[Rule-list] rawrite and dd [was: non-ide cd PC #12]

[Martin Stricker]

Richard Kweskin wrote:

> > Ok, I may have a fix for you. Try this:
> > http://www.tuxfan.homeip.net:8080/rule/miniconda/updates-v0.7.0.img
> >
> > Try writting that image to a floppy with the rawrite utility on the
> > Red Hat CD.
> 
> I get stuck in a similar place so I want to try this too. Does rawrite
> break down a 4mb image into more than one disk? What does dd in linux
> do with this?

rawrite and dd do exactly the same: copying data from one block device
to another on a *low level*. While cp asks the filesystem do do the
copying, dd/rawrite read/write *directly* to the device. If you look
closely on the .img file you will see it's a *complete* filesystem. you
can even mount it using a loop device with `mount -o loop`, just like an
ISO image. So with dd/rawrite you don't have to format the floppy (which
is the reason you end up with an ext2 filesystem even while using
Windows.

You cannot break a 4 MB filesystem into smaller pieces with dd/rawrite,
you need to break it into smaller filesystems. Try doing this by
mounting them on a loop device, the filesystem will grow or shrink as
needed (it's a file *and* a filesystem...). Then you can write them on a
floppy. Sorry, you need Linux for this.

Best regards,
Martin Stricker
-- 
Homepage: http://www.martin-stricker.de/
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