Getting a Copy of MCC Interim Linux *********************************** There are two ways at present by which you can get a copy of MCC interim versions of Linux: by anonymous ftp, and by visiting MCC. The latter method is available as a service only for students and members of staff of the University of Manchester and of UMIST. Getting MCC interim Linux by anonymous ftp ========================================== MCC interim versions of Linux are released on ftp.mcc.ac.uk [130.88.203.12] in the directory `/pub/linux/mcc-interim'. In this directory there are subdirectories `dos-utils', which contains some commands which you may need if you install Linux from DOS, `0.99.p10+', which contains the current release, and `old', which contains one or more older releases. The current MCC release is also available from sunsite.unc.edu [152.2.22.81] in the directory `/pub/Linux/distributions/MCC', and also from nic.funet.fi [128.214.6.100] in `/pub/OS/Linux/images/MCC-interim'. Other sites sometimes maintain mirrors of the current MCC distribution. The directory `0.99.p10+' contains the current `README' files and the file `BUGS+WARNINGS', which contain important information. (The contents of all of these files have been incorporated into the present document.) It also contains the following subdirectories: `images' This contains the gzipped image of the bootable root disk. `gzip' is the GNU compression utility. `packages' This contains the packages which are optional parts of the MCC interim distribution. `extra_kernels' This contains additional kernels which may be installed as if they were packages. You should not install more than one of these kernels. They contain no support for SCSI or XT disks, and one of them contain no support for NFS or networking. All three MCC kernels contain maths coprocessor emulation code, and support for IDE hard disks and for the minix, ext2, msdos, and proc file systems. boot SCSI, XT, NFS, networking. ide No SCSI, no XT, no NFS, no networking. ipide No SCSI, no XT, networking and NFS support. `extra_packages' This contains packages which for one reason or another have a secondary status. emacs, elisp contain a cut-down version of the `emacs' editor, which we use in our courses at the Computer Centre. A more complete version, which is compiled with support for X windows, is available by anonymous ftp. locinf contains info files which I did not wish to include in the main distribution; these describe `gcc' and how to port it, `cpp', some of the odder parts of `emacs', and other subjects. manpages contains unformatted manual pages. The formatted pages are all that most people need, and they are already contained in the other packages. maps contains the available keyboard maps. It is not needed for US or for UK keyboard maps, which are included in the base package on the root disk. patches contains the patches which, when applied to the corresponding source files, produce the sources compiled in the current release. `source_files' This contains the source files which were used to compile all binaries in the current distribution. After you decide what you need, you may transfer those files in binary mode to any machine which supports ftp. The bootable root disk must be gunzipped and copied to a high density floppy disk, either 3.5 inch 1.44 Mb or 5.25 inch 1.2 Mb, of the sort which can be used to boot the PC on which you intend to install or upgrade Linux. If you have a Linux system which you are upgrading, you may put a formatted floppy into your 0 drive (which DOS calls `A:') and give these commands: fdformat /dev/fd0H1440 (for 3.5 inch disks) fdformat /dev/fd0h1200 (for 5.25 inch disks) gunzip boot-uk.z dd if=boot-uk of=/dev/fd0 bs=18432 (for 3.5 inch disks) dd if=boot-uk of=/dev/fd0 bs=15360 (for 5.25 inch disks) If you are installing Linux on a machine which already contains a version of Linux, you may wish to put the MCC packages in a directory in the existing file system. MCC interim versions at present support only the minix and ext2 file systems. The kernel will not allow you to mount older ext or xiafs file systems. The packages you wish to install should be in a single directory, and they must have the same file names (in lower case) as they do in the MCC distribution directory. You may put all the packages in a DOS directory on the same machine, or you may copy them to floppies. The MCC interim distribution prefers DOS-format floppies, though minix or ext2 floppies will work as well. DOS format floppies will hold more, and