[syslinux] Standard file extensions for zipped floppy images

[Dag Wieers]

Hallo Bernd ;)

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004, Blaauw,Bernd B. wrote:

> what kind of Syslinux device are you using then that holds all these images? a harddisk?

An 256MB IBM Memory stick. I have it partitioned as

	/dev/sda1	192MB (general use and images for use with syslinux)
	/dev/sda2	64MB (grub and lilo config files and images to test with grub/lilo)

Most of the Linux rescue images on the USB stick boot fine using
syslinux/grub/lilo. But when using memdisk none of the DOS images (PCDOS, 
MSDOS nor FreeDOS) work properly, they all seem to freeze (FreeDOS and 
PCDOS have output but only FreeDOS gives an error message).


I also noticed that some of the Linux rescue images that have a 2.0 
kernel have problems with accessing hda (!) when used with memdisk. 
Eventually it continues after a few IDE resets and a 'DataRequest' 
command. But the harddisk fails to work anyhow.

	hda :  irq timeout: status=0x50 { DriveReady SeekComplete }
	hda :  irq timeout: status=0x50 { DriveReady SeekComplete }
	ide0: reset: success
	...
	hda :  irq timeout: status=0x50 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }

Maybe this is the same memdisk problem that DOS is having ? Every 
disk-access (including floppy-access) using kernel 2.0 fails utterly, but 
Linux recovers eventually.


These are the images currently on my sda2 partition, I indicated the ones 
that failed (and why):

 2660515 Jan 22 11:35 bg-rescue-0.2.2.img.gz	(Works k2.4.22)
 1325904 Jan 22 12:57 boote-0.20r2.img.gz	(Fails booting, AX= BX= ... loop)
  303668 Jan 22 12:44 freedos-beta9rc3.img.gz	(Freezes with stacktrace)
 1361024 Jun 20  2003 freesco-0.3.2.img.gz	(Works k2.0.39 with hda irq timeout problem)
18985637 Jan 22 14:43 gandalf-rh62.img.gz	(Freezes, no output)
 1429199 Jan 22 12:19 hal91-0.4.5.img.gz	(Works k2.0.39 with hda irq timeout problem)
 1451868 Dec 20 22:14 injector-1.4.img.gz	(Starts off, asks video settings, reboots)
 1004482 Feb 27  2001 lanaid-2.30.img.gz	(Freezes with little output)
 1345956 Jan 22 11:55 netrix-0.8.23.2.img.gz	(Works k2.4.23)
 1460073 Jan 22 13:13 paud-1.0.3.img.gz		(Fails booting with 'Uncompressing Linux...')
  542731 Jan 20 16:11 pcdos71.img.gz		(Freezes with little output)
 1450193 Jan 22 13:13 pocketlinux-2.51f4.img.gz	(Works k2.0.39 with hda problem, fails accessing floppy)
 1677225 Jan 22 12:38 rip-2.3.img.gz		(Works k2.4.23)
 1593630 Jan 22 12:11 sisela-0.3.img.gz		(Works k2.4.23)
 1223420 Jan 22 11:04 slimlinux-0.4.0.img.gz	(Works k2.2.19, usb-storage problems)
 1702337 May  4  2002 tomsrtbt-2.0.103.img.gz	(Fails booting 01 01 01 01 01)
 1428244 Jan 22 12:34 trinux-0.890.img.gz	(Works k2.4.21)
  779424 Feb 27  2001 windows95.img.gz		(Freezes, no output)
  821483 Feb 27  2001 windows98.img.gz		(Freezes, no output)

Hopefully this is useful to somebody ;)


> since Syslinux uses DOS names, I tend to use .GZ
> I don't know if Memdisk first looks for a Gzip header, or at file extension

My experience is that it looks at the gzip-header. I haven't had any 
problems with syslinux and gzipped floppy images. Even the harddisk image 
is uncompressed correctly (size seems to be correct, but fails to boot 
from it).

I rather use compressed floppy images than a seperate kernel/initrd 
because it makes it easier for less-technical people to add images.

--   dag wieers,  dag at wieers.com,  http://dag.wieers.com/   --
[Any errors in spelling, tact or fact are transmission errors]