From: Ron Flory (HOMEPAGE, rjflory@feist.com, rjflory@ifrsys.com)
To:     Those curious about m68k Linux on Amiga/Atari
Subj:  m68k (Amiga / Watchtower) install FAQ
Date:  07 Oct 1997







Recent Changes (in no particular order):






Contents:
 
    

  1. Other m68k Linux References

  2. The System

  3. Finding The Files

  4. Getting The Files

  5. Disk Prep

  6. Setup The Filesystem

  7. Prepare For Installation

  8. A Kernel Dry Run

  9. Unpack The Filesystem

  10. Customize 'fstab'

  11. Your First Disk-Based Linux Boot

  12. Changing The 'root' Password

  13. Adding New Users

  14. Setting Up The (local) Network

  15. Final Checkout

  16. How To NFS Mount Another Machine

  17. Fixing The Amiga Built-In Serial Port Softlink

  18. Setting Up The Sources

  19. Compiling Your Own Kernel

  20. Setting Up A Serial PPP Connection

  21. Using An AmigaDos Icon To Start Linux

  22. Helpful, But Dangerous Scripts

  23. Closing








 This FAQ is designed to help others who are trying to get into
Linux on the Amiga, but Atari folks may also benefit from some 
of this information as well.  AFAIK the original m68k (??) 
install FAQ is over 2 years old and has become a bit dated; even
so you should still get a copy of it for use as a second opinion.

 Read this FAQ completely before touching your machine.  If
you take the time to read ahead before you jump in, you will
encounter fewer surprises later on (we don't like surprises, do we...).

 I've been a systems developer on several platforms for over 15
years and find the Amiga to be among the best.  However, with 
the fall of Commodore etc., Linux seems to be a good second 
choice for an operating system, particularly if you just happen
to have a spare Amiga and/or some extra disk space available.

 This install process is not a trivial undertaking so I assume
(hope !) you have at least a little knowledge of computers; 
Amiga, AmigaDos, and Linux in particular.  A bit of hardware 
experience is also a big plus...  However, even if you are a 
first-timer, this FAQ will go a long way towards getting you 
online with m68k Linux.

 I also assume you will be installing Linux onto a functional
AmigaDos system.  In the past I described how to install Linux
m68k onto its own separate disk, but most people seem to be
trying to share a single disk for both AmigaDos and Linux.  
Although this is easy to do, its a little riskier than putting
Linux on its own disk.  I recently freed-up a 1.2Mb SCSI-disk 
from one of my other systems so I'll base this install-FAQ on 
a single SCSI-disk setup.

 Be sure to check for updates to this FAQ from time to time
at m68k Watchtower Linux Install FAQ.



                           Disclaimer


 Installing an operating system onto a computer is a process
that can damage any existing operating system and/or data even
if you follow all instructions, and take every possible
safeguard.  Before you try this (or any) OS install, you should
backup all programs and data that you feel is worth keeping.

 Some of the methods and opinions presented here may appear less
than optimal to a seasoned kernel hacker, but some advanced
issues are too confusing to a person just starting out.  I am
NOT a Linux guru, but I know enough to get most things online
(eventually).  If I have broken some secret Linux taboo, please
let me know- not to publicly crucify me, but so that I may learn
a better way, and pass it on.... (we are all learning as we go).

 I have wiped-clean and re-installed Linux from scratch on my
machine MANY times to help ensure I encounter the same kind of
problems a first-timer would.  If you find something here that
does not work, or could be done a better way, PLEASE let me
know, along with the reason(s) why, if possible.

 This FAQ has turned up in several surprising places.  You may
upload or do most anything with this document so long as you do 
not alter its content and your intentions are good (for the 
Amiga/Linux community that is...).  If this thing helps you get
online, please let me know.

 Thanx to Chris Lawrence for posting this evolving project to
the Linux m68k homepage, and to all the m68k core developers
who have done all the really hard work.

 Ron Flory, C++ Avionics Developer
 Kechi, Ks (yes, Kansas [Tornadoes, Toto, Wheat, Fundamentalists, etc.]) USA







Other m68k Linux References



 The official, up-to-date m68k Linux FAQ can be found at:

   http://www.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/

   http://www.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/faq/faq.html


 The old (but helpful) m68k Linux install-FAQ can be found at:

   http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~amigo/InstGuide


 Atari oriented install FAQs can be found at:

   http://www.dadacomm.com/linux-m68k/howto.html

   http://zippy.spods.dcs.kcl.ac.uk/~tomlin/flinux.html


 The Linux Documentation Project (tons of FAQs) can be found at:

   http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/


 The Debian Linux homepage may be found at:

   http://www.debian.org/


 A Samba FAQ homepage may be found at:

   http://lake.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/samba.html


 The Monster List of Amiga Links:

   http://www.cucug.org/amimonster.html




   Newsgroups:


 The usenet (news) feed for m68k Linux is:

   comp.os.linux.m68k


 Several Amiga-specific newgroups:

   comp.sys.amiga.hardware
   comp.sys.amiga.programmer


 Several Linux-specific newgroups (mostly intel users):

   comp.os.linux.setup
   comp.os.linux.x
   comp.os.linux.networking
   comp.os.linux.questions







The System


 My main Amiga experience is with A2000 and A500 systems,
although I'm told Linux will run on the A1200, A3000 and A4000
series as well- so long as your processor has a MMU (Memory
Management Unit).  For a list of system requirements, please
check-out:


   http://www.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/faq/faq-3.html


 My 'spare' A2000 system has been upgraded to a 16meg GVP
G-Force 68040, with an Ariadne ethernet card.  I used to have a
CSA '030 card in the system.  I simply unplugged the 030 and 
installed the 040; Linux worked just fine with no configuration 
changes at all.

 Please note that I had trouble with the version of
68040.library that came with the GVP card, the system would die
when the Linux screen blanker kicked in.  Using the original
68040.library that came with AmigaDos 3.1 solved the problem.

 The majority of first-time people trying to install Linux on an
A1200 have trouble because the stock system does not have a math
coprocessor chip installed, which the released kernels REQUIRE.
I strongly recommend that you install the math chip (FPU)
because FPU-emulating kernels are very hard to find, and often
exhibit strange behavior.

 I find an old 150Mb disk drive is large enough to hold the
basic m68k Linux package.  If you want the sources or the X11
system, add another 150Mb (or more).  Its a bit safer to install
Linux on a different physical disk than your AmigaDos partition,
so you might want to look for a 'cheap' used drive if you
currently have only one hard disk in your system (well, thats
my opinion...).







Finding The Files


 There are several sources for the files needed to install m68k
Linux:

   CDROMS:

      - AmiNet
      - Debian
      - Walnut-Creek


   FTP Sites:

      - uni-erlangen.de mirrors (m68k/Linux)
      - AmiNet mirrors          (support files)


 Having a CD in hand is nice, but if you can't wait, or can't 
get your hands on the CDs, try the FTP route.  If you use FTP,
there are worldwide mirrors for most sources, so you should be 
able to find a nearby site that provides "reasonable"
throughput.  For further info, browse the links included in the
"Other m68k Linux References" section.


 For a list of m68k-Linux mirrors, refer to:

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/README.MIRRORS
   ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/680x0/README.MIRRORS


 For a list of AmiNet mirrors, refer to:

   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/README


 Another thing to keep in mind is that AmiNet has built-in
search tools, both on the cdrom and on its web page.  An AmiNet
search tool may be found at:

     (usa)  http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/aminetbin/find
   (German) http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminetbin/find







Getting The Files


 This section assumes you are downloading the files from remote
FTP sites.  If you are lucky enough to have these files on cdrom
you may refer to this section for relevant directories and
filenames.

 If you are new to web browsers, there is a subtle distinction
between 'browsing' and 'downloading' a file.

