From thierry.merle at free.fr Fri Sep 5 18:39:26 2008 From: thierry.merle at free.fr (Thierry Merle) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:39:26 +0200 Subject: [armedslack] Armedslack on NSLU2 Message-ID: <48C17CDE.8080209@free.fr> Hello, does anyone has already run Armedslack on the NSLU2? I got problems with debian (latest is a kernel panic on sustained disk load) so I want to install Slackware, the distribution I am used to install and configure for years. I am planning to do so, by doing an installer image using the APEX bootloader, in the debian way. I wired a serial line so I will cheat a bit :) Regards, Thierry From m-lists at biscuit.org.uk Wed Sep 10 11:24:16 2008 From: m-lists at biscuit.org.uk (Stuart Winter) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:24:16 +0100 (BST) Subject: [armedslack] Armedslack on NSLU2 In-Reply-To: <48C17CDE.8080209@free.fr> References: <48C17CDE.8080209@free.fr> Message-ID: Hi Thierry > does anyone has already run Armedslack on the NSLU2? I didn't hear from anyone who is, AFAIK.. > I got problems with debian (latest is a kernel panic on sustained disk > load) so I want to install Slackware, the distribution I am used to > install and configure for years. > I am planning to do so, by doing an installer image using the APEX > bootloader, in the debian way. I was looking at how Fedora ARM installs -- they haven't ported the installer as I have for ARMedslack, and Debian has -- they're using a separate tool to do the installation, since most ARM devices are headless. I did something similar for ARMedslack before I ported the installer and the script still exists in the 'slackware' directory, but it relies upon pkgtools being installed, so lends itself for use on a Slackware x86 box. To really do such a headless installation would require writing a sort of 'kickstart' (as Red Hat has) tool, or patching the Slackware install scripts. Myself and one of the Slackware devs have had such an idea for ages now, but neither of us has time to do much with it. Anyway, let me know when you get it working on the NSLU2! From thierry.merle at free.fr Thu Sep 11 19:41:57 2008 From: thierry.merle at free.fr (Thierry Merle) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:41:57 +0200 Subject: [armedslack] Armedslack on NSLU2 In-Reply-To: References: <48C17CDE.8080209@free.fr> Message-ID: <48C97485.4020202@free.fr> Hi Stuart, Stuart Winter a ?crit : > Hi Thierry > > >> does anyone has already run Armedslack on the NSLU2? >> > > I didn't hear from anyone who is, AFAIK.. > > Well, I may be a pioneer since I succeeded :) >> I got problems with debian (latest is a kernel panic on sustained disk >> load) so I want to install Slackware, the distribution I am used to >> install and configure for years. >> I am planning to do so, by doing an installer image using the APEX >> bootloader, in the debian way. >> > > > I was looking at how Fedora ARM installs -- they haven't ported > the installer as I have for ARMedslack, and Debian has -- they're > using a separate tool to do the installation, since most ARM devices > are headless. > I did something similar for ARMedslack before I ported the installer > and the script still exists in the 'slackware' directory, but > it relies upon pkgtools being installed, so lends itself for use > on a Slackware x86 box. > > To really do such a headless installation would require writing a > sort of 'kickstart' (as Red Hat has) tool, or patching the Slackware > install scripts. Myself and one of the Slackware devs have had such > an idea for ages now, but neither of us has time to do much with it. > > Anyway, let me know when you get it working on the NSLU2! > > > I started on an existing debian-arm distribution for having a functional kernel written in FLASH. I think this step can be avoided but it was so easy like this... I extracted the slackware initrd from the armedslack-current/isolinux/ on an USB key and booted on it, consequently launching the setup. Next, I just had to install on the hard drive that was plugged on the 'disk 2' plug. Here are the basic steps I did: - Installed a debian-arm distribution. I used the debian-installer lenny beta 2 just to have a kernel written in FLASH. - Save the /lib/firmware directory since it contains the NPE-B firmware, mandatory for the Ethernet part of the chip. - Erase and partition the USB hard disk as suited from a PC. - rsync on a partition of this disk the armedslack distribution. - format an USB key in ext3 - uncompress the slackware installer on it: gzip -cd initrd.img |cpio -i - plug the usb key on 'disk 1', plug the hard disk on 'disk 2' plug - power on the NSLU2, the slackware setup prompt should bring up on the serial line (I have a serial line wired on my NSLU2). - / is mounted read-only by default, do a 'mount -o remount /dev/sda1 /' before anything else. - setup and so on (don't forget where is the armedslack-current/slackware/ directory on the USB hard disk - /dev/sdbx and custom dir) I did a full installation without X and KDE since it is a headless system. Next are some customizations: - in /mnt/etc/fstab, change all sdb* to sda* - chmod -x the rc scripts that are not necessary like rc.keymap and so on. - copy /lib/firmware from the debian installation to get the NPE-B firmware binary (for Ethernet) - copy from a standard slackware /lib/udev/firmware.sh to /lib/udev/ Power-down NSLU2, remove USB key, replace it by the USB hard disk. Power-up. Well some things are missing like blinking leds but the system is fully functional. I am currently compiling some SlackBuilds for the utilities I am used to run (courier-imap, ...) but now I feel at home on my armedslack-NSLU2 :) Regards, Thierry