Gauntlet(throw).

Post #97,260

4/18/03 10:48:48 AM

Gauntlet(throw).

I am going out on a limb here (a pretty stout one though) and say that Debian is *THE* universal Linux Distribution. If it won't work on Debian... it just plain won't work.

Okies. A (probably easy) challenge for you.

I've got Knoppix and Debian (mumble) on CD-R disks from CheapBytes. I've got a 486/133 EISA/VLB SCSI system with a 2x SCSI CD-ROM (that can't read CD-R disks, I don't think). The SCSI controller is an UltraStor 34F (VLB) card. It's also got a 3COM EISA Ethernet card that I haven't yet got working with OS/2.

I have on the shelf an ISA IDE controller (that may be limited to 8.4 GB), a 30 GB IDE disk, and a 40x10x40 or so IDE CD-RW drive that I plan installing in the chassis of the system, but haven't had time to do so yet. I also have an ISA Ethernet card on the shelf.

Knoppix doesn't seem to have a driver for the ancient UltraStor SCSI card, but I knew that a Linux driver existed for it at one time.

How would one go about installing Knoppix or Debian on this box? Extra points for an install that doesn't involve installing the ISA/IDE hardware.

The box works fine with OS/2 Warp 3 Connect (other than the Ethernet problem I haven't had time to resolve yet. Dialup works fine).

Thanks!

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #97,267

by folkert

4/18/03 11:20:29 AM

Okay. Here goes.

First off, which EISA 3Com card is it?

Second, Knoppix v3.1* does have difficulty with SCSI. v3.2 (2003-04-15) does have the 2.4.20-xfs config'd kernel:

CONFIG_ULTRASTOR=m\nCONFIG_SCSI_U14_34F=m\nCONFIG_SCSI_U14_34F_MAX_TAGS=8

Also, since it is a VLB controller, you might have to tell it what to use, as it may not be able to probe it well.

The KNOPPIX kernel should support the 3Com EISA card whatever it may be.

Thirdly, iffn you can't read CD-Rs on it, I'd do a Net Install. I'd use the boot-floppy method, then see if it *CAN* see the CDROM and CD-Rs. If not, then do a Network "ftp" install (you can provide ftp services right?)

Fourthly, I am a betting man, that iffn you did those, you'd be golden.

b4k4^2

[link\|mailto:curley95@attbi.com\|greg] - IT Grand-Master for President
[link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!]
[link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,857673,00.asp\|2004, the year Microsoft develops for Linux ]
Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds: The DHS [link\|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberspace_strategy.pdf\|Cyberer-Stratergery]. The ultimate in Cyber.

Post #97,445

by Another Scott

4/20/03 6:37:57 PM

3c579

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your help. Sorry about the delay.

The EISA Ehternet card is a 3c579 Etherlink III. It's an AUI and BNC card. I've got some BNC cables and a hub that accepts a BNC uplink and 10BaseT connectors, but I haven't tried working out how the connections to the 3c579 would work out. (I do have the 3com manual for it.) I also can scrounge up some AUI to BNC transceivers, so I'll probably go that route and keep everything wired 10BaseT for simplicity.

The PC only has 64 MB of RAM and is maxed out, so I'm not expecting great performance with it.

Thirdly, iffn you can't read CD-Rs on it, I'd do a Net Install. I'd use the boot-floppy method, then see if it *CAN* see the CDROM and CD-Rs. If not, then do a Network "ftp" install (you can provide ftp services right?)

I still haven't checked for sure to see if the SCSI CD-ROM can read CD-Rs. That's next on the ToDo list...

Yes, the other two PCs I have (Win2k and MacOS 8.6) can provide FTP services. The issue with doing it over the network is 1) having a Knoppix distribution that understands the UltraStor card (as I understand the later versions do), and 2) getting the OS to see the 3c579 and getting it wired up.

Are you still offering CDs? If so, I'll contact you via e-mail and throw some cash your way.

Thanks!

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #97,460

by folkert

4/20/03 8:09:11 PM

As always:

Send e-mail with the needed and pertinent info I need to "MAIL" you, you CDs. To the address below.

8 Debian Woody v3.0r1 CDs
3 Knoppix "latest"
1 CD with 'Doze stuff on it.

Thar yeah be.

b4k4^2

[link\|mailto:curley95@attbi.com\|greg] - IT Grand-Master for President
[link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!]
[link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,857673,00.asp\|2004, the year Microsoft develops for Linux ]
Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds: The DHS [link\|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberspace_strategy.pdf\|Cyberer-Stratergery]. The ultimate in Cyber.

