[syslinux] Syslinux with two-disk set (boot+root )

[Mike Jones]

> You realize that the prompt_ramdisk isn't an initrd, right?  You're
> definitely not using the same options, since the initrd= command isn't a
> lilo option at all, and you're evidently specifying it.

I am, in fact, using initrd in my lilo.conf.  My append line for lilo.conf
looks like this:

append = "ramdisk_size=16384 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1 ramdisk_start=0
initrd=/mnt/floppy/initrd.gz devfs=mount label=linux"

Being somewhat of a Linux novice, I got the above from a how-to on the
internet.  I tried a similar line in syslinux.cfg and it failed.  Are you
saying that it should have worked?

-Mike Jones

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Jones [mailto:mjj9 at email.byu.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 7:20 PM
> To: H. Peter Anvin
> Cc: syslinux at zytor.com
> Subject: RE: [syslinux] Syslinux with two-disk set (boot+root )
>
>
> > prompt_ramdisk is a kernel option, not a SYSLINUX option.  The kernel
> > should support it if suitable configured.
>
> What I meant was, if I add "prompt_ramdisk=1" to my append
> options in syslinux.cfg, the boot fails (unable to locate my
> ramdisk file) before I get a prompt for the disk.  Using the same
> kernel and the same append options with lilo works, however.
>
> > I had this problem too, but got round it by using etherboot roms
> > on non-pxe
> > clients (or an etherboot disk).  Using ISC's dhcpd 3.x you can put in
> > conditionals which offer a PXE (pxelinux) image or a tagged image
> > (made using
> > mknbi-linux) for etherboot.
>
> Unfortunately for me, I can't use etherboot -- I'm using a Win2k
> DHCP server, and I understand that Microsoft DHCP doesn't know
> how to talk to etherboot.
>
> RGBF.exe (Remote Boot Floppy Generator) might work.  It's
> actually from Microsoft (win2k), though it was meant to work with
> RIS and I'm not sure if I can get it to work with my TFTP
> server...  We'll see.
>
> Yes, I could (and probably will) just use lilo.  I was hoping to
> use syslinux, though <sigh>.  But I appreciate the fact that you
> have other things on your plate.
>
> Thanks.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: H. Peter Anvin [mailto:hpa at zytor.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 3:39 PM
> > To: Mike Jones
> > Cc: syslinux at zytor.com
> > Subject: Re: [syslinux] Syslinux with two-disk set (boot+root )
> >
> >
> > Mike Jones wrote:
> > > Hello there.
> > >
> > > I use (and love!) your syslinux software - also pxelinux and
> > soon isolinux.
> > > I have been using it for build deployment purposes for some time now,
> > > however I recently updated my kernel and added some additional
> > drivers to
> > > it, making it too large to fit on a floppy along with my
> > ramdisk.  This is
> > > no problem for my PXE-enabled clients, of course, but for
> those machines
> > > that do not support PXE, I can no longer use syslinux because
> > it apparently
> > > does not support the "prompt_ramdisk" option so that I can swap
> > in my second
> > > floppy disk.
> > >
> > > Do you have any plans to include this functionality in a
> later release?
> > >
> >
> > prompt_ramdisk is a kernel option, not a SYSLINUX option.  The kernel
> > should support it if suitable configured.
> >
> > I have been considering implementing some kind of multi-floppy support
> > in syslinux, but realistically, it probably won't happen unless someone
> > ends up paying me to get it done (I have too many projects on my hands
> > right now, which are more interesting and therefore higher
> > priority to me.)
> >
> > This is yet another reason why I'd like to see a PXE-on-a-floppy
> > implementation.  Someone said there is actually a way to coax one out of
> > W2K, but that obviously isn't acceptable for most users.
> >
> > 	-hpa
> >
> >
> >
> >