Howto get linux to B112/B142 trough network without any external drive


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= Howto get linux to B112/B142 trough network =
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version 1.4,  19.10.2004, update 1.2.2005

Sadly I have to say, most of the notebooks are delivered with MS Windows only.
Fujitsu B112/B142 are not exeptions. If you do not have a floppy then it's not
easy to get different OS to it. But, luckily we can use windows at least
to transfer our first linux to notebook.

This howto is also applicable for Windows XP and Windows 2000 instalations that
do not have a DOS accessable, therefore you can not use loadlin.


Step by step guide

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- 1. Partition the disk -
-------------------------

As we have only windows available, you have to use some windows tool to 
make space for linux partitions. It has to be capable of resizing partition
without use of any boot diskete, also must be able to make ext2 partition!

(e.g. Partition Magic 6.0 is enough to do the job, but well you have to have it).

Resize FAT windows partition down (if your windows reside on NTFS, the you are out of luck
and you have to proceed to step 7; you can resize NTFS using NTFS resize
but there is no way how to run it from Windows), so there is enought space. Make there two
linux partitions - big one and small (approx 160MB) one at the end of disk 
(will be used as swap in future). Now make ext2 fs on at least the smaller
one or use monkey beta 13 in next step.

Disk partitons should look like:

    -------------------------------------------
    | * FAT32 | ext2 (or nothing)      | ext2 |
    -------------------------------------------

* is bootable

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- 2. Get linuxes -
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2.1 Monkey 

Now you need your first linux.

Monkey Linux: http://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/pub/linux/monkey/

What's so exiting about it? It can live on FAT16/32 partition and it is
fully functional linux.

Download archives (arj), copy them to c:\linux and type

	arj x -va -y mlinux06.arj

Note: It's pity, but there is a bug in Monkey linux 06, hence we can
not mke2fs with it. There is also flying some monkey linux beta 13, this
one has mke2fs working but is in selfextracting rar archiv.

2.2 uVex

It is very small well configured distribution (and it is mine :):

http://bbs.cvut.cz/~covex/linux/uvex.html

it knows pcmcia and you get your ethernet pcmcia card to work with it.

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- 3. Get grub for dos -
-----------------------

http://newdos.yginfo.net/grubdos.htm

make directory c:\boot\grub

put there a file menu.lst with lines:

	title My Linux
	kernel (hd0,0)/linux/3mide.030 root=/dev/hda1 rw

put grldr to c:\

attach at the end of file c:\boot.ini line:

	c:\grldr="Start GRUB"

reboot.

You should see menu where you can choose either to boot windows or grub.
Choose grub, then menu with My Linux appears. Start it!

Monkey Linux welcomes you.

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- 4. Get the 2nd linux running -
--------------------------------

As monkey linux is fairly old it does not have pcmcia services and we can
not use it directly but we need it to pass another distro we have to disk.

Mount 3rd partition:

	mkdir /mnt/hda3
	mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3

Find uVex archive and unpack it

	cat uVex.tar.gz | gunzip | tar xf - -C /mnt/hda3

Wow, change dir to /DOS and go to boot/grub.
Edit menu.lst to point to uVex:

	kernel (hd0,2)/boot/image-2.4.24 root=/dev/hda3 ro

reboot.

Choose grub again, load My Linux. You are in uVex now.
Change root password with command

	passwd

to whatever but do not leave it empty.


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- 5. Star up neworking -
------------------------

Now you have very functional linux, but you'll probably want something
better. So start networking like this:

	modprobe yenta_socket
	modprobe your_card_driver (I have pcmcia with 8139too chip so I did modprobe 8139too.)
	ifconfig eth0 up ip.ad.dr.es.s netmask ne.tm.as.k

You can redo ext2 that is on /dev/hda2 to be sure its really correctly made
linux partition:

	mke2fs /dev/hda2

mount it:
	
	mkdir /mnt/hda2
	mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2

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- 6. Transfer your distro -
---------------------------

I wanted to have the same debian distribution on notebook like I have on my
"big" PC. So I typed there:
	
	cd /
	tar cf - * | ssh -l root ip.ad.dr.es.s 'tar xf - -C /mnt/hda2'


Go go! In 20min I have copied 2,5GB of my debian linux to notebook trought
100M LAN.

Change the grub menu.lst last time to point to kernel image from your
distribution like

	kernel (hd0,1)/boot/image-2.4.24 root=/dev/hda2 ro

and you are ready.


-------------------
- 7. If you loose -
-------------------

Then the only way is to go to this page:

Howto disassemble

It is also the only way how to get larger disk inside it. Linux has no problems with
disk as big as 40GB, the bios of b112 knows only 8GB. If you make bios think of same geometry
you can safely boot.



Adam Pribyl <covex at lowlevel.cz>