transporting linux on to a hard drive via Floppy

[KARLB]

Hi Guys, Just wanted to ask if anyone knew how to get linux on to an old 286 i nicked of my uncle. I got a 450mhz laptop but i'm wanting to link up a network in my room.

Now, the trouble is, i dont know how to get linux installed on my 1st (of many) old computers with only floppy drive. (yes i could just buy a CDROM, and considering i work at a computer place would get one dirt cheap but that's defeating the object, right?)

So, i got no monitor (i can borrow one) a floppy drive, everything a 286 should have (exc. cdrom and power cable).

Now, i can get the power cable as soon as i finish this post, along with a pack of floppies.

Is it possible for me to be able to download linux accross a few floppies???

Or maybe there is a very stripped version of linux that will fit onto my floppy to be able to connect to my laptop to install over a network??(net-install.hwto???)

Would apprieciate any help thanks!!

-karlb-

 

[MrTom]

the debian floppies will let you do a full network install, not sure what the other distros can do these days.
other than that you could try getting one of the mini distributions that come on 1 or 2 disks and then mount your hdd and copy the dir structure from a machine you already have linux on.
a search on freshmeat for "floppy linux" shows quite a few small systems.

 

[cyoung]

I don't know of any variant of Linux that will run on a 286.

You may be able to do a search on Google Groups and see if there is one.


Good Luck. Sounds like a fun project!

 

[KARLB]

cyoung,

yeah, my "project" when running is gonna be fun. Gonna try and use WOL to wake my machines up from my mobile phone, and all sorts.

It's a 286, and yes, finding a version of linux to run on my 286 is prooving difficult.

Maybe looking for an older version of linux would help, but issues with it's security i think are at hand.

I was hoping there would be a distribution of linux that would fit on a floppy disk, just a stripped version where i could download apache, telnetd, etc; something that'll teach me on the way.

Found one called BYLD, and another one, but they dont seems to have much documention. I have used linux for a while, and can set up apache, samba, installed from new, dual booting, etc, but i've never ACTUALLY installed by doing that "make" thing.

So if anyone could help on any/both these, i would be greatful!!

Can't i just put the kernel on one disk and an editor then i could add apache and samba, telnetd, (and what's the other? inetd - oh yeah) and so fourth later by diskette? (i aint used that word for ages - diskette, diskette, diskette)

Thanks all, Karlb.

 

[AdaHacker]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're out of luck. Linux is a 32-bit operating system, and according to

http://www.kernel.org,

it always has been. Seeing how the 286 was a 16-bit architecture, there is no version of Linux that can run on it. You'll just have to find something else. Maybe one of the BSDs will run on a 286 (but I kind of doubt it).

On the up side (if there's any up side left), there are several mini-distros that will fit on a floppy disk or two. I've never tried any, but I know some of them packa whole lot onto a few disks. Just check out the distributions page of

http://www.linux.org

for a nice, searchable listing.

 

[KARLB]

Hey, Guess what, It's now a 486 DX2 66!!!!!!!!!
ULTIMATE POWER!!!!!

Found an old PC my grandad had, he forgot he had it, thought it was an old 386, turns out, it's a fully 486 baby!!!

So, Now we got the hardware, getting linux accross, looking through linux.org.

Is it possible to put the kernel on a floppy, and boot from an image file??? maybe then i can install EVERYTHING from scratch?????

Is this possible?? or is it rocket science?


Cheers anyone and everyone!!
Karlb

 

[cyoung]

Well, since you got the hardware issues resolved......

You can boot from a floppy, and then finish the install using a PCMCIA Network Card to install from another machine (FTP, HTTP, or NFS) or you can install from a PCMCIA CDROM drive. (You can even install via serial or parrallel port - but only if you truly enjoy pain).

How big is the HDD in the laptop? How much RAM does it have? These are all important questions that will relate to what you can install.

