Re: [gentoo-alpha] ABOOT problem: Is the LiveCD the right method to install on Alpha

["Raúl Porcel" <armin76@gentoo.org>]

Hi Romuald,

I just replied you on the forums.

On 02/26/2011 12:30 PM, Romuald Lobet wrote:
> Dear Gentoo/Alpha geeks
> 
> Currently I am willing to bring an API CS20D AlphaServer, fitted with
> two EV68AL, back to life. I can access this very compact but very loud
> machine through a serial console, and ultimately get a remote display
> with VNC on my iMac hopefuly in a very near future.
> 
> One last trick to solve: ABOOT starts the kernel, and the initrd goes up
> to the selection of the keymap. Then, it says:
> Code:
> !! The root block device is unspecified or not detected.
>    Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell...
> boot() ::
> 
> Why do I get there? 
> 
> Because of the simplistic hardware configuration, there is no
> possibility to connect a display, and it is hard to plug the box over
> the internet. Previously, I did start the installation from the usual
> minimal iso image, however the process described in the documents, using
> standard emerge commands was too lengthy and leave the machine in an
> unknown state because the compilation stopps in the middle of nowhere.
> So, I choose to start from the LiveCD available for download on the
> official website http://distfiles.gentoo.org/experimental/alpha/livecd/.
> 
> Obviously, the way Gentoo works with packages allows us to do so, after
> all the simple "emerge --update --deep world" can do the trick to bring
> the live system back to the current stand. Since the current stand is
> moving quite fast these days, and because the settings of the compiler
> suite and compilable source can be a painful process that can leave this
> noisy and power hungry server alive for days. I think this can be a good
> method to cope to underlying problems of the very fluidic and fast
> changing Gentoo distribution.
> 
> Doing so, I could finaly step over the Chapter One of Gentoo Handbook,
> and start with real things which are unfortunately only briefly
> discribed in the handbooks available on internet. But obviously, there
> is something not clear in the documentation, or at least the information
> is not well sorted, how Gentoo is Booting on AlphaServers.
> 
> There is no other example of aboot.conf than the one delivered with the
> distribution itself, so I took it and simply copied into etc/aboot.conf
> of the target system. This brought the Gentoo box to a semi-finished
> product: After a short cp /mnt/livecd sda1 I was pretty much ready with
> the basic programs. The following aboot.conf summarize all trials
> 
> 0:/boot/gentoo initrd=/boot/gentoo.igz root=/dev/sda1 init=/linuxrc
>  dokeymap console=ttyS0
> 1:/boot/gentoo initrd=/boot/gentoo.igz root=/dev/sda2 init=/linuxrc
>  dokeymap console=ttyS0
> 3:/boot/gentoo initrd=/boot/gentoo.igz root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc
>  dokeymap looptype=squashfs
> loop=/image.squashfs
> 4:/boot/gentoo initrd=/boot/gentoo.igz root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc
>  dokeymap looptype=squashfs
> loop=/image.squashfs console=ttyS0
> (*) of course all files mentionned here were copied into their proper
> locations
> 
> 
> I had a look in the MAN Pages of aboot.conf, abootconf and aboot, but
> the explanation is rather simplistic. I also read the threads regarding
> problem configuring the bootloader and Gentoo aboot issues on alpha
> ev56, but I don't think we are in these cases. Thinking I just lack one
> parameter in my aboot.conf, it would be very interesting if someone
> would extend the explanation in the man pages, to include an explanation
> about the last parameter "cdroot" and also the meaning of "looptype"
> "zisofs". Perhaps I need to flash the kernel is the first sectors of the
> harddrive, like it is done with fd0 boot disks, using the brute-force DD
> command! What else will I miss, the configuration of EMERGE perhaps ?
> 
> Gentoo Forums :: View Forum - Gentoo on Alternative Architectures
> <http://forums.gentoo.org/viewforum-f-32.html>
> Is the LiveCD the right method to installon Alpha: 0: 14:
> ali_baba_in_alpha_caves Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:00 pm:
> ali_baba_in_alpha_caves Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:00 pm
> http://forums.gentoo.org/viewforum-f-32.html
> 
> Kindest regards,
> 
> Romuald