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[3aoo-cvfd AT dea.spamcon.org]

James Miller wrote:
>
> I do have a swap partition on the HD on this machine 
> (10MB), so 1) is an option.  

OK, boot Linux, turn on swap (use free to check that it
is working) and then execute Xvesa.

> > rawriting x-initrd to a floppy 
>
> I don't quite understand why it would work while the 
> current setup (loading from HD) doesn't.  

If you put the filesystem on floppy (instead of in a ramdisk),
you have more RAM available.  root=/dev/fd0 

> > getting x-initrd onto an HD partition
>
> I don't fully understand: x-initrd *is* on the HD (the DOS 
> partition).

Again I'm talking about a non-ramdisk boot.  If the x-initrd
filesystem is rawritten to a HD partition, you can point
loadlin at it (root=/dev/???)

However, if you have a swap partion, that is the easiest
way to proceed.  Later (once Xvesa is working) you could
think about freeing up the RAM in the ramdisk.

> Just to be sure I understand fundamentally what's going on 
> here: I'm expecting to get the cross-hatched screen that you 
> get under Xwindows when you have X installed, 

That's right.  With a big X mouse-cursor.

> but no window desktop is specified, 

No desktop, no wm, no nothin'

> I know eventually it should get an xsession offer from another 
> machine on the network, 

As long as you start Xvesa with the -ac parameter (otherwise
it will not accept outside connections).

> but I'm not quite clear on how to set that up 

Setup up networking before you start Xvesa.  Ping to check
you have a good connection.  On one machine you do:
---------
Xvesa -ac
---------
On the other (more powerful) machine, you do:
----------------------------
export DISPLAY=192.168.1.7:0
icewm
----------------------------
That assumes 192.168.1.7 is the address of the machine 
running Xvesa.

> in another BL xterminal project I did: 
> X -query 192.168.x.x 

That only works if the other machine is running xdm 
(or kdm or gdm).

> I'm guessing I should just be looking for the typical signs 
> that a window mgr is loading 

Not a wm, just pure X.

> the crosshatched screen with the mouse pointer in it.  Am I 
> expecting correctly?  

Yes.

Cheers,
Steven