Hi Linuxers!
Last night I started installing Linux on my Computer...well, tried to
install it:-(
First, for all of you out there trying to install Linux from DOS:
The bootimage works
(Use debug Bootimage, then in debug do "w cs:100 0 0 200" This write will
write from cs:100 200h sectors (512 bytes) of mem to drive 0, sector 0. Adjust
the 200, if the bootimage gets bigger, but at the moment you really need less
than 100h sectors. Its just to be on the safe side..
)
Forget about installing the rootfs directly from DOS with debug. It's too big,
so DOS can't load it. Something like rawwrite will do, I think. I did it from
Minix, smashing my Minix-bootdisk on the way. (Again, one of these 'tough guys
need no write protect'-story. But who needs a Minix-Bootdisk with Linux, I
thought. The answer is ME!
Linux just doesn't work on my machine. The same problem somebody else on this
list got.
It just booted up, showed Loading System, cleared the screen and then died.
Well, I think I found the reason for this, but I am not sure. Correct me if I am wrong.
Somewhere in the code, I found that the kernel reserves the first 640K of mem.
About 640K - 1M, I found nothing. Then, at 1 M the Linux mem starts.
And now main (linux/init/main) determines my machine has less than 4MB (it has 2MB) and just allocates 1MB. That sums up to say
0 bytes free, and I think that
this has to crash somehow.
But still it remains a mystery to me why I get no msg about the partition table
because this is still in the kernel, and kernel couldn't run out of space. (Could he?)
Now Linus, (and all others out there) what do you think about
reserving only say 384K for the kernel and use the remaining 256K as a cache.
This will at least leave 1 MB for running some processes in it. I know this
isn't much (too few for gcc, I think) but it should be sufficient when I come
up with my port of CvW's CC386. How I'll do this in 2 Megs? Simple, order
another 2 at my local shop :-)
BTW: Will the demodisk from plains do as a bootdisk for Minix?
OK, cu l8er
Robert
