On Sun, 23 Jan 2005, Jeff Vian wrote:
On Sat, 2005-01-22 at 21:48 +0000, Timothy Murphy wrote:Les Mikesell wrote:
If you have another Linux machine on the network you can speed up installs and avoid CD issues by doing an NFS install. Just download the iso images to a directory on a Linux box that is exported via NFS and burn only the first disk. Then enter 'linux askmethod' at the boot prompt, pick NFS as the install method and fill in the details for the NFS export. The installer will do all the magic of mounting the images for you. It is faster than CDs and you don't have to hang around to swap disks.
As a matter of interest I tried this ("linux askmethod") but it didn't appear to have any effect. When I reached the choice of method NFS was listed (this is what I wanted to try) but I was unable to choose it - if I did, it simply returned at once to the same choices. (All that I was able to choose was Local CD or Hard disk.)
I assume the reason is that I had no IP connection at that moment. In fact I have only one PMCIA slot, and that was occupied by the CD reader.
Is it in fact possible to install over the net in this case?
It is physically impossible to do an NFS (or any other kind of network) install unless you have a network connection available at boot time.
If you only have one pcmcia slot and are using it for the cdrom then I guess not.
This thread has evolved a bunch since I stopped following it closely, but if I follow what's going on, I think there are two alternatives. Both involve repartitioning the disk in a separate step.
(1) You can do a hard disk install. You need to partition the disk so there is a partition you won't reformat (e.g. a separate /home). Then copy the ISOs to a directory there and boot off the CD. (I vaguely remember that this was discussed but I don't recall why you couldn't do it.)
(2) I read somewhere that you could create a partition on the disk and install the boot.iso image. You could then boot from that hard disk partition with the network card plugged in and do a network install. Now, I don't know the details of making it work, but maybe soemone else on the list does?
If both of these alternatives have been considered and rejected, then sorry to interrupt.
--
Matthew Saltzman
Clemson University Math Sciences mjs AT clemson DOT edu http://www.math.clemson.edu/~mjs