A tip from me would be to install RedHat v6 (not the latest and greatest, but it would probably run better on your system)

Have fun with it!

 

[KARLB]

My laptop has just over 4GB (partitioned on the larger side for linux (Slackware currently) and the 486 has 32mb RAM.

So if i just used a boot disk, it would give me the option to install over a network. Would it be able to mount the CDROM over the network for install easy enough??

Well, it's payday soon. I've set my eyes on a 3com X-Jack PCMCIA for 35 squid (should be a bit cheaper to me) and a PCI net adapter as well for just over a tenner.

I could turn this into a scrap srever venture, and use only free components. Actually, i think i have a PCI network adapter lieing about somewhere. So it's just the PCMCIA till i can get a wireless network going. Only, the old PCI card will not be RJ45 though. hmmm. May splash out, may just get a cdrom too.

Or shall i build it simply from castoffs and freebies?

Maybe i should just get a life.

Karlb.

 

[garwain]

The last time I was sitting around wondering what I should do to amuse myself (think it was deciding whether to try FreeBSD, NetBSD or OpenBSD) the TV helped out alot. A NIKE comercial came on flashing "JUST DO IT".

Since this sounds like you are really just wanting to play around and see what you can get working line up the options you want, and try one. try another. see what works best for you...

 

[TheRAt]

just tyr the following.

Put the CD in the laptop. Boot up in Linux and either share the drive over ftp or nfs.

use the network installation disk image (most distros supply) and create the floppy required. Just boot from that floppy, and assuming that both machines are connected via eth0 just follow the appropriate prompts and install away.

I usually get the CDs and copy the files on to the HDD of the "server" and can install away from there to as many machines as I want...

Have fun. AV
tnedor@yahoo.com

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[KARLB]

Yeah, i've got a Xercom card in my laptop. but lost the physical connection wire for network (use it for the modem instead) and it'll use cat5 cable wheras the connection for my new "PC" is going to be daisy chain connection. So, i have planned to get a cdrom and up-to-date network card for my new PC, AFTER i get myself a HD over 58MB ))))

Come to install linux (by taking the CDROM out my grandads pc and placeing it on mine temporaraly) monday night after work, and getting through the install, realised that my 58MB Hard drive was the entirety of my disk capacity. So it didnt last long. And my efforts of trying to strip a linux 5.1 version down didn't help. Min install was about 86 megs or something i think.

So, it's time to invest my money into my project for a better return in the future i hope. Gona get a cdrom, net card (which i wil have to get for each new PC i can get - and this will be the choice install in future me thinks) and then get it going.

I am also thinking of documenting this, if i do it right maybe i can go for an NVQ or something and just give them all the work i have done ... He he. Think it'll work?

So my current 486 is awaiting a HDD transplant and then i'll begin asking more questions, he he. Thinking of setting up different linux operating systems on each mchine, fine one i work best with i think. Or will this just confuse me? - soon find out i hope.

Thanks to every one that's tried helping, and yes, i'm going to do what the nike advert says.

I'm just gonna do it.

Karlb.

 

[garwain]

THat's a good idea to try as many distro's as possible. something like 98% of the population will never change from the OS that comes installed on their machines. Everyone should try a few OS's before deciding which one is right for them. I personally hate the theory "everyone uses Microsoft, therefore it must be good, and I should use it" I work with RedHat Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD and NetBSD for most of my work at home, and tend to throw in a SCO server that I have to look after, along with the windows OS's/servers at work.

It all comes down to preferance. If you don't like what is given, try another OS. *eagerly awaiting the arrival of a BEOS cd to try it out*

 

[KARLB]

i had BEOS on a cd, and it didn't work, so never got the chance. Get paid tomorrow, and had a word with a few people about hard drives they have stashed away, and got a much better response than i had hoped! so a few lads (and a girl ) at work are bringing them in. So i should be loaded with disk space (maybe even an entire gigabyte or so!) he he!!

Be posting them questions soon....