LEAF Linux Embedded Appliance Framework Files

Getting Started with LRP 2.9.8
Ray Olszewski <ray@comarre.com>
Version 1.1 - December 05, 2000

This quick overview consists of three sections:

        1. What Do I Download?
        2. How Do I Make an LRP Disk?
        3. What Do I Do With the Disk?

=============================================================================

What Do I Download?
-------------------

To give LRP a try, you need to download two things:

1. An image file from this directory. There are two sets of image files:

        idiot-image_*_2.9.8_Linux2.0.gz -- these use the Linux
                2.0.36 kernel and will boot on any 486 or better
                system 
        idiot-image_*_2.9.8_Linux2.2.gz -- these use the Linux
                2.2.16 kernel and will boot on any Pentium or 
                better system

The numbers in the actual image names refer to the size of the floppy they
use. Standard floppies are 1440 KB; larger ones require special formatting
programs to modify a standard floppy disk.

2. The kernel-image tarfile for the kernel you use. They are in the "kernel"
directory:

        if you use a *_Linux2.0.gz disk image, download 
                /kernel/2.0.36pre15-1.tar.gz
        if you use a *_Linux2.2.gz disk image, download 
                /kernel/2.2.16-1.tar.gz

You will need to get from the appropriate tarfile any kernel modules you
need to add to the disk image. What modules you will need depends on your
system, but most users need to add modules for their Ethernet cards.

3. Depending on the exact use you have in mind for your LRP host, you may
want to add extra packages to it. The add-ins that are part of the official
distribution are located in the directory "packages". Consult the links
listed on www.linuxrouter.org to find other, unofficial packages that some
users of LRP have compiled for their own systems and made available for
others to use.


How Do I Make an LRP Disk?
--------------------------

You need a working i86-based computer to make the image file into a disk. If
you are using a standard 1440 KB image, you can do this on any Linux, DOS,
or Windows computer. Steps are:

        1. Format a floppy disk using the format program for
                your system. This disk must have NO bad sectors
                to work, so watch for that report from the formatter.

        2. The image file you downloaded was compressed using the
                gzip program. You need to uncompress it. On a Linux
                system, you do this with the command:
        gunzip idiot-image_1440KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.0.gz  or
        gunzip idiot-image_1440KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.2.gz

        On a DOS or Windows system, you will need to find a variant
        of the ZIP program that can unzip "gzip-style" files. Many
        of the newer ZIP programs can do this.

        3.a If you are using Linux, transfer the image to the disk
                with this command:
        dd if=idiot-image_1440KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.0 of=/dev/fd0  or
        dd if=idiot-image_1440KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.2 of=/dev/fd0

        3.b If you are using DOS, download the program "rawrite2.exe" from
                ftp://ftp.linuxrouter.org/linux-router/utils/
                and run it to make the image. Follow its instructions;
                you will need to note the 8.3-style filename that 
                DOS translates the image name to.

        3.c. If you are using any version of Windows, download the 
                program "rawrite2.exe" from
                ftp://ftp.linuxrouter.org/linux-router/utils/
                and run it from a DOS window to make the image. 
                Follow its instructions; you will need to note 
                and use  the 8.3-style filename that DOS translates
                the image name to.

        3.d -OR- if you are using Windows, you can find the shareware
                program "WinImage" and use it to make the image.

If you are using a larger format disk, you are limited to Linux and some
Windows systems (rawrite2.exe does not know how to work with oversized
floppy images). If you are a Windows user, get WinImage and follow its
instructions for creating "oversized" floppy images. If you are using Linux,
do the following:

        1. Format an oversized floppy. You do this with either "fdformat"
                or "superformat", depending on your distribution. You
                pick a size by using the /dev/fd0u* entry for that
                size. For example, to format a 1680 KB disk, you would
                use a command like
                        superformat /dev/fd0u1680

        2. Use gunzip to uncompress the image. For example, 
                uncompress a 1680 KB Linux 2.2 image with
        gunzip idiot-image_1680KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.2.gz

        3. Use the dd program to copy the image to the formatted disk,
                again using the appropriate /dev/fd0u* entry. For 
                example, make a 1680 KB image with
       dd if=idiot-image_1680KB_FAT_2.9.8_Linux2.2 of=/dev/fd0u1680


What Do I Do With the Disk?
--------------------------

        1. Find out what kinds of Ethernet cards your computer uses and
                what Linux kernel modules they need. In some cases, you
                may need to use setup programs that came with the 
                Ethernet cards to set them up to use distinct IRQs and
                IO base addresses.

        2. Un-gzip and un-tar the kernel file you downloaded, and from
                it get the modules you need. Put them on a different 
                floppy disk from the one you put the LRP image on.

        3. Use the LRP image to boot your computer. When you get the 
                login: prompt, log in as "root". Just hit [enter] for the
                password. (Use the 'passwd' command to set a password.)

        4. Remove the LRP image disk from the drive and insert the one
                with the module images.

        5. Exit from the configuration menu that is on the screen. When
                you get to the command-line prompt, enter these 
                commands:
                        mount.boot /mnt         (to use boot device)
                        cp /mnt/* /lib/modules
                        umount /mnt

        6. Remove the floppy from the drive. Put the LRP image disk
                back in.

        7. Use the editor "ae" to edit the file /etc/modules. Add
                (or in some cases uncomment) the entries for the modules
                you just added to the system. Save the file.

        8. Restart the configuration menu by typing "lrcfg" at
                the command-line prompt. Choose "backup", and
                backup the modules.lrp and etc.lrp packages.

        9. Reboot; the LRP disk should now load your modules, and they
                should find your Ethernet cards.

        10. Use the configuration menu to configure the system for 
                your local interfaces, networks, and so on. Remember to
                do a backup after you make changes, or they will not
                be kept for the next reboot.

This is only a cursory outline of what you need to do. For more information,
or for help if you run into problems at any of the steps, consult the
documents and links shown on the www.linuxrouter.org home page. 

Additionally you should remember that this overview only covers the 
'Quick & Dirty' approach to using LRP from a floppy disk. LRP is well capable
of being stored on any other boot device (Harddrive, flashdisk, Zip, etc)
as well as running directly from such a device instead of from a Ramdisk.