* Picked your name from the discussion group ... hope you'll forgive the
* intrusion on your privacy
You might prefer to ask for help to a Linux/Alpha mailing list, such as
<axp-list@redhat.com> --sometimes referred to as "the axp list"--, or
<linux-alpha@vger.rutgers.edu>. As far as I know, these lists are not devoted
to Linux and Alpha hackers. However, if you subscribe to the 1st of these
lists, you should be prepared to get 10-100 emails a day!
*
* Making the switch to Unix and have chosen Linux/Alpha (multia) ...
My personal opinion is that there are Linux/ix86 distributions that are more
stable that the today [July-96] Linux/Alpha distributions; so, especially if
you're a Linux neophyte (like me), you might consider to install Linux first
on an Intel-based platform: you would get something like a "reference Linux
platform" (this does not mean that it would be 100% bug-free...).
> (...) attached
> external cdrom and a 4 gig hard drive via the scsi port. The OS recognized
> and configured the devices ... problem is I do not know how to access the
> drives.
Congratulations: you seem to get Linux/Alpha installed... it's sometimes a
paintful process.
The device names, e.g., the /dev/* for disk and CDrom drives, vary from one
Unix(-like) implementation to another... moreover, they (often at least) vary
according to the type of i/o controller on which such drives are attached
(e.g., scsi controller vs ide controller for "traditional" Linuxes). **If* you
installed a Linux/Alpha distribution from Red Hat --which seems to be the most
widely used Linux/Alpha distribution today--, you should get & read
installation guidelines from Red Hat. I suppose that the less risky method is
to buy a regular licence to this company, since it would give you the ability
to get support... unambiguously! [As far as I am concerned, I did not
installed Red Hat Linux.]
If you're ready to play in a "more ambiguous" mode, you can use the following
informations that I received after *freely* subscribing to
<axp-list@redhat.com>:
<<
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 22:48:00 -0500
To: axp-list@redhat.com
From: Scott Johnson <scottj@onramp.net>
Subject: Install Question
-----
We just purchased a Multia and are trying to install RedHat off of
Infomagic's April edition. We have encountered a slight problem. So far,
we have gotten the box to load MILO and boot from a boot disk and ramdisk.
When install is run, the CD will not mount locally because the source files
are in a different location on Infomagic's CD than on Redhat's. Any idead
on how to make this thing work? Thanks!
Scott Johnson o scottj@onramp.net
OnRamp Technologies <|> 214-672-7267
Engineering / \ http://www.onramp.net/scott
>>
<<
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 10:20:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: Install Question
----
(...)
The InfoMagic CD's were created wrong.
Erik
>>
Hopefully, there were successful experiences with Linux/Alpha even while
dealing with non-obvious HW issues, e.g.:
<<
From: Bennett Todd <bet@ritz.mordor.com>
Subject: UDB Serial works fine! Joy!
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 13:33:02 -0400 (EDT)
Thanks for the pinouts. Turns out its the same --- or at least close enough
(I didn't check every pin) as the Sun splitter cables; just used a F-F gender
bender (the host end of the Sun splitter is M), then a Radio Shack M-DB9 <->
M-DB25, then my HP 200LX serial cable, pulled in lxtools and typed "make", and
vavoom, 115kbps backups! Yea!
This is just too wonderful. I can't get over what a marvelous toy this thingie
is. Bought an "easy WebServer", still in the original DEC box, from a friend.
Loaded Red Hat 3.0.3 on it without too much pain (would have been easier if
I'd waited a couple of weeks for that lovely note from Stephen Gaudet "Loading
a UDB with Red HAT 3.0.3"). Yea, there were some rough spots --- I still
haven't figured out what provokes crond into mugging the CPU, for instance ---
but it's basically working well enough to be a joy rather than a pain.
-Bennett
>>
I give you below some more examples of issues that recently arose with
Linux/Alpha and/or some solutions that were suggested:
<<
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 14:29:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: Upgrading???
On Thu, 18 Jul 1996, Jim Robinson wrote:
> I hope that this is a simple question..... I have an old version of
> the Red Hat for alpha.. How do I go about upgrading to 3.0.3. Do I
> need to pay another $99 US for the cdrom or can I get a price break
> because I allready own a copy?
Sorry, but you must pay full price or download it over the net for free. We
aren't making a windfall on Linux/Alpha, and we can't afford to sell it
for much less then we do. That's why we give it away.
Erik
>>
<<
To: axp-list@redhat.com
From: Nigel Metheringham <Nigel.Metheringham@theplanet.net>
Subject: SCSI - the current state
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 18:46:23 +0100
-----
Having just returned to the alphas after a longish time away I am a
tad confused (and frustrated) by the SCSI situation...
I have a noname, I'm putting on several (!) Quantum Grand Prix 4.3 GB
disks (its going to be a big web cache), so I got my trusty RH 2.1
CD-ROM and tried and install, which seemed to work OK. The system
had a 1.3.66 MILO on it, and the redhat 2.1 default kernel. When
the thing booted it set the drives to async SCSI and then loused up
handling the root mount completely - and with 2 drives installed it
got completely confused, losing SCSI commands all over the shop.
I then replaced the MILO with Dave Ruslings latest and greatest
(around 1.3.99), and the kernel with a 2.0.7 compiled with sync SCSI
only. That works OK.
With the current distributed kernel, whats safe to compile in for a
noname with NCR8xx on-board SCSI? What gives the best real
performance? Any other comments on the best way out of this...?
Thanks
Nigel.
>>
<<
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 16:45:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: Installed RedHat 3.03, can't make it boot!
On Wed, 19 Jun 1996, Lance Ware wrote:
> boot sda1:vmlinux.gz
Try:
boot sda1:vmlinux.gz root=/dev/sda1
Erik
>>
[This might mean that the root hard disk slice for booting Linux is "scsi
device, slice #1" ("slice" ~= "partition" for Linuxes... the best is to check
it by yourself!).]
