[ale] Building Linux manually

[Joe Knapka]

For partitioning, you'll need a statically-linked fdisk
executable. Unless you plan to have multiple kernels
installed, you may not even need LILO; a normal kernel
will boot if it's just dd'd to a floppy, and I think
the same will work if you dd it to a raw HD. So you'd
create an initial partition /dev/hda1 that's at least
big enough to hold the kernel, then dd the kernel to
/dev/hda (not /dev/hda1 - you want to write the beginning
of the kernel over the MBR of the HD). Then
make a root partition /dev/hda2 (and rdev the kernel
image appropriately, if required). Then make /sbin/init
a link to /bin/bash, and you get a system that boots
straight into bash from the word go.

I did this a long time ago (about 1992), and I just happen to
have a machine that I'm going to blow away tonight and install
a fresh copy of Slackware on. I'll try to do a minimal install
first and let you know how it goes.

-- Joe

Gary Lawler wrote:
> 
> I have a disk with the basic boot up for linux. I downloaded the kernel
> (2.2.16), the kernel patch, and the basic GNU utilities. I want to
> partition the drive, install the kernel, bash, and lilo manually. Which
> should I do first and how should I do it? What utilities to I need on
> disk to make the partitions and format them for linux? Dose the kernel
> have to go on the disk first before lilo or the other utilities? Please
> help!!!
> Thanks a head of time. All comments are wanted.
> 
> Gary Lawler
> glawlert6 at yahoo.com
> 
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-- Joe Knapka
* What happens when a mysterious force meets an inscrutable object?
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