DISTRIBUTION: Mini Linux ( in 4 diskettes )
mval...@draco.lnec.pt
I've finnaly uploaded ( after requests from several families :-)
my Mini Linux distribution.
Mini Linux fits in 4 diskettes and takes only 15 Mb of hard disk
after installation. But it still includes X Windows, TCP/IP, SLIP/PPP,
filemanagers for both character mode and X Windows, games, most Unix
commands, etc.
It doesnt include any compilers or programming languages.
Another advantage is that it installs in an MSDOS partition ( under
c:\linux ) and has commands for booting Linux from DOS.
This ideal for someone who uses DOS, doesnt want to or cant go
through the bother of backing up and repartitioning their hard
disk, but wants to try out Linux.
And since it fits in 4 diskettes its easy to contaminate your
friends :-)
Here's part of the readme file. You can get the rest and the
distribution itself from:
anonymous ftp to ernie.artorg.hmc.psu.edu /pub/linux/
Thanks to dk...@artorg.hmc.psu.edu (David N. Katz) for providing
the ftp site.
C U!
Mario Valente
-------------------
MINI LINUX
----------
By Mario Valente, 1995
Esoterica
mval...@esoterica.com
Introduction
------------
MINILINUX is yet another distribution of Linux.
It has two objectives:
- create a suficiently powerful distribution ( 4 diskettes ) but
a powerful one ( TCP/IP and SLIP, X Windows, etc ) in an easy
to install way, particularly by MSDOS users.
Usually a Linux distribution makes you backup, repartition and
reformat your hard disk; or they make you buy a CDROM or download
lots of diskettes.
MINILINUX by using the UMSDOS filesystem and the LOADLIN command
( for DOS ) allows you to install LINUX on an MSDOS partition and
coexist: from the DOS side you'll see a C:\LINUX directory and you'll
have a "linux" command that boots up Linux. From Linux's side you'll
have a /DOS directory containing all your DOS files and you'll be
able to go back to DOS by rebooting ( with CTRL-ALT-DEL ).
- to offer, in a one stop shop, a Unix system with access to Internet.
Esoterica offers Internet access in Portugal, and MINILINUX includes
scripts to setup an SLIP link with our server; Mosaic for X Windows
is included in MINILINUX and Lynx ( a character mode WWW browser )
is also there.
Installing
----------
You'll need about 20Mb in drive C: during installation. The whole
MINI Linux distribution occupies about 15Mb.
MINI Linux is distributed as 4 ZIP and 1 EXE file.
With all this you should have a C:\LINUX directory on your drive
which contains the whole Linux operating system.
Using it
----------
When you boot your machine it goes to DOS as usual.
To get to Linux you should give the command
c:\linux\linux.bat
You can of course copy this batch file to a directory on
your path ( "copy c:\linux\linux.bat c:\dos" for example )
and you'll be able to start Linux by just giving the command
"linux".
The system has support for
- Soundblaster card and CDROM
- mouse on COM1: ( /dev/mouse ) ( Mouse Systems )
- modem on COM2: ( /dev/modem )
- various Ethernet cards ( inc. NE2000 and 3Com )
- SCSI cards and devices
- X Windows in SVGA mode ( Trident, Tseng, Cirrus, etc )
- TCP/IP and SLIP/PPP support
- joe is included ( joe is a Wordstar compatible word processor )
- tetris and sasteroids ( games :-) are included
- a file manager is included ( command xtree or utree )
- a comms program, minicom, is included
- in an X Windows terminal window you can give any normal Unix command.
You can also use X applications like "xfilemanager &", "xbombs &"
( a Minesweeper clone ) or "xlander &"
If you press the mouse button over the desktop you get the X Windows
control menu.
- X Mosaic is available ( command "xmosaic &" )
------------------
--
Et in Arcadia Ego
--
Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-a...@news.ornl.gov
PLEASE remember Keywords: and a short description of the software.
Ed Carp
release on sunsite shortly.]
Welcome to Linux for MS-DOS! This release does not need a separate Linux
partition to boot from, so you don't have to repartition your disk.
