From: "Todd C. Klaus" <klaus@enuxva.eas.asu.edu> Subject: (none) Date: 14 Feb 1993 00:02:23 -0500
For those of you who don't get UNIXWorld, here's the article on
Linux that appeared in the March '93 issue. This is the un-edited
version (more good stuff :-)
tk
=======================================================================
What is Linux and how do I try it out?
By: Todd C. Klaus (klaus@envmsa.eas.asu.edu)
If you are a computer science student studying operating systems, and
you would like some hands-on experience with a FREE Unix-like
operating system WITH source code on your own PC, then Linux was
designed with you in mind. On the other hand, if you have used a Unix
system at school or work and have struggled long enough with the
software that Microsoft has forced upon you at home and would like to
try a REAL operating system that actually takes advantage of that
expensive 386/486 microprocessor inside your computer, then Linux
was also designed just for you!
Linux is a freely distributable Unix clone that brings many Unix
applications to your PC like **Xfree86** (the MIT X-windows
graphical user interface with lots of X clients), TCP/IP support in the
kernel (for networking applications like **telnet**, **ftp**, etc.),
electronic mail and **UUCP** (Unix to Unix copy), most of the GNU
applications (like **bison**, **flex**, **emacs**, **make**, etc.), the
GNU C and C++ compilers (with the GNU assembler, linker, etc.),
word-processing programs (like **TeX**, **TeXinfo**, **LaTeX**,
etc.), not to mention all of the software that is being ported to Linux on
a continual basis. Since Linux is POSIX.1 compliant, porting
applications written for other Unix systems is often trivial.
Linux is a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system written exclusively
for the Intel 386/486 architecture (thereby maximizing the use of the
386/486 protected mode features and task primitives). The Linux kernel
implements many features not always found in commercial Unixes, such
as:
[*] Demand paging with copy-on-write
[*] Demand loading of executables
[*] Page sharing of executables
[*] Shared libraries
[*] 3GB virtual process size
[*] Dynamic buffer cache
[*] Virtual memory using a swap partitions and/or multiple
swap files
[*] POSIX job control
[*] Virtual consoles
[*] Dynamic pty's
[*] Complete 387-emulation
[*] Support for several international keyboards
[*] Support for serial and bus mice
[*] VFS (Virtual File System) allowing various types of file
systems. Presently supported in the kernel: MINIX
compatible fs, Extended fs (4TB per partition, 16GB per
file, 255 character filenames), DOS fs (to mount your
existing DOS partitions).
To run Linux, you will need:
[*] A 386 or 486 machine with an ISA-bus. EISA machines
also work if the expansion cards are compatible with their
ISA counterparts, but Linux won't be able to take
advantage of the new features offered by EISA. MCA is
not currently supported.
[*] A hard disk implementing the standard AT hard disk
interface (i.e. IDE, RLL, MFM, etc.). Several SCSI
adapters are also supported.
[*] A high-density disk drive, either 5.25" (1.2MB) or 3.5"
(1.44MB).
[*] At least 2 megabytes of memory, although 4 MB is a
good idea for most applications.
[*] A Hercules, CGA, EGA, or VGA video card. Xfree86
currently only supports VGA, and only a few chipsets
(ET4000 is the most common) are supported in the higher
(SVGA) resolutions.
In spite of all these great features, you can't (yet!) get Linux at your
local neighborhood computer store. If you are used to getting software
for your PC out of a box, then you may find the Linux experience to be
quite different. Linux doesn't come from one place or one person.
Although the Linux kernel was created and mostly developed by Linus
Torvalds (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi), it's probably safe to say that
Linux would not be where it is today if it were not for the community
that has grown up around it.
That entity which is known as Linux and the tools, applications and
documentation that go along with it have been developed (or ported) by
a cooperative group of skilled programmers and 'gurus' from all over
the world. These programmers and gurus, along with the hundreds
(thousands?) of beta-testers that work and play with Linux and keep
Linus et. al. busy with bug reports and comments are collectivly known
as 'The Linux Activists'. As one netter describes them, the Linux
community is a "loose federation of activists, with little central control."
