Subject: Mount ext2 filesystem.

From: Takeshi Hakamada <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 22:35:39 +0900

Hi all,

I'm working on my R5000 Indy can mount second disk as root filesystem.
I've created ext2 filesystem from my i486-based Linux box and I connected
it to my Indy as the second drive. Then I booted vmlinux-indy-2.1.67
(made by Ralf) from the first disk on my Indy, mounted nfs-root filesystem
which is made by Ralf I know.
I can mount both the first disk(efs) and the second one(ext2).

However, when I try to invoke rpm which is made by Alan(libc/ld workaround
version), I get efs read error as follows:

efs: read error in indirect extents
attempt to access beyond end of device
08:01 rw=0, want=1207011792, limit=1965937

Do you think something wrong with my IRIX efs partition? When I mount
IRIX root partition, I can invoke some IRIX command(like ls, cp).

Anyway, why root-be-0.00.cpio.gz doesn't contain rpm binary?
I think rpm binary should be in root-be-0.00.cpio.gz.

Thanks,
--
Takeshi Hakamada                  
Nihon Silicon Graphics Cray
E-mail: [email-masked], URL: http://reality.sgi.com/hakamada_nsg/
Phone: +81-45-682-3712, Fax: +81-45-682-0856
Voice mail: (internal)822-1300, (external)+81-3-5488-1863-1300

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From: Alex deVries <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 11:43:03 -0500 (EST)

> 08:01 rw=0, want=1207011792, limit=1965937

That looks like a problem with the EFS driver that Mike put in.  I'm not
quite sure wher the problem is, but I get all sort of problems with EFS
myself.  I'm busy with other things.

Actually, I just tried it, and with Ralf's latest kernel I got:
EFS: magic 0X1 doesn't match 0X72959 or 0X7295A!
EFS: failed checking Superblock
Unable to handle paging request at virtual address 00000000, epc ==
88057ab0, ra == 8808bbe8

... and then a complete hang.

> IRIX root partition, I can invoke some IRIX command(like ls, cp).

I would trust Irix a lot more to handle EFS partitions than the current
Linux kernels.  

> I think rpm binary should be in root-be-0.00.cpio.gz.

root-be-0.00.cpio.gz doesnt' contain RPM because it's version 0.00, and at
that point nobody had any RPM's to use.  It will, though.  I'll work on
root-be-0.01.tar.gz when I get a working libc (nudge, nudge...)

- Alex

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 18:02:29 +0100

> IRIX root partition, I can invoke some IRIX command(like ls, cp).

The efs filesystem for Linux is completly broken.  If you want to transfer
files from IRIX to Linux I recommend something like NFS or ftp to another
machine.

> I think rpm binary should be in root-be-0.00.cpio.gz.

The archive was the first collection of binaries ever.  It isn't really
intended to be a real distribution.  Someone else promised to work on
an installation procedure rsn.

  Ralf

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 18:11:07 +0100

> root-be-0.01.tar.gz when I get a working libc (nudge, nudge...)

/pub/mips-linux/libc-2.0.4.tar.gz, and oh - keep your firstborn handy ;-)

  Ralf

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From: [email-masked] (Alan Cox)
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 22:43:26 +0000 (GMT)

> 08:01 rw=0, want=1207011792, limit=1965937

The efs driver is still very limited and cant handle many file layouts.

> I think rpm binary should be in root-be-0.00.cpio.gz.

Personally I'd like to see a lot less in a final root-be-0.00. Really it
needs some minimal disk handling tools and rpm. The root-be is a good
start for an NFS root right now.

I used the installer stuff I did to get rpm on the disk by doing

on Linux x86

rpm2cpio rpm-2.3.11.mips.rpm >rpm.cpio

ftping it to Irix and using the install cpio option. Ive been poking at
better installing and talked to a few people about Arc firmware after Ralf
prodded me. Given the horror stories told I think the better option is
to finish producing a tool that takes a compressed ramdisk image (the initrd
image) that is used by setups like the redhat installer and merges it with
the kernel image so the existing bootup stuff can load it

The X86 has memory space problems (install in 8Mb), on the indy blowing
4Mbytes on the install ramdisk is almost an irrelevance.

Alan

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From: Takeshi Hakamada <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 09:30:15 +0900

> The efs driver is still very limited and cant handle many file layouts.

Okay.

> rpm2cpio rpm-2.3.11.mips.rpm >rpm.cpio

Thank you. I've converted rpm to cpio and I could have installed rpm binary.
But, I can't boot from local disk yet. If I can boot from local disk, I'd
like to update faq on the www.linux.sgi.com. How do you think about it?

> 4Mbytes on the install ramdisk is almost an irrelevance.

Yes, when I installed RedHat4.2 on my poor note PC(8MBytes), it bothered me.

Cheers,

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From: [email-masked] (Alan Cox)
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 01:11:51 +0000 (GMT)

> like to update faq on the www.linux.sgi.com. How do you think about it?

In irix, shutdown, restart hit the maintenance button to get to the arc
menu, hit command line and do I think its

boot /whatever/efs/vmlinux root=/dev/sdb1

(first partition disk 2 as root)

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From: Takeshi Hakamada <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 10:16:53 +0900

> (first partition disk 2 as root)

I know this method, my want to boot from local disk is, I've not installed
all rpm packages on the second disk. I'll do this until tomorrow.
Do you think anyone wants my installation howto?

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From: "Andrew O'Brien" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 02:52:48 +0000 (GMT)

> Do you think anyone wants my installation howto?

Yep !

I'm a student at The University of NSW, Australia and over this summer
(yes it's summer now ;) I'll be undertaking to port Linux to a specialised
board developed here, which uses a R4{6,7}00 chip.

As a warmup exercise, as I've been given access to an Indy and brought in
my home Linux x86 box as a bootserver, I'll try and install SGI/Linux. The
only prob is that I've never used/played with an SGI before and so would
appreciate a slightly more comprehensive howto then the FAQ. 

I've been lurking in the background the last few days and this seems like
an appropriate time to say "Hi".

Any hints or tips anyone could send me would be much appreciated.

Thanks

  ___________________________________________________________________
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From: Eric Kimminau <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 10:04:38 -0500

YES! :)

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From: Takeshi Hakamada <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 21:53:35 +0900

> Any hints or tips anyone could send me would be much appreciated.

Eventually, I've booted SGI/Linux from local disk.
However, my e2fs partition(super block) has been corrupted,
I'll re-mke2fs and reinstall rpm stuff on the local disk.
I'm also preparing for Installation howto or FAQ.

Thanks,