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-
-
-
-4mb-Laptops
-
-
-
-----
-
-!!!4mb Laptop HOWTO
-
-!!Bruce Richardson <brichardson@lineone.net>
-25 March 2000
-
-
-----
-''How to put a "grown-up" Linux on a small-spec (4mb RAM, <=200mb hard disk)
-laptop.
-''
-----
-
-
-
-
-!!1. Introduction
-
-
-*1.1 Why this document was written.
-
-*1.2 What use is a small laptop?
-
-*1.3 Why not just upgrade the laptop?
-
-*1.4 What about 4mb desktop machines?
-
-*1.5 What this document doesn't do.
-
-*1.6 Where to find this document.
-
-*1.7 Copyright
-
-
-
-
-
-!!2. The Laptops
-
-
-*2.1 Basic Specifications
-
-*2.2 The Problem
-
-*2.3 The Solution
-
-
-
-
-
-!!3. Choices Made
-
-
-*3.1 What to use to create the initial root partition?
-
-*3.2 The Distribution
-
-*3.3 Which installation method to use?
-
-*3.4 Partition Layout
-
-*3.5 Which components to install?
-
-
-
-
-
-!!4. The Pre-installation Procedure
-
-
-*4.1 muLinux Preparation
-
-*4.2 Prepare the installation root files.
-
-*4.3 Create the partitions.
-
-
-
-
-
-!!5. The Installation
-
-
-*5.1 Boot the machine
-
-*5.2 Floppy/Parport CD-ROM Install
-
-*5.3 Network/PCMCIA Install
-
-*5.4 Set-up
-
-*5.5 Pre-reboot Configuration
-
-*5.6 Post-reboot Configuration.
-
-
-
-
-
-!!6. Conclusion
-
-
-
-
-!!7. Appendix A:
-
-
-*7.1 A - Base Linux System
-
-*7.2 AP - Non-X Applications
-
-*7.3 D - Development Tools
-
-*7.4 E - Emacs
-
-*7.5 F - FAQs and HOWTOs
-
-*7.6 K - Kernel Source
-
-*7.7 N - Networking Tools and Apps
-
-*7.8 Tetex
-
-*7.9 Y - BSD Games Collection
-
-*7.10 End result
-
-
-
-
-
-!!8. Appendix B: Resources relevant to this HOWTO
-----
-
-!!1. Introduction
-
-!!1.1 Why this document was written.
-
-
-
-I got my hands on two elderly laptops, both with just 4mb RAM and small
-(<=200mb) hard drives. I wanted to install Linux on them. The documentation
-for this kind of laptop all recommends installing either a mini-Linux or an
-old (and therefor compact) version of one of the professional distributions.
-I wanted to install an up-to-date professional distribution.
-
-!! 1.2 What use is a small laptop?
-
-
-
-Plenty. It isn't going to run X or be a development box (see
-Which components to install?) but if you
-are happy at the console you have a machine that can do e-mail, networking,
-writing etc. Laptops also make excellent diagnostic/repair tools and the utilities
-for that will easily fit onto small laptops.
-
-!!1.3 Why not just upgrade the laptop?
-
-
-
-Upgrading old laptops is not much cheaper than upgrading new ones. That's
-a lot to spend on an old machine, especially considering that the manufacturer
-isn't supporting it any more and spare parts are hard to find.
-
-!!1.4 What about 4mb desktop machines?
-
-
-
-The procedure described in this document will work perfectly well on a
-desktop PC. On the other hand, upgrading a desktop machine is far easier and
-cheaper than upgrading a laptop. Even if you don't upgrade it, there are still
-simpler options. You could take out the hard disk, put it in a more powerful
-machine, install Linux, trim it to fit and then put the disk back in the old
-machine.
-
-!!1.5 What this document doesn't do.
-
-
-
-This document is not a general HOWTO about installing Linux on laptops
-or even a specific HOWTO for either of the two machines mentioned here. It
-simply describes a way of squeezing a large Linux into a very small space,
-citing two specific machines as examples.