Although this 'anarchy' sometimes causes problems with standardization
and coordination, this vast diversity is what has made Linux as versatile
as it is today. So, while some might see Linux for the first time and
call it 'disorganized' or 'difficult to install/upgrade/maintain' in
comparison to a commercial Unix package, closer inspection will reveal
a diversity and support base rarely seen in commercial packages (do
you think SCO can manage a one-day turn around for bug-fixes? ;-) If
you install one of the package distributions (see below), you can avoid
most of these difficulties.
Linux did not begin as a plan to develop an operating system, but rather
as a simple experiment in April of 1991 in 386 task-switching by Linus
Torvalds, a student of computer science at the University of Helsinki,
Finland. Linux was originally developed and cross-compiled using
Minix and consisted merely of a simple task-switcher that ran two
processes that printed "AAAA" and "BBBB" respectively. Linus then
added a keyboard driver and a serial driver (all still in assembly
language) and had a rudimentary kernel.
At this point, Linus started moving towards actually developing an
independent operating system, and Linux was born. Using C improved
the development time, and Linus proceeded to add a hard disk driver
and a small filesystem and made Linux 0.01 publicly available
sometime around August of 1991. By October, 0.03 was available with
bash (the GNU shell) and gcc (the GNU C compiler) and other people
began to take notice.
In November, 0.10 was released as Linus felt that Linux had reached
the 'usable' state. Version 0.11 in December featured a floppy driver
and Linus began to do Linux development under itself. In January of
1992, version 0.12 was released and it implemented disk paging along
with features like job control and virtual consoles that were developed
by people other than Linus. 0.95 became available in March and things
like X-windows and package distributions became available prompting
more and more people to become interested and involved.
Linux is commonly known as a 'hacker's OS' because lots of people
'hack' on it. Because the kernel source is freely available and because
of the environment that fosters development, anyone who feels that they
can make a contribution is free to do so and forward the differences
(relative to the current version) to Linus for approval. If the
changes/additions are useful, Linus will usually incorporate them into
the next release (which can come out as often as once per week).
Those individuals that have contributed to the kernel represent a vast
diversity of knowledge and experience, and hence Linux gets better and
better.
You don't actually have to have something incorporated into the official
release to be a kernel hacker, however. Many Linuxers make changes
to their kernel and re-compile just to customize it or to experiment with
new ideas or just to tinker with it. Since you have the source, you can
do whatever you want!
Access to the source code also makes it easier to study operating system
theory with practical examples. Linux source code is defiantly
recommended reading for any computer science student. Using the
kernel sources as a reference when reading such books as Maurice
Bach's "Design of the Unix Operating System" is an invaluable learning
aid. At an organizational level, the Linux kernel is arranged very
similar to standard Unix.
On the other hand, you may have no interest in 'getting your hands
dirty' so to speak by going in and changing the kernel yourself. Never
fear, all major releases of the kernel are also available in binary form.
But there are some aspects of the kernel that may still interest you.
Because Linux is POSIX.1 compliant and supports many other SYSV
and BSD system calls, porting applications designed for 'standard' Unix
often compile under Linux with minimal (sometimes just changing
settings in a Makefile) or no changes. This means potential use of the
vast amounts of freely available Unix software out there (not to mention
all the stuff that's ALREADY been ported). And since Linux runs
Xfree86 (version 1.1 of Xfree86 contains the necessary Linux-specific
changes in the general release), the large number of freely available
X11 applications are also available. So, hacker or not, Linux has
something to offer to just about everyone with a 386/486 PC.
