Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 23:30:18 -0700 From: "John W. Rasins" <jrasins@interramp.com> To: rlyon@ozemail.com.au Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 2.1.5 - Floppy Installation Message-ID: <2.2.16.19960825063018.49ef04e2@pop3.interramp.com>
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>I recently decided to upgrade to 2.1.5. For various reasons I need to
>do a floppy install. With previous versions this has been no big
>drama.
>
>For version 2.1.5 the required floppy layouts is very strange. For
>example:
>
> bin.inf must be placed on the first bin distribution disk
>
> info.inf must be placed on the last bin distribution disk
>
> manpages.inf must be placed on the info distribution disk.
>
>I don't want to mix distributions, so I have been extracting each
>manually. I would prefer to be able to do it in one hit.
>
I offered to document the floppy install, but no one has sent me any
information on whom to contact or where to look. But I do empathize with
you. So here goes, and maybe part of this will make it to the docs.
Floppy Install, 101
For anyone reading this, if you are installing pre-2.1.5-Release, the
instructions in the FAQ work just fine. You need the boot.flp, the
root.flp, and the appropriate distributions, and the install program will
prompt for what it needs as it needs it.
But for those of us who must stand by the floppy, here is the 2.1.5 way:
Check the readme file in the floppies directory to make sure you take the
correct boot.flp file. There is one called boot4.flp I believe, but I can't
remember what it is for. In most cases, you need the boot.flp file.
Use good floppy disks (not the thousands of AOL ones you've saved up) and
format them yourself even if they come preformatted. May be a waste of
time, but I've seen too many messages here to have a bad floppy pop up in
the middle of the install.
Use the rawrite program to put the boot.flp file onto a floppy disk. Boot
up the designated PC with this floppy, and follow the on screen instructions
for deciding your install/upgrade method, partition layout, file systems
layout, etc. The FAQ covers these areas well enough, so I won't.
1. (Finally) A discussion of the new floppy requirements. For all
distributions you are interested in, download the .inf file and the .aa
through .?? files. Some cases there is only the .aa file. The new process
uses the .inf file to determine that the distribution exists, how many .??
files there are, along with some other pieces of information. Therefore,
the first floppy of any distribution must contain the .inf file.
2. The installation process doesn't prompt you for the next distribution
set. It simply looks at the floppy in the drive after it has completed the
install of the current set. If the next -- and this is important too, but
I'll cover it in step 3 -- .inf file isn't on this floppy, the install puts
up a message that the other distributions you selected were not found on the
media and continues on its merry way. Bad move on the core architects part
-- I suggest a fix here?!
3. You can't have just any .inf file at the end of a distribution, you must
have the NEXT .inf file as expected by the install program. Which one is
next? Who knows! But after painstaking trial and error, there is some
order based on the order distributions are presented in the menus, and I'll
note it here.
4. So you have two choices, use whichever you think is best. One, know the
order, and make sure the .inf file for the next distribution is on the same
diskette (but in its proper directory) as the last file of the distribution
currently being handled.
Second choice is to have all the .inf files, along with the last file, for
all distributions you plan on installing sitting on one to two diskettes
(depending on how many you choose). This is a little harder since you must
know when the installation process is asking for the last file. And when it
does, make sure you insert this ".inf" diskette. This is definitely a more
painful way of doing the install, but it is what I ended up doing since I
did not know the "order" at the time.
5. For example, the first set should be bin. So on the first floppy, in the
/bin subdirectory, you would have bin.inf, bin.aa, bin.ab, etc. up to the
capacity of the diskette (usually five complete distribution files). When
you get to the diskette that will contain the last bin.?? file (bin.cn?),
you also include the doc.inf file in the doc subdirectory. You can have
just the .inf file on the diskette. You don't need the first (.aa) file if
it won't fit. What is important is that the .inf file for the next EXPECTED
distribution is on that diskette in its proper subdirectory. I used doc in
my example, but you use whichever set is next based on what you selected and
the order I present in the next step.
6. Here is the order of the sets. I did not choose to install the source
for the games, so I don't have the position of the game set. I may also
have other sets missing. But what I noticed is that the order is almost
identical to the order in which the sets are presented on the menus. Look
at my list, write it down, and as you make your selections, you will see
what I mean. Any set you choose that is not on my list, should be easily
inserted based on its menu presentation order.
1. bin 2. doc 3. games (binaries) 4. manpages 5. proflibs 6.
dict 7. info
8. src/sbase 9. src/sgnu 10. src/setc 11. src/sinclude 12. src/slib
13. src/slibexec 14. src/slkm 15. src/srelease 16. src/sbin 17.
src/ssbin
18. src/sshare 19. src/ssys 20. src/subin 21. src/susbin 22.
src/smailcf
23. des/des 24. des/krb
Well, that's my long winded documentation of the subject. Needs polish, but
should get you through your install. Good luck.
If any of the core FreeBSD people would like this cleaned up, and/or have
suggestions, please let me know. As I said earlier, I'll be happy to
document this piece for the FAQ, handbook, etc.
John
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