   'browsing', or simply clicking on a URL (filename) means to
   copy the file to your machine, then display the contents to
   a text window on your computer screen.  Do this ONLY WITH
   TEXT  FILES, otherwise you will end up with a screen full of
   garbage...

   'downloading', or shift-click means to copy the URL file to a
   directory on your local computer.  We will be doing this with
   most of the files described in this FAQ.

      ---------------------------------------------------


 At this point, we are still running under vanilla AmigaDos.

 On the machine on which you are going to install m68k Linux
create a directory called 'linux'.  Mine is DH1:linux.  I don't
use DH0: because I want AmigaDos safely isolated from Linux 
(also, I use AmiFileSafe on DH0:, which Linux cannot read).

 Anyway, place all the files we are going to download in this 
DH1:linux/ directory (use your own drive ID here, not mine...).

 Most of the m68k/Linux files can be downloaded from mirrors
of the 'uni-erlangen.de' site.  My favorite links to these
sites are:

   ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/680x0/
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/


      ---------------------------------------------------


 I am told that you need to copy ixemul.library to your AmigaDos
libs: directory.  If you use a shell-based FTP, MAKE SURE you
are using FTP in BINARY mode.

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/tools/amiga/

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/tools/amiga/ixemul.library


      ---------------------------------------------------


 Next, you should download all the files in the 'Watchtower'
directory.  This will take quite a while so make sure you have a
fast/clean modem connection and several hours to kill (I'm not
kidding !!  The largest of these files is 13 Mb).

 These files are very old, so even an older m68k cdrom
distribution should have the same files as those found on the
FTP site.

   Note: I like to use the 'tsx.mit.edu' site, but the master
         site for these mirrors changed some of the directory
         names.  If the Watchtower files are not available here
         check the master site:

   ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/680x0/watchtower/
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/CONTENTS
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-root.CONTENTS.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-root.tar.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-usr.CONTENTS.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-usr.tar.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-usrdoc.CONTENTS.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-usrdoc.tar.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-var.CONTENTS.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2-var.tar.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2.INSTALL
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2.NEWS
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2.PACKAGES
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/watchtower/watchtower-2.README


      ---------------------------------------------------


 Here is where you need to decide which version of Linux you
want to install.  Even numbers like 2.0.x indicate a stable
version whereas odd values such as 2.1.x are experimental.
Stick with the stable versions unless you are a kernel hacker.
Generally you will want to use the most recent version, unless
you've seen traffic on the newsgroups that indicate a problem
with a particular version that might affect your system.

 Now go back to the 'v2.0' directory.  I've had very good luck
with version 2.0.29 (and I've heard of problems with 2.0.28),
so we'll download the files for 2.0.29:

 Download ALL 'announce' files and a 'vmlinux' image from the 
'v2.0' directory:

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/vmlinux-2.0.29-Amiga.tar.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/vmlinux-2.0.29-Atari.tar.gz

 You should download only the file that applies to your machine...


 If you want to install the sources so that you can recompile
the kernel (to use PPP), or your own C/C++ files you'll a copy
of the sources for your machine.  

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/linux-2.0.29.tar.gz


      ---------------------------------------------------


 Next we go to the 'boot' directory.  At this point you don't
need the LILO files, but keep them in mind because you might
want to get fancy and boot directly into Linux someday.

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/boot/

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/boot/amiboot-5.6.readme
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/boot/amiboot-5.6.gz


 Next we go to the 'filesys' directory.  You will need these
files:

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/filesys/

   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/filesys/filesys-ELF-2.0.x-1400K-2.README
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/filesys/filesys-ELF-2.0.x-1400K-2.gz
   ftp://tsx.mit.edu/pub/linux/680x0/v2.0/filesys/filesys-ELF-2.0.x-1400K-2.list.gz

 The 1400k filesystem is recommended for future compatibility,
but it is missing the very convenient (tab) command-completion
and the command history buffer features present in the other
filesystem (I really miss this...).


   ---------------------------------------------------


 There are several other files you will need.  They are 'lha'
and 'untgz' for the Amiga.  'lha' is a file compress/extract
program comparable to pkzip, 'untgz' and 'gzip' are similar
programs designed to handle files from the Unix/Linux world.

 Recent versions of the 'LhA' programs are present on the AmiNet
#13 CDROMs.  I'm not sure which cdrom 'untgz' is on, but you can
always FTP it.  If you already have these files then you may
skip ahead to next section (after copying them to your :linux
install directory).

 If you need to download them, these files can be found on any
(full) AmiNet mirror site.  I use the nearby 'wustl' site:

   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/util/arc/

   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/util/arc/LhA_e138.run
   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/util/arc/untgz.lha
   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/util/arc/tgz10se.lha

 There are more recent versions the LhA program, some having a
GUI front-end, but my experience is with version 1.38.  You are
free to download the other variants, but I know this process
WILL work with LhA version 1.38.


   ---------------------------------------------------


 There is one script missing from the Watchtower filesystem.  It
is 'adduser'.  This file may be found on AmiNet.  If you don't
have a cdrom containing this file, try one of the AmiNet
mirrors:

   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/misc/unix/

   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/misc/unix/LinuxAddUser.lha
   http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/misc/unix/LinuxAddUser.readme





                  *****************
                  *               *
                  *   A 1 2 0 0   *
                  *               *
                  *****************

 Folks running an Amiga WITHOUT a math coprocessor chip must
run a kernel with math emulation built-in.  There are several
Amiga/Atari mathemu kernels at:

   ftp://ftp.nocrew.pp.se/pub/linux/

 Although I have verified the presence of this site, I have no
means of testing the files found here.  The most recent stable
version seems to be 2.0.22, which is far too old.  2.1.29 is not
a stable release, so beware....

 If there are additional sites containing current mathemu
kernels, I would be very interested in hearing about them.

   I strongly recommend that you install the math chip (FPU)
because FPU-emulating kernels are very hard to find, hard to get
running, and often exhibit strange behavior.







Disk Prep


 This is the stage of installation where you need to be very,
very careful.  Take the time to double-check every keystroke
and mouse-click, otherwise you may format your AmigaDos
partition.  If this happens you'll have to re-install AmigaDos
(from scratch) before you can get back to where you started
from.

   ***********************************************************
   *                                                         *
   *  Make sure you have a set of bootable floppy disks with *
   * all the tools (programs) you need to repair any damage  *
   * you do here.  This includes disk/tape setup and restore *
   * programs.  Have you done a FULL backup ???  (today?)    *
   *                                                         *
   ***********************************************************
   *                                                         *
   *  The contents of any deleted or resized partition WILL  *
   * BE LOST.  Make sure you have recent backups, or have    *
   * ALL files (including attributes) from such partitions   *
   * copied to tape or a nearby machine.  'lha' is the best  *
   * way I know to archive all the files and attributes into *
   * a single, easy to backup/restore file:                  *
   *                                                         *
   * Compress: lha a -a -e -r -x dh0.lha dh0:#?              *
   * Extract:  lha x -a -e -r -x dh0.lha                     *
   *                                                         *
   *  This single file (dh0.lha) may be copied to tape, or a *
   * computer for restore after partitioning.                *
   *                                                         *
   ***********************************************************
   *                                                         *
   *  If you run out of RAM: space during the file compress  *
   * step, issue the shell command                           *
   *                                                         *
   *     ASSIGN RAM: DH0:T                                   *
   *                                                         *
   * which will use disk as temp buffer instead of RAM:.     *
   * This should work OK, but may be somewhat slow.          *
   *                                                         *
   ***********************************************************

 Many *nix folks use several partitions- one for each major
directory.  This is the best way for an experienced user to
setup their system, but right now I'm just going to use a single
Linux directory structure, which is -much- easier for beginners
to deal with.

