Re: [IPCop-devel] Ipcop and Brltty

[<Use...@zo...>]

att...@gm...(Attila Konietzka)  30.04.04 17:39


>Hello,

>Since no one on the ipcop-user list could help me with my problem, i
>will try it in here were i expect all the developers arround, since my
>question is somewhat special.

>I want to know how to incooperate the brltty-program braille
>console-driver into ipcop during the installation process, because i
>need to utilize an braille-device when reading out screen-contents.

>I thought of using an statically linked brltty at least for the
>install process, as the other things after the machines reboot can
>also be done via the ssh-interface, in case the web interface
>shouldn't work unexpectetly.

>I thought of using the ready build executables that can be found at
>http://www.brlspeak.net/brlstatx.php

>I will go and pick the right binary for my device-modell and
>serial-port. 

>So How can i proced, to change the iso-image of ipcop to
>contain the brltty, and make it launch during boot-process?
>Anyone in here who did similar modifikations to his ipcop-iso, and can
>anyhow help me?

Some time ago i mailed, how to install "mgetty" into IPcop
(mainly using the linux serial conmsole howto).
I assume that it should not matter what kind of "tty" is used.

>I just want to know what exactly happens, when the iso boots up, and
>what scripts are exactly launched after one another, and where to put
>my brltty on the iso to come up when booting.

mgetty is placed into "/etc/initab" which launches it as
often as it dies.

To place it into the 1.3 iso would be an interessting task
(I gave up) maybe "iso buster" can help.
But i would not waste any time on making your own 1.3,
much better and easier an 1.4 ISO can be made.
It took (once) serveral hours because all files are fresh
complied (LFS), but it works on non-Redhat flawlessly!



>The other Issue i have is, that the brltty just doesn't need to be
>loaded in normal usage after the ipcop is setup successfully, 
>because i will operate him from another machine, 
>where Accessibility is already present, and ipcop only needs 
>to be operated through the network via ssh or the webinterface. 

>What have i done so far?

>I have tried to hack the bootfloppy for ipcop to fit brltty on it, and
>allthough the smallest available brltty round 106 kb only in size, it
>still won't fit on the ipcop bootdisk.

Why can't you place it into an "addon" package?
Of course it would be nice if all messages are sent via
serial, but 1.3 can't do it.
Try 1.4, IIRC that's already "serial console ready",
but don't know if the setup it self already uses serial.


>Unfortunately you cannot compress an upx-compressed e
>xecutable any further, so after the final
># cat installrootimage | gzip -9 > installrootimage.gz
>the whole gz-file blew up from arround 620 kb to 707 kb and
>consequently the space on my mounted bootdisk-image went out, and the
>attempt was in vain. 

>Unfortunately i cannot find where the boot-sequence is stored 
>on the isos, 

That an option to "mkisofs".
There are several ways: one is "Floppy emulation", which is
limiter to 2MB in size IIRC.
The other is used by syslinux.

>and when i mount the iso on my knoppix with 
># mkdir inst0
># mount -o loop ipcop.iso inst0
>it does this without any comment afterwards, 
>and also when i type only
>#mount
>without any parameters this iso shows up as (rw,loop=/dev/loop0).
>But when i want to change something on the iso:
># cd inst0
># mkdir new_dir
>it says that it cannot make any changes, because the whole filesystem
>is read-only.
>How can you explain this?

Because the ISO driver has only the "reading" path implemented, because
CD-ROMs were initially invented to be only readable... "UFS" might be 
a workarround, but...

You need "mkisofs" to generate an iso-image.
See in 1.4 who to use it.

A possible way:
Mount the iso-image
copy(!) all data from the iso to your disc
usings "cp -pr" or "tar-me-in-tar-me-out" to get all sym- + hardlinks
Extract the boot track (hm, with which tool? dd?)
Edit the files as required
lanch "mkisofs" (with tha same parameters asin teh IPcop make) 
to generate the new ISO image.


The only way i think that allows to "hack" directly into an ISO
image, without mkisofs, is "iso buster"?


>If anyone could help me please, i am stuck somehow and don't know
>where is my fault.


>Just before i forget: all this hacking was done on an previously
>mounted maxtor usb-harddrive, so no bloating the ramdisk was
>necessary, and all subsequent work was done on /mnt/sda1, which is
>actually a fat32 partition. Thanks very much in advance, and best
>Greetings, Attila.

BTW: Add more "empty lines" into you text (see above my attempt?)
It makes it more readable and more likely to be read.

Rainer---<=====>                         Vertraulich
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         <=====>--------------ocholl, Kiel, Germany ------------