Linux grew up on the Internet, so that's the easiest place to find it. If
you have access to interactive **ftp**, this is the best (easiest) way to
get Linux. See the FAQ (frequently asked questions list, see below) for
a complete list of world-wide **ftp** sites that carry Linux. A couple
of the major sites in the U.S. are:
^^SITE^^ ^^IP ADDRESS^^ ^^DIRECTORY^^
**tsx-11.mit.edu[18.172.1.2] /pub/linux**
**sunsite.unc.edu[152.2.22.81]/pub/Linux**
and in Europe:
**nic.funet.fi [128.214.6.100]/pub/OS/Linux**
^^NOTE^^ If you have never used **ftp** before, there are
many good books out there describing its use,
including an excellent free one called "Zen and
the Art of the Internet" available as
**/pub/zen/zen-1.0.* ** (postscript or dvi) on
**ftp.cs.widener.edu**
These sites can be a bit daunting at first (there's ALOT of Linux stuff
out there!), and if you're new to the unix environment or even just new
to Linux, you are well advised to ignore all that stuff for now and grab
one of the package releases (see below) to start out with and see for
yourself what it's all about. There is a file **/pub/linux/ls-ltR** on
**tsx-11.mit.edu** that consists of a complete listing of all of the files
on tsx-11 in the **/pub/linux** hierarchy that you are also well advised
to get so you can peruse it at your leisure off-line and decide what you
want to get.
Although the Internet is the quickest way to get Linux and related files,
lack of Internet access does not exclude you from Linux. Linux is
available from many BBS's world-wide and a list of phone numbers and
locations is posted occasionally on **comp.os.linux** (the Linux
USENET newsgroup).
Several kind-hearted Linux activists have put their expertise to work
and created Linux package distributions. These packages usually
include most of the basic commands you would find on a Unix system,
sample configuration files, the GCC C/C++ compiler, some other
popular unix utilities (like bison and flex, the GNU replacements for
yacc & lex), the X-windows software, and communications software.
They also usually provide good instructions on how to setup your hard
drive for Linux, how to boot off the hard drive, how to install, etc.
These packages eliminate the need to install/compile these things
yourself, provide binaries assured to work with the provided version of
the compiler/shared libraries, and give it all to you in easily
manageable, easy to install package. They also make it much easier to
discover what Linux is all about.
There are many packages available and by the time this article goes to
print, there may be even more. The most comprehensive package
distribution of Linux available as of this writing (Nov., 1992) is the
SLS (Softlanding Linux System, Copywrite 1992, Softlanding
Software). This distribution is available directly from Softlanding for
$3.25/disk from:
Softlanding Software
910 Lodge Ave.
Victoria, B.C., Canada
V8X-3A8
(604) 360-0188
SLS is also available for free via anonymous **ftp**
(**/pub/linux/packages/SLS** on **tsx-11.mit.edu** and
**/pub/Linux/SLS** on **sunsite.unc.edu**). See Listing 1A for a
listing of this directory and a sample **ftp** session. The naming
convention for the disks (and their cooresponding directory) is as
follows:
[*] a1-aN: The minimal base system
[*] b1-bN: Base system extras, like man pages, emacs etc.
[*] c1-cN: The compiler(s), gcc/g++/p2c/f2c
[*] x1-xN: The X-windows distribution
[*] t1-tN: The TeX package
[*] i1-iN: Interviews (object-oriented library for X-windows)
Before downloading any files with **ftp** be sure to use the **i**
command to select binary mode. You can easily get all of the files for
a specific series by using the **mget** command (see Listing 1B). The
first two disks are in image form (a1.Z and a2) and must be copied
directly to disk. From a unix system you and use the **dd** command
(see Listing 2). Note that **/dev/fd0** should be changed to the floppy
drive device on your UNIX machine. On a MS-DOS system, you
should use the **RAWRITE.EXE** program available on tsx-
11.mit.edu in the **/pub/linux/INSTALL/dos_utils** directory. The
remaining disks should be MS-DOS formatted floppies and the files
from each directory should be copied to their respective disk (i.e., the
contents of the **SLS/a3** directory should be copied to the a3 disk.
It's also important to not change the names of the individual files. You
will also need a MS-DOS formatted floppy ready to be used to create a
boot disk (see below).
