Floppy Install Problem, Old Box
God Bless Texas
Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS - there is no CD booting allowed, no USB ports.
When I try to start the machine with the boot diskette inserted, I get a
"Boot Failed" error.
This is the consistent failure using numerous diskettes that I created on
two different machines. I think I'm creating them correctly - dd'ing to
an unmounted device.
Is there any other way to get this machine running to install Linux?
I'm looking to set this box up as a NAT/firewall - is this machine going
to be too slow for that purpose?
Harold Stevens
> I am trying to net-install Debian Sarge on an old P1 133MHz box with
> Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS - there is no CD booting allowed, no USB ports.
>
> When I try to start the machine with the boot diskette inserted, I get a
> "Boot Failed" error.
Shot in the dark...
How much RAM? A machine that dated may have only 32 MB RAM (or less). I'm
not sure about Sarge, but many recent distros require at least 128 MB for
even 1st stage install booting.
> I'm looking to set this box up as a NAT/firewall - is this machine going
> to be too slow for that purpose?
No, it should be fine, but you may want a more specific distro trimmed to
do more limited tasks. Sarge may be too big and generic for that (?).
If you look at
http://www.linuxlinks.com/Distributions/Floppy/
or (watch the linewrap)
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Operating_Systems/Linux/Distributions/
Tiny/Floppy_Sized/
there may be specific NAT/Firewall systems more tuned to your details. It
is likely Googling for such may also provide some useful tips.
*BSD systems may offer an alternate route if Linux seems too limited. :)
HTH; YMMV...
--
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Pardon any bogus email addresses (wookie) in place for spambots.
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God Bless Texas
>
> Shot in the dark...
>
> How much RAM? A machine that dated may have only 32 MB RAM (or less). I'm
64MB - not a lot, but enough per the Debian Installation Notes.
>
> If you look at
> http://www.linuxlinks.com/Distributions/Floppy/
>
> or (watch the linewrap)
> http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Operating_Systems/Linux/Distributions/
> Tiny/Floppy_Sized/
>
> there may be specific NAT/Firewall systems more tuned to your details.
> It is likely Googling for such may also provide some useful tips.
>
> *BSD systems may offer an alternate route if Linux seems too limited.
Thanks for the pointers, I had not considered a shorty version.
I've steered clear of BSD for some reason . . . it may be time!
mark south
> I am trying to net-install Debian Sarge on an old P1 133MHz box with
> Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS - there is no CD booting allowed, no USB ports.
You could try using a Smart Boot Manager floppy to boot the first install
CD: http://btmgr.sourceforge.net IIRR.
Douglas Mayne
I'll second this advice. This may be enough of a jump start to get your
install started, that is, if the only problem is that the CD is not
bootable by the BIOS, the SmartBootManager will allow booting starting
from a floppy. I posted a SBM bootable image, as explained here:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.setup/msg/e56c561db0f77fa9
--
Douglas Mayne
God Bless Texas
> On Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:45:46 +0100, mark south wrote:
>>
>> You could try using a Smart Boot Manager floppy to boot the first install
>> CD: http://btmgr.sourceforge.net IIRR.
>>
> I'll second this advice.
This looks great - I'll try tonight or tomorrow. Thanks.
God Bless Texas
>
> This looks great - I'll try tonight or tomorrow. Thanks.
Grrr. This is where the Linux experience sometimes leaves me gasping.
I'm not a C coder.
What do you suppose is the proper response when the installation returns
(blank lines inserted):
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager'
nasm -DSHOW_DRV_NAME -DSLOW_ATAPI_DEVICE -DCOMPRESS_SBM -DY2K_BUGFIX
-DSTRICT_PART_CHECK -fbin -o edd30.bin edd30.asm
edd30.asm:1140: error: symbol `..@205.ifnot3' undefined
edd30.asm:1181: error: symbol `..@266.ifnot2' undefined
edd30.asm:1381: error: symbol `..@439.ifnot2' undefined
edd30.asm:1609: error: symbol `..@679.ifnot2' undefined
edd30.asm:1896: error: phase error detected at end of assembly.
make[1]: *** [edd30.bin] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager'
make: *** [install] Error 2
Is this some configuration problem in nasm that I introduced somehow when
I installed it, or is the code old/bugged?
God Bless Texas
>
> I'm not a C coder.
Only I used to be, but they don't make those machines anymore. :-/
CBFalconer
>
... snip ...
>
> What do you suppose is the proper response when the installation
> returns (blank lines inserted):
>
> make[1]: Entering directory `/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager'
>
> nasm -DSHOW_DRV_NAME -DSLOW_ATAPI_DEVICE -DCOMPRESS_SBM -DY2K_BUGFIX
> -DSTRICT_PART_CHECK -fbin -o edd30.bin edd30.asm
>
> edd30.asm:1140: error: symbol `..@205.ifnot3' undefined
I think it is fairly obvious. The assembler is nasm, called with
the options shown, and it found undefined items in the sourcefile
edd30.asm. The first such occured at line 1140, and the symbol was
@205.ifnot3. I suspect you will find the files involved in
/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager.