 The downside of using a single partition is potential file
security and OS update issues, whereas the downside of using
separate partitions for each key directory is if you choose too
small a size for one of them, resizing can be a bitch.

 In the past I had separate hard disks for AmigaDos and Linux,
but now they both live on the same (bigger, faster) drive.  When
I run AmigaDos I use the AmiFileSafe filesystem because it is
SO much faster than AmigaDos FFS.  Regardless of which
filesystem you choose for your primary AmigaDos partition, you
will need at least one vanilla AmigaDos AFFS partition for
setup of, and interchange with Linux.

 Generally, while running Linux you will need at least two (2)
partitions:

   Name                    Purpose
  ------         ------------------------------------

   swap           (Linux virtual-memory swap space)
   /              (root filesystem)

 First decide how much swap-space you want.  A reasonable value
is about twice the amount of ram present in your machine.

 If you have the option, you might want to place 'swap' on a
different physical disk than your 'linux' partitions.  This will
minimize head thrashing and increase system performance when
swapping is used (beginners can ignore this).

CAUTION: I have heard that creating a swap partition on the
         Atari, though possible requires special knowledge.  If
         you are using an Atari and don't know how to change the
         partition ID's, do not create a swap partition.  Linux
         will create a runtime swapfile for you on the existing
         filesystem if it needs one.


   ---------------------------------------------------------

            -- Describing Your Disk to AmigaDos --

 Although there are a variety of partition utilities for the
Amiga, I recommend 'HdToolBox' which is found in the 'Tools'
drawer of your boot AmigaDos (2.04 or later ?) drive.  It is a
good idea to have a boot-floppy containing this program, as 
well as 'format'.

    All of this first section should only be necessary if you
   are adding a new disk to your system.

   -  Start HdToolBox.

   -  Select the disk unit that will become your Linux drive.

    If the selected disk does not properly reflect the drive
   actually present, you need to update the list by performing
   the following:

   -  Click on 'change drive type'.
   -  Ensure the box at the top properly describes the type
      of interface you have (i.e. SCSI).
   -  Click on 'define new'.
   -  Click on 'read configuration'.
   -  Read the requester box.  Nod your head and click on
      'Continue'.

      All the numeric boxes should update, indicating the
      geometry of your disk.

         Note: Some SCSI drives report an odd geometry such
               that HdToolBox thinks the drive has NEGATIVE (!)
               capacity.  In this case you will need to
               manually derive a sector and cylinder count
               who's product is less than or equal to the
               actual number of blocks on the disk.

   -  Keep in mind that some controllers/devices don't work if
      reselection is used.  You may need to come back here
      and toggle the 'reselection' box someday.

   -  Click on 'OK'
   -  Click on 'OK'

   -  If this drive has never been installed on this computer
      before, Click on 'Continue'.  This will eventually result
      in the redefinition of all data areas on this disk.

         Note: Make sure you heed any warnings.  Saving these
               new values will wipe out all filesystems on this
               drive.

        -------------------------------------------------

                      -- Creating Partitions --

 If this is the same physical disk as your AmigaDos system make
sure you have done a backup.  It is very likely that any resize
or deletion of partitions WILL destroy your current AmigaDos
disk system.

   Note: These same steps may be used to create a new AmigaDos
         partition if necessary.

   Note: Unlike other versions of Linux, you do not have to
         concern yourself with the length of each partition
         because Linux can determine these values automatically
         by looking at the partition headers on the disk.


 Now, you need to create the disk partitions for Linux:

 You should now be at the main HdToolBox screen.

   -  Select the disk unit that will become your Linux drive.
   -  Click on 'partition drive'
   -  Click on 'Advanced Options'  (to enable them).

   -  Delete any previous partitions (that you do not want).

      *   Make sure you are altering the proper disk.  If you
         are installing Linux on a single disk system, you will
         have to resize the existing partitions to make room
         for Linux.  This is a destructive operation which will
         require you to re-install AmigaDos from scratch.  If
         you do this make sure you have boot floppies with all
         disk/tape/network setup and restore programs you will
         ever need.  Double-check.

      *   If you need to resize the AmigaDos partition, you must
         first click on that partition represented by a large
         split horizontal bar, then click on 'Delete Partition'.

      *  When you have a large enough area of your disk freed up
         to create the 'swap' and 'linux' partitions, you may
         create new partitions by clicking on the 'New
         Partition' gadget, then clicking in an empty area of
         the large bar representing the disk surface.

   -  Create a new partition and call it 'swap'.  Use the length
      discussed earlier (twice your ram size).
   -  Make sure the 'bootable' box is NOT enabled.
   -  Click on 'change'.  Disable the 'automount' gadget.
   -  Click on 'OK'.

   -  Create another partition and call it 'linux'.  This
      partition should be as large as possible.
   -  Make sure the 'bootable' box is NOT enabled.
   -  Click on 'change'.  Disable the 'automount' gadget.
   -  Click on 'OK'.

   -  Once you are finished creating partitions, click on 'OK'.


 You should now be at the main HdToolBox screen again.

   -  Click on 'Save Changes To Drive'.  It doesn't hurt to
      double-check everything before you commit these changes
      to disk.  No damage will occur until you 'Save'.  Take a
      minute and double-check now.

   -  Click on 'exit'

   -  You should restart your system now.

 After your system restarts, you will need to reformat any new
or resized AmigaDos partitions.  You DO NOT need to format Linux
partitions at this time.

 If you have wiped your primary AmigaDos partition you will need
to re-install AmigaDos, or restore a disk/tape image of your
previous system.  Personally I find the restore option to be the
best :) because all your custom configurations will be
preserved.  A tape backup helps out a bunch here, as I have
learned- the hard way...







Prepare For Installation


 If you are like me, all these files have been downloaded onto
a machine other than the Amiga where m68k Linux will be
installed.  If so, you'll need to copy all the Linux files to
your Amiga.  Hopefully you have an ethernet card and AmiTcp
or Miami, otherwise a serial connection and Twin-Express may
help out (although slowly..).

 On the AmigaDos machine on which you are going to install m68k
Linux:

   -  Open a shell.

   -  If you have not done so already, create a directory on an
      AFFS partition called 'linux' (mine is DH1:).

   -  Go to your new 'linux' directory.  (i.e.  cd dh1:linux)

   -  If you have not done so already, Copy all the files you
      have downloaded so far into this AFFS :linux partition.

   -   Extract the 'lha' utility:

         =============================================
            LhA_e138.run
         =============================================

       Answer 'Y' to the extraction prompt, then 'N' to the two
      other prompts.  When finished, you may want to copy the
      resulting 'LhA' program to a directory on your command
      search path.


   -   Extract the 'untgz' program:

         =============================================
            lha e untgz.lha
         =============================================

       When finished, you might want to copy the resulting
      'untgz' program to a directory on your command search
      path.


   -  Extract the Gzip program:

         =============================================
            lha e tgz10se.lha
            copy tgz/gzip ""
         =============================================

       When finished, you might want to copy the resulting
      'gzip' program to a directory on your command search
      path.


   -  Extract the 'vmlinux' image:

         =============================================
            untgz vmlinux-2.0.29-Amiga.tar.gz
         =============================================

       This will make your disk buzz while extracting 3 files.


   -  Extract the 'amiboot' program:

         =============================================
            gzip -d amiboot-5.6.gz
            protect amiboot-5.6 +e
         =============================================

       If you want to, simply copy amiboot-5.6 to 'amiboot'
      (without the quotes), its shorter and easier to type.


   -  Extract the 'adduser' script:

         =============================================
            lha e LinuxAddUser.lha
            gzip -d adduser.gz
         =============================================

       The 'adduser' script we got from AmiNet is ALMOST what
      we need to add new users to the system, but we have to
      make a minor change first.  Using any Amiga text editor
      change the first line of 'adduser' to work with the
      Linux 'bash' shell:

         from: #! /bin/sh
         to:   #! /bin/bash







A Kernel Dry Run


 --OK--, now its time to see if m68k Linux will run on your
machine.  One way is to type all the commands and parameters
manually, or place them in a disk file called 'bootargs'.  I've
chosen to create the following script file (that can be invoked
with a icon) named 'install'.

