Very Computer

Anyone know where I can get a Red Hat boot disk that will work with a
Qlogic FAS974 based SCSI controller?  I'd be grateful!

TIA,
Robert

I do not know your level of expertise .. but the kernel build process
for Linux is not _nearly_ as complex _in_ _fact_ as it's name might
suggest.  It's been streamlined, with newbie immigrants from the
MessDos world VERY MUCH in mind.  

Just practicality, that.  If it looks like nothing but Siberian
winter out there beyond the wire, how in tarnation are the Linux
OS-bundling wizards going to motivate present zek inmates of "Bill's
GULAG" to bust out ??  ;^>

There _IS_ a "CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGIC_FAS" kernel compilation option.  I
know that, since I am reading a saved copy of .tmpconfig.h as I write
this.  Since it has been a few days since I rebuilt my own kernel,
and I dealt with this option via a spiffy graphical interface, I am
not _absolutely_ sure this is the one you want.  But I think the odds
are _MUCH_ better than even.  

Once this is done, just go to where the just-made image is (on my
box, this is /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/, file bzImage), and just
copy it to a new or just-formatted or I-dont-care diskette with the
incantation (from Linux, _not_ DOS .. you'll need rawrite, from DOS)

    dd if=bzImage of=/dev/fd0

Assuming, of course, that /dev/fd0 points to your diskette drive .. a
safe assumption on most 1-diskette-drive systems.  

This will boot.  But LILO is not in place yet, so you cannot do
multi-OS choices at bootup.  In order to do that, you'll need a
"lilo.conf" file in /etc/ .. if you don't have one already.  If you
do, and you like it, just ignore this paragraph.  Otherwise, look in
the last couple of pages of the "Installation HOWTO" to learn what to
put in it.  

Then, once /etc/lilo.conf is set up to your satisfaction (it will
need to begin with "boot=/dev/fd0" for boot-diskette configuration
purposes), do

    /sbin/lilo

with your diskette in the drive, write-protect off.  I was in /boot
when I did this.  

That should do it.  That's what _I_ did, according to my system log,
on or about 16:52 PST on Sunday, the 26'th of January.  My _new_ boot
diskette works just fine.  <grin>  My _old_ one graces an honored
place of retirement in my "spares" bin.  

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