Don't panic. Read. info nasm or info make may be of help.
--
<http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt>
"A man who is right every time is not likely to do very much."
-- Francis Crick, co-discover of DNA
"There is nothing more amazing than stupidity in action."
-- Thomas Matthews
Douglas Mayne
> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:46:52 -0600, God Bless Texas wrote:
>>
>> This looks great - I'll try tonight or tomorrow. Thanks.
>
> Grrr. This is where the Linux experience sometimes leaves me gasping.
>
> I'm not a C coder.
>
> What do you suppose is the proper response when the installation returns
> (blank lines inserted):
>
> make[1]: Entering directory `/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager'
>
> nasm -DSHOW_DRV_NAME -DSLOW_ATAPI_DEVICE -DCOMPRESS_SBM -DY2K_BUGFIX
> -DSTRICT_PART_CHECK -fbin -o edd30.bin edd30.asm
>
> edd30.asm:1140: error: symbol `..@205.ifnot3' undefined
>
<snip>
> make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager'
>
> make: *** [install] Error 2
>
> Is this some configuration problem in nasm that I introduced somehow when
> I installed it, or is the code old/bugged?
>
I think there is more likely a problem with the build environment, than
with SBM's source code. I think when I saw that building SBM required its
own assembler for its build environment, I decided that using a
precompiled binary was fine for my purpose. IIRC, other people have had
trouble assembling SBM, too. If you "skip" the assembler, then you can get
back to testing if SBM will actually solve your problem. If you want to do
it for yourself, then I used this Wiki as a guide:
http://gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_Chainloading_a_bootable_CD-ROM_from_GRUB
I made a bootable floppy image (binary), which I referenced in my previous
post:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.setup/msg/e56c561db0f77fa9
The solution SBM provides is fairly esoteric because modern BIOSs
don't require the trick. But if you proceed building SBM from scratch
and are able to get it working, then please post the details for posterity.
--
Douglas Mayne
God Bless Texas
> I think it is fairly obvious. The assembler is nasm, called with
> the options shown, and it found undefined items in the sourcefile
> edd30.asm. The first such occured at line 1140, and the symbol was
> @205.ifnot3. I suspect you will find the files involved in
> /home/USERID/Downloads/btmgr-3.7-1/manager.
Sorry, Linux noob but not computer noob - the lines indicated contained
the "end" statement for a blockif. No symbol such as those listed was
anywhere near the lines in the assembler source.
> Don't panic. Read. info nasm or info make may be of help.
Yes but . . . all I want to do is run the durned program, not learn a new
assembler so that I can debug it.
Thanks anyway.
Dave Gibson
> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:46:52 -0600, God Bless Texas wrote:
>>
[ compiling btmgr ]
> What do you suppose is the proper response when the installation returns
[...]
> nasm -DSHOW_DRV_NAME -DSLOW_ATAPI_DEVICE -DCOMPRESS_SBM -DY2K_BUGFIX
> -DSTRICT_PART_CHECK -fbin -o edd30.bin edd30.asm
> edd30.asm:1140: error: symbol `..@205.ifnot3' undefined
> edd30.asm:1181: error: symbol `..@266.ifnot2' undefined
> edd30.asm:1381: error: symbol `..@439.ifnot2' undefined
> edd30.asm:1609: error: symbol `..@679.ifnot2' undefined
> edd30.asm:1896: error: phase error detected at end of assembly.
[...]
> Is this some configuration problem in nasm that I introduced somehow when
> I installed it, or is the code old/bugged?
Old macros (in manager/helptool.h). Brute force and ignorance appear to
work:
mv manager/edd30.asm manager/edd30.asm.dud &&
nasm -DSHOW_DRV_NAME -DSLOW_ATAPI_DEVICE -DCOMPRESS_SBM \
-DY2K_BUGFIX -DSTRICT_PART_CHECK \
-Imanager/ -e manager/edd30.asm.dud |
sed -e 's/\.\.@205\.ifnot3/..@205.ifnot/' \
-e 's/\.\.@266\.ifnot2/..@266.ifnot/' \
-e 's/\.\.@439\.ifnot2/..@439.ifnot/' \
-e 's/\.\.@679\.ifnot2/..@679.ifnot/' > manager/edd30.asm &&
make
[ Followup-To: set to comp.os.linux.setup ]
God Bless Texas
>
> I made a bootable floppy image (binary), which I referenced in my
> previous post:
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.setup/msg/e56c561db0f77fa9
Thanks Douglas - I went to the source instead of your link.
Once I got your file onto the floppy, it booted fine, but there was a
*long* delay between the menu selection from Grub (I guess) and the actual
SBM menu.
I got PO'd and rebooted a few times, grumbled and searched around the
Internet, then finally went to bed. A couple of days later I flipped back
over to that machine and *hey presto* there was the SBM menu.
> The solution SBM provides is fairly esoteric because modern BIOSs don't
> require the trick. But if you proceed building SBM from scratch and are
> able to get it working, then please post the details for posterity.
Nope, the binary worked great. Now if I could just get something to
recognize the NIC . . .
Thanks again.