Announce: mkparted - update

[robotti]

Added large file support and a few programs to the single floppy version.
The cd and two floppy version has large file support, if you use a 2.4
or later kernel.

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mkparted: v1.0.4 Kent Robotti <address@hidden> 5-27-2002

http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/mkparted
mkparted-1.0.4.tar.gz 1190Kb
ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/mkparted

This is a little package to create a bootable cd or floppy
boot/rescue linux system, with the `parted' program on it.

GNU Parted is a program for creating, destroying, resizing, checking and
copying partitions, and the filesystems on them.  This is useful for creating
space for new operating systems, reorganising disk usage, copying data between
hard disks, and disk imaging.

 * an online tutorial is available at http://www.luv.asn.au/overheads/parted
 * the GNU Parted home page is: http://www.gnu.org/software/parted
 * the GNU Parted ftp site is: ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/parted
 * send bug reports, requests for help, feature requests, comments, etc.
   to: address@hidden

The `mkparted' script will expect to find parted*.tgz, syslinux/*,
and loadlin/loadlin.exe in the same directory as it is.

/mkparted -serial -[cd|fd1|fd2|initrd] -k path_to_kernel
           -p path_to_parted_compiled_source_directory

You should configure parted like this.

/configure CFLAGS="-Os -march=i386" --disable-Werror --prefix=/usr \
--disable-nls --enable-all-static --disable-pc98 ; make

If you want to make it as small as possible, configure it like this.

/configure CFLAGS="-Os -march=i386" --disable-Werror --prefix=/usr \
--disable-nls --enable-all-static --disable-pc98 --disable-debug \
--without-readline ; make

If your version of gcc doesn't accept `-Os' use `-O2' instead.

You must include the "--enable-all-static" option!

If you want to create a two floppy system, with the kernel
on one floppy and parted on the other.

Tell `mkparted' where the chosen kernel is, the kernel can
be as much as 1695 Kb. You'll be told if the kernel is to big.

The kernel must have ram disk and initial ram disk (initrd) support.

# Block devices
#
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM_SIZE=4096
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_INITRD=y

There's a 2.4.18 IDE/SCSI kernel with (ext2/reiserfs/xfs/jfs/msdos/vfat/
umsdos/ufs/ntfs/iso9660) filesystem support at the site. You can use it
or any kernel.

/mkparted -fd2 -k path_to_kernel

You can then create a parted initrd for a second floppy like this.

/mkparted -initrd -p path_to_parted_compiled_source_directory

You can then write `partboot.img' and `partroot.img' to two 1.44 MB floppies.

# dd if=partboot.img of=/dev/fd0
# dd if=partroot-1.6.1.img of=/dev/fd0

If you want to create a single floppy system, with the kernel
and parted on it. The kernel can be as much as 1100 Kb.

There's a 2.4.18 IDE kernel with (ext2/reiserfs/msdos/vfat/umsdos/ufs/ntfs/
iso9660) filesystem support at the site. You can use it or any kernel.

/mkparted -fd1 -k path_to_kernel -p path_to_parted_compiled_source_directory

You can then write `partrtbt-1.6.1.img' to a floppy.

# dd if=partrtbt-1.6.1.img.img of=/dev/fd0

NOTE: You should use a 2.4 or later kernel with the single floppy version,
      otherwise some things won't work properly.

To create a bootable cd version do this.

/mkparted -cd -k path_to_kernel -p path_to_parted_compiled_source_directory

You can then write `partcd-1.6.1.iso' to a cd disk using `cdrecord' etc.

If you want to use a serial console the first option should be '-serial'.
The kernel you use must have serial console support!

The license for the mkparted package is GNU GPL.
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