Subject: Old machine kernel available

From: Dave Gilbert <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 1997 23:43:13 +0100

Hi,
  I've just put up a kernel for the A440/R260 etc. It's available
only via http at the moment at
http://www.treblig.demon.co.uk/Image
(http://www.treblig.demon.co.uk/Image.html has a link to that
so that you can press shift-click on the link so Netscape downloads
it as a file).

It has Acorn SCSI (read only) built in, Acorn Ether1, Ether3, MFM.
NFS, ext2, MSDOS and ADFS (Read only) file systems and has been
configured to allow NFS root filesystems.

WIERDO ALERT: F12 is mapped to space (space also works as space) -
because the space key keeps failing on one of my machines.

Its presently running happily on my A440/1 with root and swap on a
64MB MFM drive and on an R260 with 8MB of RAM with root fs on my PC via
NFS and no swap.  On both machines it will mount read only the ADFS
filesystem on my Acorn SCSI card drives.

Note: At the moment ARM Linux can't cope with R260's/A540's with more
than 8MB of RAM because we don't know how Acorn has implemented it.

It is A LOT faster on ARM 3 machines than previous versions - the downer
is that there is the potential of some screen corruption at the moment
from editors which use scrolling subwindows on the console - although
this effect hasn't actually been observed.

Another problem: The standard boot loader doesn't work on Risc OS 2.

Dave
-- 
---------------------------------------------------- Man can not live  -
 David Alan Gilbert - gro.gilbert @ treblig.org ---- by bread alone. He 
---------------------------------------------------- needs chocolate.  -

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From: "A.S.MCGough" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 14:06:24 +0100 (BST)

> so that you can press shift-click on the link so Netscape downloads

Ok I've downloaded the file but have a few questions before I try some 
things....

I want to run it on a few R260's (pretty standard modles no extras), so 
think that this will be the best kernel to try.

> configured to allow NFS root filesystems.

Cool - looks as though this will give me most of the stuff I need. Though 
what is the problem with the Acorn SCSI being read-only? can I put 
arm-linux bins on it or not? Also how do I configure where the nfs mount 
for / should go? 
 
> because the space key keeps failing on one of my machines.

Strange - but not unwarented - how is this done as the shift keys have 
gone on a few of the keyboards here. And in general how do I compile 
kernels - I've been reading the group for a while but I'm still not clear 
on what to do, I've got a pc running linux if cross compiling is the best 
way - but how do I set this up?

> filesystem on my Acorn SCSI card drives.

Anyone know if the R260 has an MFM interface - cos I got some of these 
drives spare.

> Another problem: The standard boot loader doesn't work on Risc OS 2.

Where can I get a working boot loader from / patches to correct the 
current one?

steve..

---

From: David Alan Gilbert <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 14:22:22 +0000

> Ok I've downloaded the file but have a few questions before I try some

Sure....

> think that this will be the best kernel to try.

I'd be interested in knowing two things about your R260's
  1) How much RAM have they got? - the kernel doesn't know about more than
     8MB because we don't know what Acorn have done to the hardware to do it.
  2) What hard drives have they got (If you could give me the output of
     *devices) - we appear to have found a firmware bug in the one in
     my R260. So I'm interested in the version as well.
  3) YOu don't happen to have any spare RAM cards/semidead R260s? If I could
     get hold of another RAM card I might be able to get it going with 12MB
     or more.

> arm-linux bins on it or not? Also how do I configure where the nfs mount

At the time I built the kernel the code was broken; Russ has now fixed it.
We now have working writes to Acorn SCSI (I' ll build a new kernel tonight
and put it up) - although using them on the hard drive in my R260 causes
problems
due to the above mentioned firmware bug. (Russ can you do us a work around?)
he NFS mount options are the same as for Linux/x86.

> gone on a few of the keyboards here.

In arch/arm/drivers/char there is a keymap file; find the key you want,
find the entry for what you want it to do and change the table.

> And in general how do I compile

OK - get the standard GCC-2.7.2.2 source and binutils source, apply the patches
on the arm linux web site and build.  NOTES:
  1) The gcc-2.7.2.2 patch has a screwup in it; it will ask you if you want
     to reverse a patch - DO NOT REVERSE THE PATCH
  2) Edit the gcc/config/arm/t-linux file; there is a line which says something
     like:
     LIBGCC1=libgcc1-asm.a

     add a line which is the same but reads
     CROSS_LIB............. (as other line)

     There is a line which says m2/m3/m6/m7 remvoe the /m7.

Build binutils and then gcc, configured for arm-unknown-linuxaout
and then edit the kernel makefile for the cross compile tools 
to point to where you put your bins, and then follow the README.arm
file as normal.

> Anyone know if the R260 has an MFM interface - cos I got some of these

The R260 doesn't as standard but you can add a card, and you might still
be able to find some.

> Where can I get a working boot loader from / patches to correct the

Well I think I might have a hacked one - I'll dig it out!
(Damn - I don't think it allowed you to edit the command line options for NFS
mount...)
(Russ - do you know what is needed to make your boot
loader work?)

Dave
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