Once you have the distribution on disk, you are ready to install! Just
boot off of the **a1** disk to load the Linux kernel. You should see
the message
**Loading......**
If all goes well, you should see various status messages about your
hardware configuration and finally a short menu (see Listing 3). If you
get this far, chances are that Linux will work on your computer. Insert
disk **a2** and select the size and format of your installation disks
from the menu. Use the **more /user/README** command to read
any up to date information. At this point, Linux is running on your
computer. In order to install it on the hard drive, you must allocate a
partition for Linux and create a Linux filesystem on it. Before you do
this, you should ^^BACKUP EVERYTHING^^ on your hard drive
before continuing. Partitioning a hard disk may DESTROY data which
is on that disk if you are not careful. Go slowly, write down a
description of what you started out with, and always verify before you
write. The program you will use to partition your hard disk is called
**fdisk**. This is **fdisk** for Linux, NOT the **fdisk** command
provided with MS-DOS. Comprehensive documentation for this
program are available as /pub/linux/mirrors/mcc-
interim/0.97p2/README.fdisk on tsx-11.mit.edu. You should get this
file and read it before continuing. Listing 4 shows a sample **fdisk**
session. This example shows a 10 megabyte MS-DOS partition on the
second hard drive (**/dev/hdb**) that is being deleted and replaced
with a 10 megabyte Linux partition. After you have created a partition
for Linux with fdisk, you must reboot immediately for the changes to
take effect. Not the use of the **sync** command to flush the disk
buffers. This command should ALWAYS be used before you reboot
your system. Failure to do so may corrupt your filesystem.
Once you have rebooted, you are ready to create a Linux filesystem in
the new partition using the command **mkfs** (see Listing 5). The
second parameter to **mkfs** (the device name, **/dev/hdb1** in the
example) and the last parameter (the number of blocks, 10250 in the
example) are shown in the **fdisk** partition list for your Linux
partition (see Listing 4). This example will create a 10250 block
filesystem on **/dev/hdb1** (the first partition of the second hard
drive). If you are using the MINIX-compatible file-system (that's the
default) then the maximum number of blocks is 65535. Note that this
will completely destroy any data previously existing on the partition.
There is also a **mkefs** command to create an extended filesystem.
As of November 1992, there are still some problems with the extended
filesystem, so you may want to ask around on the mailing-lists (see
below) or read the documentation before using it. The extended file-
system allows longer filenames and larger partition sizes than the
default MINIX-compatible file-system. The documentation for the
extended file-system is available on tsx-11.mit.edu in the
/pub/linux/ALPHA/extfs directory. Eventually, the extended filesystem
should become the standard filesystem for Linux.
Once the filesystem has been created, you are ready to start the
installation process. This is done with the **doinstall** command
using the partition name that you made a new file system on as the
parameter (see Listing 6A).
At this point you will be told that you need a blank (MS-DOS
formatted) floppy to complete the installation. This is needed to create
a boot disk that will allow you to boot up Linux and mount your newly
created file-system on the hard disk. Once you have completed the
installation, you may want to install LILO (LInux LOader) to allow
booting directly from the hard drive.
The SLS package will give you the option to install all of the disks of
the distribution, or only selected packages. The only package you
__must__ install is the **a** series (disks **a2** through **a4**).
Once you have installed the **a** series, you can boot Linux and
install the other disks at your convenience. After selecting one of the
options from the menu, you will be asked if you are using the extended
file-system. If you used the **mkfs** command described above to
create your root file-system, then answer **n** (see Listing 6B).
Next, you will be asked to insert the **a2** disk and press return. The
**a2** disk should already be in the drive, so just press return to begin
the installation. The installation script will then begin to copy files
from the floppy to your new file-system on the hard disk and prompt
you for the rest of the installation disks. Booting from the boot floppy
should give you a **login:** prompt. Login as **root** and you will
be logged in as the superuser (system administrator). If you are not
familiar with UNIX system administration, a good book on system
administration will come in very handy.