This release supports both SLIP and PLIP connectivity. Scripts 'startslip'
and 'stopslip' are provided in the release to start and stop SLIP; scripts
'startplip' and 'stopplip' are provided to start and stop PLIP.
PLEASE NOTE THAT LINUX WILL **NOT** RUN FROM A COMPRESSED MS-DOS FILE
SYSTEM!
To install:
1. Unzip this in your root directory! This distribution will
NOT work unless it is installed in the root directory! If
you install it anywhere other than your C: drive, edit
install.bat and linux.bat and change "root=C:" to wherever
you unzipped this zip file.
2. Run install.bat. This will boot Linux in single-user mode.
When you are asked for a password, just hit enter. You will
then get a "#" prompt. Type 'inst' and fill in the blanks,
then hit CTRL-D. The install program will configure your
system, then reboot. If the reboot process fails, the system
should come up properly in multiuser mode.
If you need to reconfigure your system, just type 'inst'.
3. After installation, if you wish to bring the system up from
MS-DOS, type '\linux'. This will run linux.bat and bring the
system up multiuser. The only login installed on the system is
"root", and it has no password. It is strongly suggested that
root be given a password.
4. If while installing you get the message "no inittab", you have
booted into multiuser mode instead of singleuser mode - the
system will not run in multiuser mode until it has been properly
installed and configured. Just reboot and run install.bat.
5. I've placed the tinyX compressed tar archive in /install.
If you have any problems with the install, or have any suggestions,
write to me at ec...@netcom.com. I regret that I am unable to help
with specific or general Linux or UNIX questions.
Have fun!
-- Ed Carp
ec...@netcom.com
Salt Lake City, Utah
January 12, 1995
Known bugs and problems in this release as of 03/28/95:
1. The /proc filesystem isn't created. To fix this,
do a "mkdir /proc" before running "inst".
2. The file "/.newswap" sometimes isn't created by
the "inst" program. I haven't tracked this one
down, but suspect it's related to sync. To fix,
touch /.newswap and reboot.
3. The permissions are wrong on the files in /sbin.
To fix, do a "chmod 755 /sbin/*".
4. The "startslip" script reports that /etc/gated is
missing. This is just a warning - if you don't need
RIP packets generated from your end, you may not
need gated.
5. The file "/bin/rmail" is missing. To fix, do a
"ln -s /usr/bin/rmail /bin/rmail".
6. The /var hierarchy is missing. To fix, do a "ln -s
/usr /var".
7. The command "/bin/passwd" doesn't support shadow
passwords. To fix, copy over /bin/passwd from
another release. Alternately, you might find that
by the time you see this, the file "linux.passwd"
has appeared on ftp.netcom.com in /pub/ec/ecarp. :)
8. The "Mail" command is missing. To fix, do a "ln -s
/bin/mail /bin/Mail".
9. If you upgrade the kernel, you will probably find that
it is necessary to upgrade umssync (available from
sunsite in /pub/Linux/system/Filesystems/umsdos.
10. There has been sporadic reports of the boot failing, giving
wierd messages like "Erase entry tty1, out of sync with
MsDOS". Haven't tracked this one down yet.
11. There have also been a couple of reports that the files
in /lib or in /usr/lib have been disappearing. I can
only think that this problem and/or the preceding one
are possibly the result of a corrupted .zip file. I've
installed the release on three systems here with very
few problems, and they have been the correctible ones
listed above.
I think that's all the problems that either I or other people have
found so far... <crossing fingers>
--
Ed Carp, N7EKG Ed....@linux.org, ec...@netcom.com
801/534-8857 voicemail 801/460-1883 digital pager
Finger ec...@netcom.com for PGP 2.5 public key an8...@anon.penet.fi
"Past the wounds of childhood, past the fallen dreams and the broken families,
through the hurt and the loss and the agony only the night ever hears, is a
waiting soul. Patient, permanent, abundant, it opens its infinite heart and
asks only one thing of you ... 'Remember who it is you really are.'"