 'Install' contains:

   ===============================================
      cd dh1:linux

      amiboot -k vmlinux -r dh1:linux/filesys-ELF-2.0.x-1400k-2.gz root=/dev/ram video=ntsc
   ===============================================

   *   All of the options following the 'amiboot' program are
      contained on the same, single command line.

   *   The 'video' option is not always needed, but is
      included here as a safety net.  Europeans may or may not
      need to specify 'pal'.  When in doubt, read the amiboot
      readme file.

   *   The amiboot program is able to uncompress the 'filesys'
      archive at runtime, making the boot process MUCH faster.

   *   I assume you have booted AmigaDos in the normal way
      using system-startup and user-startup, if you are running
      an 040/060 and bypass these you will probably want to
      insert a call to the 'setpatch' program at the beginning
      of this 'install' file.

       NOTE: I have not needed or verified this, but have been
             told it is sometimes necessary with the 040/060.

   *   If you decide to use a scriptfile, set the "SCRIPT" flag
      of the 'install' script using the PROTECT command,
      otherwise you will have to enter 'execute install'.


 Now is time for the big test.  Before you do this make sure you
have shut down any TCP/IP protocol stacks (AmiTcp, MIAMI, etc)
FIRST or the Linux loader will lock-up.  Now simply type
'install' (without the quotes of course).


   ===============================================
      install
   ===============================================

 If all has gone well, there will be a lot of disk activity
without error messages, then the screen will go white for 5..10
seconds.  Hold your breath and hope...

 The screen should then go black and emit a page or two of
startup information.  This information is designed to help you
determine what hardware has been detected, and whether or not
it is operating correctly.

 Here is a sample output from my '040 based A2000:


Amiga hardware found: [A2000] A2000_CLK VIDEO BLITTER AUDIO FLOPPY KEYBOARD MOUSE SERIAL PARALLEL CHIP_RAM PAULA AGNUS_HR_NTSC ZORRO
Probing AutoConfig expansion device(s):
  0x00e90000: Great Valley Products GFORCE 040 with SCSI controller (Z2, 64K)
  0x00e90000: Great Valley Products GFORCE 040 Turbo Board (Z2, 0M)
  0x00ea0000: Village Tronic Ariadne Ethernet Card (Z2, 64K)
Console: colour Amiga OCS 80x25, 1 virtual console (max 63)
Calibrating delay loop.. ok - 21.86 BogoMIPS
Memory: 14364k/16384k available (828k kernel code, 648k data)
Swansea University Computer Society NET3.035 for Linux 2.0
NET3: Unix domain sockets 0.13 for Linux NET3.035.
Swansea University Computer Society TCP/IP for NET3.034
IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP
Linux version 2.0.29 (jes@pcitpdp01) (gcc version 2.7.2.2) #1 Thu Feb 27 16:55:38 CET 1997
M68K Serial driver version 1.01
ttyS0 at 0x80dff018: Amiga builtin
lp_init: lp using interrupt driver
lp0: Builtin parallel port at 0x80bfe101
Amiga mouse installed.
DMA sound driver installed, using 4 buffers of 32k.
Ramdisk driver initialized : 16 ramdisks of 4096K size
loop: registered device at major 7
FD: probing units
found (5)fd: drive 0 didn't identify, setting default ffffffff
fd0 fd1 fd2
wd33c93-0: chip=WD33c93A/9 no_sync=0xff no_dma=0 debug_flags=0x00
           setup_strings=,,,,,,,,,,,,
           Version 1.24 - 29/Jan/1997, Compiled Feb 27 1997 at 17:08:22
scsi0 : GVP Series II SCSI
scsi : 1 host.
 sending SDTR 010301Started kswapd v 1.4.2.2
0000sync_xfer=00  Vendor: QUANTUM   Model: LIGHTNING 730S    Rev: 241E
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Detected scsi disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
 sending SDTR -REJ-  Vendor: WANGTEK   Model: KS23465           Rev: CX15
  Type:   Sequential-Access                  ANSI SCSI revision: 01 CCS
Detected scsi tape st0 at scsi0, channel 0, id 4, lun 0
 sending SDTR -REJ-  Vendor: TOSHIBA   Model: CD-ROM XM-3301TA  Rev: 2411
  Type:   CD-ROM                             ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Detected scsi CD-ROM sr0 at scsi0, channel 0, id 6, lun 0
scsi : detected 1 SCSI tape 1 SCSI cdrom 1 SCSI disk total.
SCSI device sda: hdwr sector= 512 bytes. Sectors= 1431760 [699 MB] [0.7 GB]
PPP: version 2.2.0 (dynamic channel allocation)
TCP compression code copyright 1989 Regents of the University of California
PPP Dynamic channel allocation code copyright 1995 Caldera, Inc.
PPP line discipline registered.
SLIP: version 0.8.4-NET3.019-NEWTTY (dynamic channels, max=256).
CSLIP: code copyright 1989 Regents of the University of California.
eth0: Ariadne at 0x00ea0000, Ethernet Address 00:60:30:00:0e:db
Partition check:
 sda: RDSK sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 sda5
RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0
VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem).


 If you are lucky and get this far, simply login as 'root'
(no password).

 If you are unlucky and don't get this far, you will need to
post a plea for help to the m68k newsgroup.  Try to provide as
much info from your linux startup dump as possible.







Setup The Filesystem


 If all went well you are currently running under a Linux m68k
RAM filesystem.

 I'm assuming you have a SCSI based machine.  Under Linux the
first SCSI disk is called /dev/sdax, where 'x' refers to the
partition number, starting with 1.

    For example, the first partition of the first SCSI drive is
   /dev/sda1 and the second partition of that drive is called
   /dev/sda2, etc.

    Also, the first partition of the second SCSI drive is
   /dev/sdb1 and the second partition of that drive is called
   /dev/sdb2, etc.

    IDE drives are identified in a similar manner, with
   /dev/hda1 being the first partition of the first drive.


 Before you start 'formatting' partitions, its a good idea to
make sure the disk is laid out the way you think it is, so
lets see if your AFFS (AmigaDos) :linux is where it should be.

 Don't skip this step; I have seen cases where a tiny phantom
partition has been created by HdToolBox, causing all following
partition numbers to be offset by 1.  The worst-case result of
this situation is that you may reformat a partition other than
the one you intended.

   ==================================
      mkdir /dh1
      mount -t affs /dev/sda2 /dh1
   ==================================

 Remember to use the /dev/ entry that describes where the :linux
partition is located on YOUR system, /dev/sda2 is what I use
on my machine.

 If this worked without displaying any error messages then 
continue to the next step, otherwise try mounting the next 
sequential partition as an 'affs' filesystem.

 Verify this is actually the intended AmigaDos disk by doing a 
directory of /dh1:

   =========================================================
      ls /dh1
   =========================================================


 To initialize the new disk partition(s):

   To create the 'swap' partition (in my case):

      ================================================
         mkswap /dev/sda3
         swapon /dev/sda3
      ================================================

    the length of this 'swap' partition will be determined by
   the information written in the partition tables.


   To create the 'linux' partition (in my case):

      ================================================
         mke2fs /dev/sda4
      ================================================

    This will build an 'e2fs' directory structure on the
   specified partition, which will become your Linux 'root'.
   This may take a minute or two.

    The length of this 'linux' partition will be determined by
   the information written in the partition tables you created
   earlier with HdToolBox (Amiga).


 Most other Linux distributions perform a 'sync' and system
restart at this point, but I'm told its unnecessary with
this one.