Post #97,461

by Another Scott

4/20/03 8:47:45 PM

Danke! Mail sent.

Post #103,487

by Another Scott

5/25/03 12:09:30 PM

3c579 no go. DE-220PCT working under Warp 3 Connect.

Just another update in our continuing saga...

I spent a vacation day fighting with the 3c579 but never was able to get it to work. The activity light on my DI-704P router never blinked when it was hooked up running Warp 3 Connect. The DOS diagnostics seem to indicate the card is OK (it fails on loopback tests IIRC, but I don't have a loopback cable so that isn't unexpected). So I gave up on it and installed the ISA DE-220PCT card I bought for $15 a couple of years ago.

Of course, the driver disk didn't have OS/2 driver .NIF files, and neither did D-Link's web page. Luckily, while IBM's Device Driver Pak web page didn't have one for the 220PCT either, it did have one for the 220P and that works.

Almost immediately after the install and configuration under Warp the D-Link card worked fine. Except for the fact that DNS wasn't doing anything. But that was a minor issue. I was able to set up Peter Moylan's wonderful little ftpd and transfer everything off the Warp machine to my Win2k machine with ncftp (using IP numbers) in a few hours.

Today I got DNS lookups working - I apparently had the wrong DNS server listed in \\MPTN\\ETC\\RESOLV2. So at least under Warp 3, everything's ok with the 486 box. Now just to get a WAP and a wireless bridge so I can shift the 486 into an upstairs bedroom and still have it on the 'net with my 10baseT boxes...

Back on-topic:
I've also discovered that some of my previous Knoppix questions here are answered at the [link|http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/KnoppixFaq|KnoppixFaq]. I wasn't seeing anything but blank pages there earlier due to Privoxy blocking the pages. But unfortunately, there's nothing I've been able to find about how to get Knoppix to recognize the UltraStor SCSI controller or how to list what things it is able to find during the attempted hardware detection or how to force it to use my hardware. Any pointers?

Assuming I'm unable to get it to recognize the UltraStor controller, my next attempt will be to try to install an old version of Caldera on it (assuming I can find it in my stash). If that doesn't go, I'll install the ISA hard drive interface and 30 GB drive (once I get long enough drive cables) and see what it's happy with.

At the moment, it looks like Warp 3 Connect may be the terminal OS for the box in its present configuration and I'll have to conclude that Knoppix just isn't good for old boxes with obscure hardware. And (if so) that's OK. :-)

Thanks for any tips.

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #102,381

by Another Scott

5/17/03 2:07:58 PM

K 3.2 CD written. Boot floppy written. But no go. :-(

After a couple of false starts (e.g., incorrectly copying the .ISO file to the CD-R disk rather than writing it as an .ISO), I managed to burn a good copy of Knoppix 3.2 (downloaded 5/11/2003 from a German mirror). I burned it at 4x and the 486 SCSI CD-ROM can read it when booted in Win95B or OS/2. Yaaaa!

The boot floppy (made with "rawrite2 -f boot.img -d A" from Win2k (note that "boot-en.img" doesn't exist on this CD though it did on my copy of K 3.1)) works fine - I get the splash screen and the "boot:" prompt.

But, when vmlinuz.... trundles for a while, it dies and I get "Boot failed: please change disks and press a key to continue" no matter what options I specify at the "boot:" prompt when I try to boot the 486 from the boot floppy and the CD. :-(

I've tried:

failsafe
knoppix 2
expert
knoppix noapic noagp noapm noaudio noddc nofirewire nopcmcia lang=us
expert noapic noagp noapm noaudio noddc nofirewire nopcmcia lang=us

I always get the same error, "Boot failed: ..." I've never seen the CD-ROM light come on while it's trying to boot.

The 486 has no "boot from CD" option in the BIOS, so I've got to use the boot floppy.

How do I specify that it has the VLB UltraStor controller? Do I have to tell it that the graphics card is VLB as well? How do I find out why the bootup is failing? What's the format of a "knoppix.sh" file? What should go there? Any other things I should (a nearly complete newbie) should know to get this beastie running under Knoppix?

If it matters, the graphics card is a Diamond Stealth Pro VLB card (S3 -86C928) with 1 MB of video RAM.

Thanks!

Cheers,
Scott.

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