Very Computer

by **Dale R Worle** » Sat, 07 Dec 2002 03:44:05

I've got an LS-120 "superfloppy" on my system. For recovery purposes,
it would be extremely convenient if I could assemble a Linux system on
one disk. It would not have to be a really full-featured system, but
it would have to include all of the system tools. (Oddly, the RedHat
installation disk is a complete system and contains an emergency shell
on VT 2, but the system lacks many normal utilities, including all the
editors!)

Presumably a similar system would work with Zip drives.

Also, it would be extremely convenient if the loader (LILO) could copy
the disk's contents into a ramdisk. Does the standard Linux kernel
startup allow that?

Thanks,

Dale

by **Richard Pit** » Sat, 07 Dec 2002 03:55:42

> I've got an LS-120 "superfloppy" on my system. For recovery purposes,
> it would be extremely convenient if I could assemble a Linux system on
> one disk. It would not have to be a really full-featured system, but it
> would have to include all of the system tools. (Oddly, the RedHat
> installation disk is a complete system and contains an emergency shell
> on VT 2, but the system lacks many normal utilities, including all the
> editors!)

> Presumably a similar system would work with Zip drives.

> Also, it would be extremely convenient if the loader (LILO) could copy
> the disk's contents into a ramdisk. Does the standard Linux kernel
> startup allow that?

> Thanks,

> Dale

If your system can be made to boot from it, you can do almost anything.
See www.cd-linux.org for stuff that might help create a fairly small
install that runs from RAM file system - we use it for boot from CD but
it will do boot from other devices too (including net boot)

See also http://www.toms.net/rb/ Tom's Root Boot for a floppy that
boots

richard

--
Richard C. Pitt C.E.O. Belcarra Technologies

Software Systems - design and implementation: Internet, Linux, Communications
USB, RNDIS, ATM, E-mail, SQL, Encryption, Security, Web, Embedded Systems

by **2damncommo** » Sat, 07 Dec 2002 10:24:44

> I've got an LS-120 "superfloppy" on my system. For recovery purposes,
> it would be extremely convenient if I could assemble a Linux system on
> one disk. It would not have to be a really full-featured system, but it
> would have to include all of the system tools. (Oddly, the RedHat
> installation disk is a complete system and contains an emergency shell
> on VT 2, but the system lacks many normal utilities, including all the
> editors!)

http://www.slackware.com/zipslack/

by **David Efflan** » Sat, 07 Dec 2002 14:28:04

>> I've got an LS-120 "superfloppy" on my system. For recovery purposes,
>> it would be extremely convenient if I could assemble a Linux system on
>> one disk. It would not have to be a really full-featured system, but it
>> would have to include all of the system tools. (Oddly, the RedHat
>> installation disk is a complete system and contains an emergency shell
>> on VT 2, but the system lacks many normal utilities, including all the
>> editors!)

> http://www.slackware.com/zipslack/

Works great on a DOS formatted bootable LS-120 (umsdos filesystem using
loadlin from autoexec.bat to launch Linux). It is about a 30 MB zip file
that expands to a 75 MB system leaving 45 MB free. Not real quick. But I
have not found any other floppy based system that supports ATAPI floppy
drives (which the LS-120 is), or any other floppy system as complete.
Additional Slackware packages are easily installed.

Also used it to try Linux on an old laptop (booting from Win95 partition)
and it was the only distro I found that would work with that laptop's
pcmcia.

--
David Efflandt - All spam ignored http://www.de-srv.com/
http://www.autox.chicago.il.us/ http://www.berniesfloral.net/
http://cgi-help.virtualave.net/ http://hammer.prohosting.com/~cgi-wiz/

Very Computer

System for small (<120MB) disk

System for small (<120MB) disk

System for small (<120MB) disk

System for small (<120MB) disk

System for small (<120MB) disk