   However, If you wish to restart the system, enter:

   ===============================================
      shutdown -r now ; exit
   ===============================================

    When it asks 'Why', simply press enter, then wait for the
   system to restart.   Your system should reboot back to
   AmigaDos.  Open a command shell and go to the :linux
   directory.  Execute the 'install' script (the one we created
   earlier) to reload a RAM-based m68k Linux session.

    When things stop moving, again login as 'root'.  If RAM is
   scarce on your machine, activate the swap partition using
   the 'swapon' command the same way you did above.







Unpack The Filesystem


 This is the part of the process where we extract the Linux
filesystem archives to create a new filesystem on your machine.
This will take some time.  We first need to mount our primary
Linux disk partition:

   ==================================
      mount -t ext2 /dev/sda4 /mnt
   ==================================

 '/mnt' is an alias for the location where we are going to
build the actual disk-based filesystem on your disk.

 If you are using several partitions (instead of the simplistic
single partition I'm using here) you also need to mount them
at this time.


 If you have already mounted the AmigaDos AFFS partition as
explained in 'Setup The Filesystem', go to the next step
(ls /dh1).  We need a second mountpoint to access all those
files we copied into our AmigaDos  :linux  directory, so create
a new subdirectory in your RAM-based Linux filesystem and
mount it:

   (Note: /dev/sda2 is my system, yours will be different).

   ==================================
      mkdir /dh1
      mount -t affs /dev/sda2 /dh1
   ==================================

 You can verify this is your AmigaDos disk by doing a directory
of /dh1:

   =========================================================
      ls /dh1
   =========================================================

 You should recognize the content and layout as being your
AmigaDos AFFS filesystem.


 First go to the root of our new Linux disk partition:

   =========================================================
      cd /mnt
   =========================================================


 Next we need to extract the 'root' filesystem from the
'tar' archive you placed on your AmigaDos :linux directory:
(This assumes a general layout of dh1:linux).

   ============================================================
      tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-root.tar.gz
   ============================================================

 This takes a while, but not too long...


   NOTE: Advanced Linux users might try to open several Vcons
         and extract all files at the same time- watch out.
         Everytime I've tried this I ended up with a corrupt
         filesystem.


 Next extract the 'usr' partition:

   ============================================================
      tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-usr.tar.gz
   ============================================================

 Now this DOES take a quite a while...  Take a few minutes and
look over the next section.

 After a few minutes the screen will go blank.  This is simply a
screen saver, you may wake up the screen by pressing the ALT
key.

 Depending on the filesystem you are using, you might get a
'Broken pipe' message right after 'usr/var' is extracted, This
is not a real error, ignore it (I am told...).


 Next extract the 'var' partition:

   ============================================================
      tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-var.tar.gz
   ============================================================

 This one is quick.


 If you want all the 'man' pages, you should also install the
'usrdoc' archive.  I advise you do this unless disk space is an
issue.

 ==============================================================
   tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-usrdoc.tar.gz
 ==============================================================


 Next, copy the 'adduser' script to /mnt/usr/bin:

 ==============================================================
   cp /dh1/linux/adduser /mnt/usr/bin/
 ==============================================================







Customize 'fstab'


 Before you attempt to run a disk-based Linux, you will have to
change the contents of one of the disk files.  The 'fstab' file
tells Linux where to find the filesystems and partitions you
have created for it.

 The two (major) fstab issues are:

   -  describing the 'swap' partition (if you have one).
   -  describing the 'linux' partition(s).

 Note that you must use the same /dev/sdxx or /dev/hdxx device
entries that apply to your Linux disk drives.

 The editor included as part of Linux is 'vi'.  If you don't
know how to use vi and want to do more than described here, find
a Linux manual and read up on 'vi'.

       Note: If you really hate 'vi' (which I can understand), 
             another editor called 'joe' is also available.  joe
             emulates Wordstar.  If you don't know Wordstar, stick
             with 'vi'.


         -----------------------------------------------

 I'm not a 'vi' expert, but here goes...

 'vi' is an old-style screen-based text editor that recognizes
cursor keys, several command codes and a number of special
escape-sequences.  The minimal set of commands we need to edit
'fstab' are:

   a        enter INSERT mode at end of line under cursor.
   i        enter INSERT mode at current cursor position.
   arrows   move the cursor around the user text area.
   Escape   exit INSERT mode and enter COMMAND mode.
   :q!      when in COMMAND mode, quit without saving changes.
   :wq      when in COMMAND mode, write changes and quit.
   x        when in COMMAND mode, delete character under cursor.
   dd       when in COMMAND mode, delete the line under cursor.

 'vi' is always in one of two states, COMMAND or INSERT mode. In
order to enter new text you must be in INSERT mode.  To exit or
save changes you must be in COMMAND mode.  You can return to
COMMAND mode at any time by pressing the Escape key.  If you are
already in COMMAND mode, the bell will beep (or your screen will
flash white).

 This 'vi' also has an annoying habit of flashing the screen
whenever it detects a user error.  This flash is quite slow,
and can result in several minutes of screen flashing if you type
too far ahead.  One easy way around this is to simply switch to
a different V-Console ( Alt-F2 ), wait a few seconds, then
switch back to your primary seesion ( Alt-F1 ).  The blinking
should be done by now, and you can resume with your editing.


 Edit the current 'fstab' located on your hard disk:

   ============================================================
      cd /mnt/etc
      vi fstab
   ============================================================

 Note: All lines preceded with a # are comments, which are
       ignored by Linux.

 Cursor down to the entry '/dev/sda6' that describes the
location of the Linux 'root' directory.  It is very likely that
your root directory is different than this.  Place the cursor
over the first character that needs to be changed ('a' in my
case) and press 'x' for each character that needs to be deleted.

   so  "/dev/sda6  "  becomes  "/dev/sd    "

 Now make sure the cursor is directly over the first blank
character where you need to insert new text (this might be a
TAB chars, a bit more to the right than you might expect)
and press 'i'.  You are now in INSERT mode.  Enter the correct
characters to make this entry describe the location of your
linux directory.  Press Escape to return to COMMAND mode.

 If you made an error, use these same steps to correct it.  If
you really hosed things up (as in FUBAR), press Escape and enter
:q!  (this will abort the edit session without saving, so you
can start all over again).

 A word of caution: vi has a quirk of moving the cursor back 1
space to the left when you exit INSERT mode.  Don't let this
bite you.  Also, the backspace-delete key does not seem to work.

 Use the cursor keys to make any additional changes.  When you
are done, write your changes to disk and exit by pressing Escape
followed by  :wq  .  (do not enter the extra spaces shown here).


 Now that you are a 'vi' expert, you may make some of these
additional changes:

    If you are using an Amiga, or you have properly setup an
   Atari swapfile, you need to add the following entry to
   /mnt/etc/fstab (use your own device numbers, not mine):

      /dev/sda3   swap     swap  defaults    0  0


    My 'root' filesystem entry looks like this:

      /dev/sda4   /        ext2  defaults    0  1


    Most of the other entries should be commented-out, except
   for /dev/fd0, which is your floppy disk.


    On the Amiga, its nice to have the AmigaDos (AFFS :linux)
   partition available for file interchange, so I create an
   fstab entry for it:

      /dev/sda2   /dh1     affs  defaults    0  1

   Note: Unless you have already done so, you will need to
         create a mountpoint AFTER you save/exit from vi:

      =================================
         mkdir /mnt/dh1
      =================================

          Once you have done this, and restarted the machine,
         your AmigaDos DH1: disk will be accessible as /dh1.

   Note: you do not -have- to do this now, it may be done
         later.


 Save your changes and exit vi. (remember, 'Escape' :wq ).