To find out more about Linux, check out the USENET newsgroup
**comp.os.linux**. This newsgroup is also available in digest form via
electronic mail if you do not have USENET access. To subscribe to the
digest, just send mail to **Linux-Activists-Request@news-
digests.mit.edu**. There is also a mailing list for Linux. To subscribe
to the mailing list, send a message to **Linux-Activists-
Request@niksula.hut.fi**. You should recieve a reply with instructions
on how to join the various channels of the mailing list. Linux is very
young, and is changing rapidly, so some of the information in this
tutorial may be out of date. Most of the installation procedure,
however, should be similar. Remember, it's a __learning__ experience!
BIO:
Todd Klaus is a software engineer for Honeywell's Commercial Flight
Systems Group. Todd designs Unix and X-Windows applications for
tommorrow's aircraft cockpits.
LISTINGS:
=========================================================================
^^LISTING 1: SLS files on tsx-11.mit.edu^^
A. Sample ftp session (downloading of a single file)
% **ftp tsx-11.mit.edu**
Connected to tsx-11.mit.edu.
220 tsx-11 FTP server (Version 6.27 Mon Aug 10 16:53:15 EDT 1992) ready.
Name (tsx-11.mit.edu:klaus): **anonymous**
331 Guest login ok, send e-mail address as password.
Password:**<enter your e-mail address here>**
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
ftp> **cd /pub/linux/packages/SLS**
250-Please read the file README
250- it was last modified on Tue Oct 20 04:57:16 1992 - 23 days ago
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> **ls -la**
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 1944
drwxrwxr-x 27 pmacdona 512 Nov 8 15:31 .
drwxrwxr-x 14 tytso 512 Oct 30 18:50 ..
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 17982 Oct 8 18:59 COPYING
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 2870 Nov 6 23:20 HISTORY
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 5163 Oct 8 22:44 INFO
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 21808 Oct 8 22:38 Inst.tar.Z
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 2604 Oct 19 23:57 README
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 662337 Oct 13 14:55 a1.Z
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 1228800 Oct 13 14:57 a2
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 a3
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 a4
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 b1
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 b2
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 b3
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 b4
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 5 15:10 b5
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 c1
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 c2
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 c3
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 11 13:39 c4
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 8 15:32 i1
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 9 01:59 i2
drwxrwxr-x 2 tdunbar 512 Oct 28 15:03 t1
drwxrwxr-x 2 tdunbar 512 Oct 23 13:26 t2
drwxrwxr-x 2 tdunbar 512 Oct 23 12:54 t3
drwxrwxr-x 2 tdunbar 512 Oct 23 13:03 t4
drwxrwxr-x 2 tdunbar 512 Oct 23 13:10 t5
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 x1
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 x2
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 x3
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 11 19:06 x4
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 11 18:07 x5
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 11 18:07 x6
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Nov 11 18:07 x7
226 Transfer complete.
remote: -la
1762 bytes received in 0.72 seconds (2.4 Kbytes/s)
ftp> **i**
200 Type set to I.
ftp> **get a1.Z**
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for a1.Z (662337 bytes).
226 Transfer complete.
local: a1.Z remote: a1.Z
662337 bytes received in 80 seconds (8.1 Kbytes/s)
ftp> **cd a3**
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> **ls -la**
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 1091
drwxrwxr-x 2 pmacdona 512 Oct 24 19:55 .
drwxrwxr-x 27 pmacdona 512 Nov 8 15:31 ..
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 17982 Oct 8 19:00 COPYING
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 1072570 Oct 13 14:59 base.taz
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 26 Oct 13 14:59 diska3
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 280 Oct 13 14:59 history
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 3765 Oct 13 15:00 info
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 2196 Oct 13 15:00 readme
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pmacdona 4443 Oct 18 01:05 theory.sls
226 Transfer complete.
remote: -la
545 bytes received in 0.2 seconds (2.7 Kbytes/s)
ftp> **bye**
221 Goodbye.
B. Sample downloading session.
ftp>**mget a* **
<Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a1.Z (662337 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a2 (1228800 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/base.taz (1072570 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/diska3 (26 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/history (280 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/COPYING (17982 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/info (3765 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/readme (2196 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a3/theory.sls (4443 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a4/bin.taz (1132447 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a4/diska4 (26 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a4/install.end (125 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a4/menus.taz (31798 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
<Opening BINARY mode data connection for a4/zafix.taz (28438 bytes).
