop device in that home directory into a ramdisk and
3/chroot to it.
If I can really use muLinux for compiling a kernel and then the
packages ipx, ncpfs, ... I will have plenty of time (and disk space,
at last!) to learn how to become a linux-based Novell Netware client
; and, why not, try to create the NCPFS muLinux addon : Novell
Netware client (and server?). I'm sure some people (in the
circumstances where I am now, for example) would find it useful...
IN SHORT, my first question :
How do I perform an UMSDOS installation on an extended partition
(hda5), on a PC I cannot boot a floppy on it, but with a Windows NT
on it, and a fast internet acces, and a true DOS available? Which
scripts should I look at and modify, or which arguments should I pass
to the kernel? Or... whatever I have to do.
Thanks for your help.
Guillaume Cornet, from Belgium
Guillaume Cornet
Talybont North
house F, flat 3
Cardiff
CF14 3UX
United Kingdom
mobile : +44 7763 125279
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