        -------------------------------------------------


   **************************************************
   *****                                        *****
   ***** OK, here we are at the moment of truth *****
   *****                                        *****
   **************************************************

 We have things setup to the point where we should be able to
boot a 'live' disk-based Linux system.

 Shutdown this ram-based version of Linux and reboot:

   ==========================================
      shutdown -r now ; exit
   ==========================================

 It will ask 'Why', press return.  The system should unmount the
various file systems, and eventually reboot the system into
AmigaDos (assuming you are setup to boot into AmigaDos by
default).

 In certain -rare- cases, you may have to issue a 3-key salute
(ctrl-Lamiga-Ramiga) after a few seconds to actually reboot
the machine.







Your First Disk-Based Linux Boot


 Now we need to setup for easy startup of Linux from AmigaDos.
Open a command shell, and go to your :linux directory.

 We could manually type the commands to start Linux from now
on, but I'm lazy and believe the machine should do this kind of
drudgery.  You may use a feature of the amiboot program where
startup options may be read from the file 'bootargs', but I
still have to switch back and forth between ram/disk file
systems (to test this FAQ for example) far too often to lock
myself down to one or the other mode.

 Another method is to create a script-file called 'boot' that
looks very much like the 'install' script we made earlier.

 'boot' contains:

   ==================================================
      cd dh1:linux
      amiboot -k vmlinux root=/dev/sda4 video=ntsc
   ==================================================

    If you use the scriptfile method, Set the "SCRIPT" flag of
   the 'boot' script using the PROTECT command.

   European folks may want to specify 'video=pal'.

   NOTE: Let me remind you again that the 'root' device MUST
         match the partition number where YOU installed Linux,
         and specified in YOUR /etc/fstab file.

 Now is time for the big test.  Before you do this make sure
you have shut down any TCP/IP protocol stacks (AmiTcp, MIAMI,
etc) FIRST or the Linux loader will lock-up.  Now simply type
'boot' (without the quotes of course).


   ===============================================
      boot
   ===============================================

 If all has gone well, there will be a lot of disk activity
without error messages, then the screen will go white for a
while.  A little later the screen will go black and start
producing a page or so of familiar startup messages regarding
the hardware and filesystems it has found.  Finally a Linux
signon screen should appear.

 If things did not go well then there are several possibilities:

   1. Your 'amiboot' parameters were incorrect:

          Ensure your 'root=' param specifies the correct
         partition of your Linux '/' filesystem.  This should be
         the same value you placed in the '/mnt/etc/fstab' file
         in the previous section.


   2. You have hardware that is not recognized.

          If you cannot do a normal 'shutdown', perform a
         control-Lamiga-Ramiga restart, reboot and start a ram-
         based linux session, watching very closely for error
         messages during the boot process.  Hopefully this will
         give you a hint.


   3. You made an error in your /mnt/etc/fstab file:

          This one normally results in an error message
         regarding the root filesystem.  Reboot into a ram-based
         Linux and fix /mnt/etc/fstab using 'vi'.  Double check
         all your entries again.


   4. You did not properly gzip/tar the root/usr/var/ file-
      systems.

          This should not happen if you did not receive any
         error messages during the gzip/tar process (and you
         extracted the files to the proper location).  Boot up
         under a ram-based linux session, mount /mnt, do a
         cd /mnt and see if all the familiar directories are
         present.


   5. Something else (god, I hate this one....).

          For this one you will most likely have to send cries
         for help across the usenet.  If you do this make sure
         you can fully describe your system, the files you've
         installed and when (and where) the process goes sour.


 If you need to change fstab or any other aspect of the Linux
files simply perform another RAM-base startup (using the
'install' script, if you went that route).

               -----------------------------

 Ok, if you got to the signon prompt simply login as 'root'.
If you missed it in the readme's, the password is 'linux'.

 Most people miss this, so here it is again...


   Note: your root password is 'linux'


 Its a good idea to look into all the startup logging messages
generated by the kernel.  Most of them went by so fast that we
could not read them.  There is a copy of this information stored
in the proc-filesystem.  To view this information (and you
should learn how), enter:

   ========================================
      dmesg /proc/kmsg > /tmp/kmsg
   ========================================

 You can view this copy of the logfile with 'vi' (vi /tmp/kmsg).







Changing The 'root' Password


 It is a very good idea to change your root password from
something everybody knows to something only you know.  Remember
that anyone able to determine you have a m68k installation will
know your default password.

 The only problem is that you can't change your password (yet)
because a key file is currently missing.  Just do this:

   ====================================
      cp /etc/passwd /etc/passwd.OLD
   ====================================

 Now you should change the root password using the 'passwd'
command.  Editing this file with 'vi' is generally not
recommended, especially since the password fields are encrypted.

 CAUTION: Once you change the root password, MAKE SURE you can
          login to another console (after using left-alt-F2)
          with the new password, otherwise you will be quite
          locked-out.  It is possible to re-boot under a ram-
          based system and fix the passwd file by supplying an
          empty password field, but I would rather avoid this
          joy.







Adding New Users


 I'm not sure why, but many m68k people seem to be running
exclusively as 'root', which is a dangerous thing to do.  Most
other Linux distributions prompt you to create a personal user
account (other than root, so that you'll use it instead of root)
during the install script.  Since we don't have an install
script we should create a 'user' account as soon as possible.

 In addition to adduser, several programs (such as 'vi' will not
work if you forget to change several file 'modes'.  Change these
rights to allow proper access (do this even if you don't add 
users):

   =================================
      chmod 0700 /usr/bin/adduser
      chmod 1777 /var/tmp
      chmod 1777 /tmp
      chmod 0666 /dev/null
      chmod 0666 /dev/zero
    =================================

 Now that 'adduser' is on your machine, simply enter:

   ===============================
      adduser new_user_name
      passwd  new_user_name
   ===============================

 To test this, switch to another Vconsole ( Alt-F2 ) and login
to the new user account.







Setting Up The (local) Network


 Ah, now here's a fun section (!).  If you have a network card
you must manually alter Linux files to recognize it.  I have an
Ariadne card, so I'll explain how I got it working.  Note that
this is by no means the only or best way to do this.

 If you are using a local ethernet connection you need to choose
a network address and mask.  A general rule is that networks
starting with 10.x.x.x are considered 'local' (and most routers
don't pass such messages along).

 Since my network is purely local, I've chosen the address range
of 10.1.1.x for my network, yielding a netmask of 255.255.255.0.

 In the file /etc/hosts :

   *  There are several entries specifying the addresses of
      'other' machines.  You must leave the entries for
      'localhost' and 'broadcast' alone, but you can deactivate
      any of the other entries by placing a # in front of them
      if you wish.  You must insert an entry for your machine.
      Since my secondary Amiga is called 'sidekick', my entry
      looks like:

         10.1.1.14 sidekick.rjf.net sidekick

       The middle part is a fully-qualified address, choose one
      with a similar format for your system (x.y.z) instead of
      (w.x.y.z) .  Make sure you provide BOTH aliases.

       You should also add the name of any nearby local
      systems.  My P6-200 NT Fileserver is called 'borg'
      (representing the evil Msoft empire, of course...):

         10.1.1.15 borg


 In the file /etc/netconfig, change (in my case):

   from:    host watchtower
   to:      host sidekick.rjf.net

   from:    # iface eth0 myhost 255.255.255.0 10.0.32.255 up
   to:      iface eth0 sidekick 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.255 up

       And under the section 'Routes' (there is already a
      loopback entry), add the following line:

   route -net 10.1.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 dev eth0


 If you plan on using a nameserver, you will need to activate
the 'ns' entry and enter the address of the nameserver provided
by your ISP.


   PLEASE REFER TO THE SECTION ON 'PPP' FOR PPP INFO







Final Checkout


 If you have gotten to this point, and things are still working,
its time to shutdown the machine and restart using the new
configuration.

 enter:

   =====================================
      shutdown -r now ; exit
   =====================================

 When the system powers back up in AmigaDos mode, go to your
:linux directory and type 'boot'.  Linux should startup, and
init the ethernet card (if present).

