[syslinux] Creating a bootable floppy

[Josef Siemes]

Hi,

John Poltorak <jp at manninghammills.org> schrieb am 05.03.03 17:41:39:
> I'm reading the docs accompanying SYSLINUX where it says:-
> 
> 
>    ++++ CREATING A BOOTABLE LINUX FLOPPY +++
> 
> In order to create a bootable Linux floppy using SYSLINUX, prepare a
> normal MS-DOS formatted floppy.  Copy one or more Linux kernel files to
> it, then execute the DOS command:
> 
>         syslinux [-s] a:
> 
> 
> Now before I run this program, I'd like to know which 'one or more Linux 
> kernel files' I'm supposed to copy...

Short answer: The ones you reference in syslinux.cfg

> Can someone give me an example of one? Are the required files in the 
> archive or do I have to go some place else?
> 
> I don't find these instructions easy to follow at all especially when so 
> much seems to be assumed. Is it so hard to be a little bit more specific?
> 
> I have been following some links related to the Linux Router Project and 
> would like to install a minimal Linux on a CF disk.

Ok, to totally confuse you (or clear something up?): There's the memdisk
'kernel' included in syslinux. This is not really a linux kernel, but it's emulating
a disk drive on bios level. So put

default disk

label disk
  kernel memdisk.bin
  append initrd=bootdisk.img

in your config file, and take a disk image (e.g. some Dos 6.22 bootdisk)
on your medium (this would be more usable with isolinux and pxelinux,
since syslinux itself comes from a disk drive), and usually you should get
your client booted to dos.

The linux kernel is created by compiling the kernel source from kernel.org.
You need a running linux system for this, there's no way to create this
from elsewhere (unless you really know what you are doing - it is possible,
but it isn't a simple task!).

BTW: It seems that you want to have something like the lilo bootloader,
since syslinux is tied to a disk with FAT filesystem, while lilo can boot
linux from an ext2 filesytem (the linux standard filesystem).

Regards,

Josef

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