Re: [coLinux-devel] Building a distribution

[Jaroslaw K. <ja...@zd...>]

Simple way:

1. Create a physical partition (2 GB or similar)
2. Install your distribution there
3. mknod the cobdX devices
4. Modify /etc/fstab (or not)
5. Switch to windows or another linux (you can also try to remount the root
filesystem readonly)
6. DD the partition to a file
7. Voila!

More complicated way (which I prefer)

1. Create an empty file (2GB )under Linux (using dd)
2. Mount it using "mount -o loop" under an empty directory
3. Copy files that make up a linux distro there (I personally use "rpm" and
"apt-get" for this so that dependencies are handled properly, with simple
distributions like "slackware" you can be successful using just "tar")
4. Umount the partition
5. Voila!

As a finishing touch I remove some things to make the download MUCH smaller:

/lib/modules/2.4.*.nptl        (original Fedora kernel - not very useful
under coLinux)
/boot/*
/usr/share/locale/*
/usr/share/i18n/locales/*
/usr/share/i18n/charmaps/*
/usr/lib/locale/*
/var/state/apt/lists/*base*

I'm sending the script that I use to generate fedora_root image. It was made
using trial-and-error method but in general it works. You should be able to
use it on RHEL with minor modifications. Note that it uses my home machine
as a RPM repository, so that I don't have to download RPMs from the
internet.

BTW. BE VERY CAREFUL when running the script. Error detection is not done
very well. I once removed my whole partition because of this...

Jarek
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Taylor" <mt...@em...>
To: <col...@li...>
Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 8:26 PM
Subject: [coLinux-devel] Building a distribution


Guys,



When I want to build/install a new distro for colinux, what is the general
strategy?  I've tried to boot directly from raw boot floppy images, ISO 9660
images, etc. with no luck.  The only boots I get are from the supplied root
partition files.  I know I have to make changes to the disk image once I get
it set up, but I'm not quite clear. since I can't seem to get any of these
sources to boot - not sure how to work with them.  If I mount them under an
existing colinux install, I'm still not sure what I would have to do to them
to get 'em to install.  I'm trying to install a degenerate (read open source
;-) ) form of RHEL.  I've got three boxes running this distro and I'm happy
with it.  Would be cool to see it on my desktop.



Thanks,



Michael Taylor

mt...@em...

-- There are only 10 types of people in this world...
-- those who understand binary, and those who don't.