 Login as root, using the proper password.


 If you have a nearby machine on your network you should verify
your local network setups by 'ping'ing a nearby machine.  In
my case I'd say:

   ===============
      ping borg
   ===============

 This should quickly be followed by an endless series of lines
indicating 64 bytes from the physical address of the target
machine.  This is GOOD (i.e. you are online).

 Use control-c to exit.







How To NFS Mount Another Machine


 Although not as fast as FTP, NFS (Network File System) is a
very convenient method of transferring files between computers.
Using this protocol I can directly send files between any of my
machines (be they Linux (any flavor), NT, or Win95).

 In general, you should NFS mount (or grant mount rights to)
only machines you own, or trust.  This is a security opening if
not very carefully managed.


   ----------------------------------------------
   ---- Changes to the machine to be mounted ----
   ----------------------------------------------

   Append to /etc/exports:    (on my i486 machine 'spareparts')

      / sidekick (rw,no_root_squash)
      / borg (rw,no_root_squash)
      / avatar (rw,no_root_squash)
      / peace (rw,no_root_squash)

    This will allow my A2000 (sidekick) or my NT machine (borg)
   among others, to mount the root '/' directory of my i486
   Linux machine 'spareparts'.

   CAUTION: Only use the 'no_root_squash' if you truly trust the
            connecting machine (and probably only if you have a
            'closed' network).  This option permits root
            privilege-level access to your machine.


   ------------------------------------------------------
   ---- Changes to the machine which mounts another -----
   ------------------------------------------------------

   Append to /etc/fstab:      (on my m68k machine 'sidekick')

      spareparts:/ /Spareparts nfs noauto,user,rw,exec,suid,dev
      borg:/c      /Borg       nfs noauto,user,rw,exec,suid,dev


   Uncomment these entries in m68k linux /etc/netconfig:

      rpc portmap
      rpc mountd
      rpc nfsd


      Create mountpoint(s):

      ==========================================
         mkdir /Spareparts
         chmod 1777 /Spareparts

         mkdir /Borg
         chmod 1777 /Borg
      ==========================================

 Reboot the machine after you do this (the rpc stuff)...


 Assuming the 'Spareparts' machine has been setup (as above) to
grant NFS mount rights to your machine (Sidekick in my case),
you need to mount the remote filesystem like so:

   ==========================================
      mount -t nfs spareparts:/ /Spareparts
   ==========================================

 Note: The '-t nfs' is not necessary if you place the 'nfs'
       entries in 'fstab' and restart Linux.  In this case
       you simple type:

      ==========================================
         mount /Spareparts
      ==========================================







Fixing The Amiga Built-In Serial Port Softlink


 Since the Watchtower filesystem we are using was built on an
Atari, there are some machine-specific setups we Amiga users
need to change.

 The Amiga has dedicated mouse ports (so does the Atari), so we 
don't need to alias our built-in serial port as the mouse 
device.  This is an issue because the existing mouse softlink 
'breaks' our built-in serial port.

 Enter the following (as user 'root'):

   ======================================
      rm /dev/mouse
      ln -s /dev/amigamouse /dev/mouse
   ======================================

   Note: I found that I had to reboot the machine for these
         changes to fully take effect.  After doing so,
         minicom and pppd on /dev/modem1 worked on the first
         try.


 The only side-effect I've seen so far is a diagnostic on startup
that may be mouse-related.  I don't use m68k X yet.  If anyone
knows this to be a real problem (or the solution), please let me 
know.  ;)







Setting Up The Sources


 If you wish to compile the kernel, or any C/C++ programs of
your own that use system calls or #defines you must extract the
sources/includes and fix a 'softlink'.  If you have no
interest in such things (yet) you can simply skip this section,
it won't affect the normal operation of Linux (as far as I
know).

 While running disk-based Linux, go to directory /usr.
Currently the /usr/src directory is a softlink.  This is not
good (as far as I can tell) so do this:

   **********************************************************
   * assuming your AmigaDos partition is Linux drive '/dh1' *
   **********************************************************

   =============================================
      cd /usr
      rm src
      mkdir src
      cd src

      tar xvzf /dh1/linux/linux-2.0.29.tar.gz
   =============================================

 This also will take a little while.


 Once the compiler is installed, we need to set some softlinks
for the various 'include' paths.  The first is for C headers,
the second is for C++ headers:

================================================================
   ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.0.29 /usr/src/linux
   ln -s /usr/include/libg++-2.7.1/include/ /usr/local/include
================================================================







Compiling Your Own Kernel


 You may wish to recompile the Linux kernel to better reflect
your hardware.  The kernel, as shipped, includes support for a
wide variety of devices and configurations.  One way to squeeze
a little bit of free memory from Linux is to compile a custom
kernel that consists of only the features needed by your
machine.

 You DO NOT have to build your own kernel, and there have been
reports of trouble with the stock Watchtower setup, so partake
of this process at your own risk.

 There has been traffic on the nets about the need to update
'libc', '/bin', some GNU tools, etc in order to compile a
kernel.  Even so, I'm going to wait for the dust to settle
before trying this.  Besides, I have been able to build a
working kernel with PPP for my A2000 without these updates.

 If you are using anything less than an 040, the 'config' and 'make'
operations will take quite a LONG time.

 Assuming you have 'set up the sources' and are logged in as
'root':

   =============================
      cd /usr/src/linux             # Did you get the sources ?

      make menuconfig               # config for your machine

      make dep ; make clean         # cleanup from any garbage
      make                          # recompile the kernel.....
      make modules                  # recompile the modules....

      cp vmlinux /dh1/linux/test_vmlinux    # '/dh1' is MY path
   =============================

 Restart the machine to AmigaDos mode.  Make a copy of your
'boot' script, calling it 'test'.  Alter the 'root=vmlinux'
entry in 'test' to specify the 'test_vmlinux' instead (don't
forget the path/filename entry).

 Make sure the 'Script' attrib is set on 'test', then execute
'test'.

 Your machine should startup Linux and load the kernel you just
built.  If you specified the correct options, the system should
come up, and there should be a bit more memory available.

 If your machine did not come up, restart your machine and boot
a normal Linux session (boot).  Re-run the 'menuconfig' portion
until you specify the right combination of options for your
machine. Admittedly, this can be a time-consuming operation.

 When you are completely happy with your custom kernel, (i.e.
after some serious testing) copy 'test_vmlinux' over 'vmlinux'
so it will become your normal kernel.


 Now that you are happy with the kernel, you need to install the
modules you compiled earlier:

   =============================
      cd /usr/src/linux             # Did you get the sources ?

      make modules_install          # 'install' the modules
      depmod -a                     # resolve symbols...
   =============================


 Now reboot linux one final time......







Setting Up A Serial PPP Connection


 There are several ways a PPP connection can be setup.  This
is probably not the fanciest, but has proven reliable on the
5 (intel/m68k) machines I use now.

 In order to use PPP, you must recompile your Linux kernel to
include PPP 'kernel support'.  Refer to the section on compiling
your own kernel if you have not done this (yet).  If you are
using an Amiga you must also fix the /dev/mouse softlink.  Refer
to the appropriate section of this FAQ.

 This PPP section ABSOLUTELY DEPENDS on you properly setting up
the network configuration.  It really helps to have a nearby
system to 'ping' in order verify the network settings.  Just so
you know, I am using an ethernet card, so your 'netconfig'
options will be a little different if you are running a system
without a local network.


      --------------------------------------------------


 In the file /etc/netconfig we need to specify the address of
our ISP's nameserver (DNS) (which must be provided by your ISP).

