Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004, Joel wrote:

> I do now understand that baslinux.gz is not an archive, but a filesystem 
> image. However, is there still a way to edit that image, or is compiled and 
> impossible to edit with the right software. I'm looking at making an extra 
> extra user friendly version of linux.
> -Joel
> _______________________________________________

If you are thinking of making your own baslinux.gz for BL2 that runs in 
RAMDISK, the instructions I copied into my notes are (to permanently 
change the file that sits on your hard drive in a DOS partition):

Boot BL2 from hard drive to RAM in a computer with at least 12MB RAM so 
that you will have two 4MB ramdisks.  The second one has /tmp mounted on 
it.

Make any desired changes to what is in the ramdisk (add the modules you 
want, subtract the ones you do not, if you are using a different kernel, 
and set up the pcmcia stuff;  delete anything inessential to make space)

cat /dev/ram0 > /tmp/ramdisk

(The entire filesystem is stored as a copy in tmp in /dev/ram1)

gzip /tmp/ramdisk   to produce /tmp/ramdisk.gz

Copy ramdisk.gz to the hard drive after mounting the hard drive:
mount /dev/hda1 /hd  (assuming BL2 is in c:)

cd /hd/bl2  (if that is what you named the BL2 directory on c:)
cp /tmp/ramdisk.gz .  (copy from /tmp to bl2 directory)
mv baslinux.gz bl2old.gz   (keep a backup copy of the original in DOS)
mv ramdisk.gz baslinux.gz (rename the new zipped filesystem to 
baslinuz.gz)

Or you could redo the boot.bat file to point at ramdisk.gz instead of 
baslinux.gz.

You can then also edit boot.bat to use your new kernel (naming it 
something different from the zimage provided by Steven - wirimage?)

However BL2 is not set up with pcmcia so you would need to get that 
working as well with the proper modules for 2.2.26 and copy what Steven 
did for BL3.  I have never tried this.  It would be a very educational 
group project.

With luck you might get it all fitting into 2 floppy disks.  You would 
have to see if baslinux.gz that you produced (or ramdisk.gz) was 
significantly larger than the one provided with BL2 and if not, split it 
up into two pieces of the same size as part1 and part2.

I think the reason you are trying to make it work with floppy disks is 
your dying hard drive, so the loop version BL3 would not help.  And the 
2-floppy lilo BL3 is apparently very hard to modify the first disk of 
(with the kernel).  So BL2 sounds like the easiest approach.

Steven, please fix any errors in the above.