<Transfer complete.
ftp> **bye**
221 Goodbye.
^^LISTING 2: Putting the a1 and a2 images on disk^^
/# **dd if=a1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=1024**
1200+1 records in
1200+0 records out
/# **dd if=a2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=1024**
1200+0 records in
1200+0 records out
/#
^^LISTING 3: Booting up on the a1 disk^^
Partition tables ok.
Ram disk: 631808 bytes, starting at 0x107d00
Loading 624640 bytes into ram disk
......................................
done
Linux version 0.98.pl1-36 (root@softland) 10/12/92 14:47:41
Now you may take the boot disk out of your drive and put the
utilities disk in instead. AFTER you have done this,
1) Drive A: 5 1/4 inch
2) Drive A: 3 1/2 inch
3) Drive B: 5 1/4 inch
4) Drive B: 3 1/2 inch
Enter Drive You Will Be Doing The Installation From (1/2/3/4): **1**
/dev/ram on / type minix ()
/dev/hda2 on /mnt type minix ()
/dev/fd0h1200 on /user type minix (defaults)
Further instructions can be found in the file /user/README.
Type 'more /user/README' to look at it.
#
^^LISTING 4: Sample fdisk session^^
# **fdisk /dev/hdb**
Command (m for help): **p**
Disk /dev/hdb: 6 heads, 17 sectors, 820 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 102 * 512 bytes
Device Boot Begin Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 1 201 10242+ 1 DOS 12-bit FAT
Command (m for help): **d**
Partition number (1-4): **1**
Command (m for help): **p**
Disk /dev/hdb: 6 heads, 17 sectors, 820 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 102 * 512 bytes
Device Boot Begin Start End Blocks Id System
Command (m for help): **n**
Command action
e extended
p primary partition (1-4)
**p**
Partition number (1-4): **1**
First cylinder (1-820): **1**
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-820): **+10M**
Warning: partition 1 has an odd number of sectors.
Command (m for help): **p**
Disk /dev/hdb: 6 heads, 17 sectors, 820 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 102 * 512 bytes
Device Boot Begin Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 1 201 10250+ 81 Linux/MINIX
Command (m for help): **w**
The partition table has been altered.
Please reboot before doing anything else.
# **sync**
**<REBOOT>**
^^LISTING 5: Sample mkfs^^
# **mkfs -c /dev/hdb1 10250**
3416 inodes
10250 blocks
Firstdatazone=112 (112)
Zonesize=1024
Maxsize=268966912
336... 688... 1040... 1392... 1744... 2096... 2448... 2800... 3152... 3504... 38
56... 4208... 4560... 4912... 5264... 5616... 5968... 6320... 6672... 7024... 73
76... 7728... 8080... 8432... 8784... 9136... 9488... 9840... 10192...
#
^^LISTING 6: Sample doinstall^^
A. **doinstall** command
# **doinstall /dev/hdb1**
You must have a freshly formatted floppy to complete this install.
If not, type ^C to exit now, obtain one, and restart installation.
Ok continuing, but you should be able to use ^C to exit at any time.
You also can ignore any magic match failure messages.
1 - Install a minimal system (6 Meg)
2 - Install the full base system (20 Meg)
3 - Install base system + X11 (45 Meg)
Enter type of install (1/2/3)**1**
Are you using the Extended FS, instead of the default minix? (y/n)**n**
Insert disk a2 into the floppy drive then hit enter, or q to quit**<ENTER>**
B. After all of the disks that you selected have been installed,
you should see the following:
done
Do you have a 387 coprocessor or 486 DX (y/n): **n**
Now put the freshly formatted floppy into your A: drive and hit enter:
613+1 records in
613+1 records out
Installation is complete. You may now use this newly created boot disk to
start Linux from your hard drive. Please reboot now, then logon as root
#**sync**
**<REBOOT>**