will not produce spurious error messages during installation. If you are installing from DOS, you need commands which will gunzip the disk image and copy it to a disk. The commands `GZIP.EXE', `RAWRITE.EXE', and `RAWRITE3.COM' can be found at `ftp.mcc.ac.uk' in the directory `/pub/linux/mcc-interim/dos-utils'. Transfer `GZIPxxx.EXE' and one of the `RAWRITE' commands in binary mode. (The version number `xxx' is currently 123.) The command `GZIPxxx.EXE' is a self-unpacking archive, which creates `GZIP.EXE' and a documentation file. Documentation for the two `RAWRITE' commands can be found in the `dos-utils' directory with the commands; you should normally transfer documentation files in text mode. After unpacking `GZIP.EXE', you should give the following commands: FORMAT A: GZIP -D BOOT.GZ RAWRITE Enter source file name: BOOT Enter destination drive: A: Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -ENTER- : The program `RAWRITE3' is screen-oriented, and may work rather faster than the older `RAWRITE'. If you are installing Linux on a system which already contains a DOS partition, you may find it convenient to put MCC packages in a single directory on that partition. You can also copy them to DOS format floppies. As explained above, the file names must be the same as in the `packages' directory, though under DOS they will, of course, be in upper-case. If you get all packages, they will fit on floppies as follows: 3.5 inch high density floppies: disk 1 base, flex, gpp disk 2 bison, gccb, info disk 3 gcca, gdb, gprof, kermit, tcpip disk 4 gawk, groff, linux, tar 5.25 inch high density floppies: disk 1 base, info, tar disk 2 bison, gcca, groff disk 3 gawk, gccb, gdb disk 4 gpp, kermit, tcpip disk 5 flex, gprof, linux In the latter case, the final disk contains enough space for one of the extra kernels, or for anything else you wish. In either case the maps package fits on the final disk as well. If you wish to get all of the extra packages and kernels, you can fit them on floppies like this: 3.5 inch high density floppies: disk 1 base, gawk, gpp disk 2 elisp, gcca, tar disk 3 gccb, info, patches disk 4 groff, linux disk 5 bison, emacs, flex, gdb disk 6 locinf, manpages, tcpip disk 7 gprof, ide, ipide, kermit, maps 5.25 inch high density floppies: disk 1 base, info, tar disk 2 bison, gcca, groff disk 3 gawk, gccb, gdb disk 4 gprof, linux disk 5 gpp, kermit, ipide disk 6 elisp, flex, tcpip disk 7 emacs, ide, maps disk 8 locinf, manpages, patches This system allows you to create your own packages, which can be installed along with mine. They must be gzipped tar files with the extension `.tgz'. Each package is unzipped and untarred in the root directory. If it contains files `install.setup' and `install.clean', these are executed as shell scripts respectively before and after untarring the archive. If you wish, you may include a file `install.info', which is copied to the screen during installation. The MCC packages all contain a file filename`.crc', which must have the same basename as the `.tgz' file, and which has been generated with the command `brik -Gb'. If such a file exists, the installation uses it to verify the included checksums after `install.clean' is executed. You may omit any packages you wish. Obviously, you cannot recompile the kernel unless you also install gcca and gccb. Bison, flex, gdb, gpp, and gprof are also of little use unless gcca and gccb are installed. The default kernel in the boot disk contain all SCSI disk drivers and XT disk drivers in the kernel as distributed by Linus Torvalds, as well as networking, NFS, and kernel maths coprocessor emulation. It is also possible to install MCC interim packages from a directory on a remote machine which can be mounted on your Linux system using NFS. To do this, you must have a supported Ethernet card. You must already have networking software installed and configured. If necessary, you can install the base and tcpip packages from a floppy disk, get the networking software working, and then install other packages. Getting MCC interim Linux from the MCC shop =========================================== MCC interim Linux is available from the MCC shop to members of the University of Manchester and of UMIST. You can buy a set of diskettes containing the bootable root disk, all the packages, and the two optional kernels with no SCSI support. See above in this file, where these optional kernels are described. You can also obtain a free copy of the printed documentation for MCC interim Linux.