<<
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996 11:54:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Brian E.W. Wood" <beww@intac.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Cc: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: Buying a DEC vx40b-c2 Universal Desktop Box. Need Advice
On Sun, 30 Jun 1996 krathis@fast.net wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm probably going to buy one of the DEC alpha 166mhz (jr's) and before I do,
> I've got a few questions:
>
> 1. Is this a decent machine? I see that it's discontinued by DEC, how big
> a problem is this?
I have the 233 version and I think it is a very decent machine. The
packaging is great. The performance of the 166 mhz. unit would be
somewhere between that of a 75 Mhz. pentium and a 100Mhz one.
As for its discontinuance being a problem, that is hard to say, but if
it were me I would grab one while I could as the price is unbeatable.
>
> 2. It already has a scsi 340m HD in it, How difficult is it to add an additional
> drive?
Just get an external SCSI drive and a cable and you will be all set,
the connector is on the rear of the unit.
>
> 3. How tough is it to install Red Hat for the alpha on it?
Not very - but if you want to install from CD you will have to get an
external scsi CDROM drive.
Brian E.W. Wood
beww@intac.com
>>
<<
To: "Franco Tassone" <franco@dns.rgn.it>
Cc: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: Alpha 266 installation troubles
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 13:50:55 -0400
From: "Jay Estabrook - Alpha Migration Tools - LINUX Project"
<jestabro@amt.tay1.dec.com>
-------
> I was doing an NFS installation of RedHat 3.0.3 on a XL266, whose data are:
>
> Processor Revision 3
> System Revision 0x1
> Processor Speed 266.02 Mhz
> Phisical Memory 96Mb
>
> Extended Firmware Informations Version: 4.41 950830.1727
>
> NVRAM Environment Usage: 16% (506 of 3052 bytes)
>
> BIOS controlled video card (installed by me)
>
> Hard Disk: FUJITSU M2934S-512 0122 (installed by me)
>
> It seems capable in initializing swap partitions, but the installation stops
at
> packages installation because it's impossible to mount /dev/sda1 (not
> recognized as ext2 partition).
> It's impossible continue the installation.
> Fdisk gave me many errors (unaligned trap....) during HD partitioning.
> Were I did mistakes ?
Hmm, if that FUJITSU disk is extra big (> 2Gb), you might have some problems.
But did you reboot *after* partitioning the disk, before continuing with the
install? THIS IS OFTEN NECESSARY, AND ALWAYS A GOOD PRECAUTION!!!
Yes, I know it's a pain to have to go through the three floppies all over
again, but it seems the only safe way to ensure that the kernel knows the
new partition information.
--Jay++
>>
<<
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 11:19:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: Re: installing RH3.0.3 on an UDB fails
On Tue, 25 Jun 1996, Bennett Todd wrote:
> So, if I understand correctly, the currently-recommended procedure is to keep
> a floppy in the drive and stay with ARC->Linload->Milo->Linux boot?
Heck no. The current plan is to leave a 2 MB (or so) DOS partition as the
first partition on your drive. You then put linload.exe and milo onto that
dos partition and use ARC to boot MILO from the hard drive, and then use
MILO to boot Linux.
I'm do that on a couple of machines, and it's no worse then flashing milo
and a heck of a lot safer.
Erik
>>
*
* I have a smattering of unix and commands like ... cd /cdrom ... do not seem
* to work.
What do you intend to do by typing "cd /cdrom" ? To be ready to read files
that are on a CDrom you've inserted in the CDrom drive unit, e.g. to use "ls"
for listing them ? If so, typing a "mount" command might be, or not, useful:
there are variants in the layout of informations on CDroms, it's the same for
floppies, e.g. there are "DOS floppies", "Linux-mountable" floppies (with
possibly imcompatible file layouts)... and many more! So I cannot help you
very much, but after reading some documentations (see below) you should soon
be able to find your way by yourself.
*
* Questions:
*
* 1. Is there something I am not doing?
* 2. Is the command syntax different?
* 3. Is there a linux book somewhere, or a net site I can access for "linux
101"?
1.: probably; 2: could be "mount /dev/something /a_dir; cd /dev/something"; 3:
<<
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 18:41:58 -0700
From: David Mosberger-Tang <davidm@azstarnet.com>
To: axp-linux@redhat.com, linux-alpha@vger.rutgers.edu
Subject: updated FAQ
A new version of the FAQ is available at:
http://www.azstarnet.com/~axplinux/FAQ.html
The Jensen section has been updated and there is some more info on the
TGA as well.
--david
>>
<<
From: Bruce Dawson <jbd@blueb.codemeta.com>
To: axp-list@redhat.com
Subject: The RedHat AXP mailing list archive has moved.
For those of you who haven't noticed yet, the mailing list archive has
moved.
It used to be at http://speedy.redhat.com/redhat-lists/axp, but is now
at:
http://www.redhat.com/support/mailing-lists/archives/axp-list
And its organized by month (and it has searching)!
Update your bookmarks! (It took me a while to find it, which is why
I'm letting everyone know).
>>
They are also some printed books on Linux, e.g., "The Linux Bible, 3rd
Edition" from Yggdrasil (cf. <http://www.yggdrasil.com>); a magazine called
"LINUX Journal" (cf. <http://www.ssc.com/lj/>), ...
*
* Again my apologies for this intrusion but ... I need help. Thank you.
*
* P. Francis
*
You were welcomed... but I am not prepared to do such support, and I don't
want to do it but **very occasionally**. I hope you will find all what you
need to know about Linux & Linux/Alpha in a near future, and will enjoy Linux.
fred