Using the 'vi' editor, uncomment the 'ns' entry, and enter
the address of your ISP's nameserver:

   ===========================
         -- from --
      # Our nameserver
      # ns 10.0.32.1

         -- to --
      # Our nameserver
      ns 204.233.71.1
   ===========================

   Note: this 'ns' address is my nameserver, you must find the
         address of your ISP's nameserver (DNS).


      --------------------------------------------------


 Using 'vi', create file /etc/ppp/options :

   =================
      cd /etc/ppp
      vi options
   =================

       Enter the following starting at the leftmost column
      (make sure to change 'rjflory' to your userid):

/dev/modem1
38400
connect "chat -v -f /etc/ppp/dial_sktc"
crtscts
defaultroute
user rjflory
modem
debug
mtu 1500
mru 1500
noipdefault


      --------------------------------------------------


 Using 'vi' enter the following into /etc/ppp/dial_sktc :

ABORT BUSY ABORT 'NO CARRIER' '' 'ATZ ' OK ATDT5220375 CONNECT


   Note: The 5220375 entry is the local phone number of my ISP.
         Make sure to enter your ISP's number here.

         Instead of the simple, yet functional 'ATZ' shown above,
         I use these modem settings:

                  'ATZ F0 X0 L3 &K3 S0=0'

         which works for my zoom external modem.  They may, or
         may not work with your modem (RYFM).

          Later you may wish to set the default modem profile
         with 'minicom'.  Refer to your modem manual for the
         commands that apply to your modem.


      --------------------------------------------------


 Using 'vi' enter the following into /etc/ppp/pap-secrets :

your_userid * your_password

   Note: your_userid and your_password apply to your ISP
         account, not to your Linux machine (Duh).


      --------------------------------------------------


 If your networking and PPP setups are all correct, you may
start the ppp daemon by entering (as user 'root'):

   ==========
      pppd
   ==========


 To hangup your PPP connection, enter:

   ==================
      killall pppd
   ==================


 If all is well, your modem will dial your ISP and negotiate
a PPP connection.  Otherwise a look at the ppp log may help
you debug your connection.


   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   !!!!!!!!                                              !!!!!!!
   !!!!!!!! I do not know where debug messages are going !!!!!!!
   !!!!!!!!         Please help me out here              !!!!!!!
   !!!!!!!!                                              !!!!!!!
   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 I have found that no two ISP's work quite the same, and some
do not like Linux (they are Msoft blind), but a bit of twiddling
will eventually get you on the air.  If you have problems at
this point:

   1. Refer to the official Linux PPP FAQ.
   2. post questions to the m68k Linux newgroup.







Using An AmigaDos Icon To Start Linux


 When the system powers up in AmigaDos mode, you might
consider making an icon in your ramdisk so you can simply
double-click on a quick ramdisk icon to restart Linux.

 What I have done is to create an image of all the icons that
I'd like to be in my ramdisk drawer in a directory of my
AmigaDos boot disk.  I called it 'ram_image'.  Simply copy
any icons/programs you would like to appear in the -very-
fast ramdisk into this directory.  To make things show up
in the ramdisk icon you need to add the following to your
'user-startup' file:

   ===============================================
      copy > nil: dh0:ram_image all ram: clone
   ===============================================

 Within dh0:ram_image I created a script file called 'linux'.
I then created a (project) icon that uses 'iconx' to execute
the contents of 'linux'.  The ram_image/linux file contains
simply:

   ===============================================
      cd dh1:linux
      boot
   ===============================================

 Now all I have to do to startup Linux is double-click on the
ramdisk then double-click on the 'linux' icon.  Too easy...







Helpful, But Dangerous Scripts


 I have used the following scriptfiles to speed up the install
of Linux m68k from scratch.  Using them can be dangerous because
error messages cannot be seen due to the speed of screen
update.  This is an advanced operation; if you do not understand
any aspect of this section, please skip it !

 In order to keep from having to re-edit all the config files
(fstab, exports, netconfig, etc) I keep a current image of them
on my AFFS drive, so that during a fresh install I can simply
copy them up to the Linux partition instead of having to do a
'vi' edit on each of them.


 USE THESE SCRIPTS AT YOUR OWN RISK, AND ONLY AFTER YOU
UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING DONE, AFTER A COMPLETE
MANUAL INSTALL.


 The following scriptfile 'extract' is located on my Amiga-
FastFileSystem containing all the Linux m68k install files.  The
name of this partition is 'dh1'.  If you wish to use this script
MAKE SURE you change all '/dh1/linux/' refs to the name where
these files are located on your system.  Also alter the /dev
entries to match your machine.

 The purpose of this script is to wipe-out any previous contents
of my Linux m68k partitions, and re-install a completely fresh
Linux installation.  To use this script:

   * Set the 'Script' protection bit of 'extract'
   * Boot up linux ramdisk (install) session.
   * create a mountpoint for your AFFS disk (my /dh1).
   * mount your AFFS partition (my /dh1).
   * execute 'extract' (/dh1/extract).

#! /bin/sh
#
# ************************************************************
#
# extract - 07/30/97 - Ron Flory - rjflory@feist.com
#
# a shell script to automatically 'install' linux FROM SCRATCH
#
# ************************************************************

mkdir /dh1
mount -t affs /dev/sda2 /dh1

ls /dh1

mkswap /dev/sda3
swapon /dev/sda3

mke2fs /dev/sda4

mount -t ext2 /dev/sda4 /mnt
cd /mnt

mkdir mnt/cdrom
mkdir mnt/dh1

tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-root.tar.gz
tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-usr.tar.gz
tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-var.tar.gz
tar xvzf /dh1/linux/watchtower-2-usrdoc.tar.gz

cp /dh1/linux/adduser /mnt/usr/bin/

cp /mnt/etc/passwd /mnt/etc/passwd.OLD

# ************************************************************


 The following scriptfile 'fixup' is located on my Amiga-
FastFileSystem containing all the Linux m68k install files.  The
name of this partition is 'dh1'.  If you wish to use this script
MAKE SURE you change all '/dh1/linux/' refs to the name where
these files are located on your system.  Also alter the /dev
entries to match your machine.

 The purpose of this script is to fixup the Linux m68k sources
etc.  To use this script:

   * Set the 'Script' protection bit of 'fixup'
   * Boot up a normal Linux session.
   * create a mountpoint for your AFFS disk (my /dh1).
   * mount your AFFS partition (my /dh1).
   * execute 'fixup' (/dh1/fixup).

#! /bin/bash
#
# ************************************************************
#
# fixup - 07/31/97 - Ron Flory - rjflory@feist.com
#
# a shell script to automatically 'fixup' linux FROM SCRATCH
#
# USE AT YOUR OWN RISK
#
# ************************************************************

cd /usr
rm -r src
mkdir src
cd src
tar xvzf /dh1/linux/linux-2.0.29.tar.gz
ln -s -v /usr/src/linux-2.0.29 /usr/src/linux

cp /dh1/linux/adduser /usr/bin/

cp /etc/passwd /etc/passwd.OLD

chmod 1777 /tmp
chmod 1777 /var/tmp
chmod 0666 /dev/null
chmod 0666 /dev/zero
chmod 0700 /usr/bin/adduser


# ***** This is for Amiga ONLY *****
rm /dev/mouse
ln -s /dev/amigamouse /dev/mouse

# ************************************************************







Closing


 The opinions expressed in this document are my own, and are
the results of experience with the system.  Many procedures
may appear obvious, or over-simplified to experienced Linux
folks, but if I help one beginner get online (and I have),
then its worth all the effort.  I get a lot of email confirming
many of the 'gotchas' mentioned above.

 Please let me know about any errors or other misunderstandings
(yours or mine).  I keep finding errors that are never reported,
so please help me do better...

 I'll post update notices to the m68k Linux newsgroup from
time-to-time...

ron