-
-!!1.6 Where to find this document.
-
-
-
-The latest copy of this document can be found in several formats at
-http://website.lineone.net/~brichardson/linux/4mb_laptops/.
-
-!!1.7 Copyright
-
-
-
-This document is copyright (c) Bruce Richardson 2000. It may be distributed
-under the terms set forth in the LDP license at sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/COPYRIGHT.html.
-
-
-This HOWTO is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or modify
-it under the terms of the LDP license. This document is distributed in the
-hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied
-warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the LDP
-license for more details.
-
-
-Toshiba and T1910 are trademarks of Toshiba Corporation. Compaq and Contura
-Aero are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation.
-----
-
-!!2. The Laptops
-
-
-This section describes the laptops that I have used this procedure on,
-the problems faced when installing Linux on them and the solutions to those
-problems (in outline).
-
-!!2.1 Basic Specifications
-
-
-!Compaq Contura Aero
-
-
-
-
-
-*25MHz 486SX CPU
-*
-
-*4mb RAM
-*
-
-*170mb Hard Disk
-*
-
-*1 PCMCIA Type II slot
-*
-
-*External PCMCIA 3.5" Floppy drive
-The PCMCIA floppy drive has a proprietary interface which is partly handled
-by the Aero's unique BIOS. The Linux PCMCIA drivers can't work with it. According
-to the PCMCIA-HOWTO, if the drive is connected when the laptop boots it will
-work as a standard drive and Card Services will ignore the socket but it is
-not hot-swappable. However, I found that the drive becomes inaccessible as
-soon as Card Services start unless there is a mounted disk in the drive. This
-has implications for the installation process - these are covered at the relevant
-points.
-
-*
-
-
-!Toshiba T1910
-
-
-
-
-
-*33MHz 486SX CPU
-*
-
-*4mb RAM
-*
-
-*200 mb Hard Disk
-*
-
-*Internal 3.5" Floppy drive
-*
-
-*1 PCMCIA Type II/III slot
-*
-
-
-!!2.2 The Problem
-
-
-
-The small hard disks and the lack of an internal floppy on the Aero make
-the installation more tricky than normal but the real problem is the RAM. None
-of the current distributions has an installation disk that will boot in 4mb,
-not even if the whole hard disk is a swap partition.
-
-
-The standard installation uses a boot disk to uncompress a root-partition
-image (either from a second floppy or from CD-ROM) into a ram-disk. The root-image
-is around 4mb in size. That's all the RAM available in this scenario. Try it
-and it freezes while unpacking the root-image.
-
-!!2.3 The Solution
-
-
-
-The answer is to eliminate the ram-disk. If you can mount root on a physical
-partition you will have enough memory to do the install. Since the uncompressed
-ram-disk is too big to fit on a floppy, the only place left is on the hard
-disk of the laptop. The steps are:
-
-
-
-
-
-#Find something that will boot in 4mb ram and which can also create ext2
-partitions.
-#
-
-#Use it to create a swap partition and a small ext2 partition on the laptop's
-hard disk.
-#
-
-#Uncompress the installation root-image and copy it onto the ext2 partition.
-#
-
-#Boot the laptop from the installation boot-disk, pointing it at the ext2
-partition on the hard disk.
-#
-
-#The installation should go more or less as normal from here.
-#
-
-
-
-The only question was whether a distribution that wouldn't install (under
-normal circumstances) on the laptops would run on them. The short answer is
-"Yes".
-
-
-If you're an old Linux hand then that's all you need to know. If not, read
-on - some of the steps listed above aren't as simple as they look.
-----
-
-!!3. Choices Made
-
-
-This section describes the choices available, which options are practical,
-which ones I decided on and why.
-
-!!3.1 What to use to create the initial root partition?
-
-
-
-The best tool for this is a mini-Linux. There's a wide selection of small
-Linuces available on the net, but most of them won't boot in 4mb RAM. I found
-two that will:
-
-
-
-
-; __!SmallLinux
-http://smalllinux.netpedia.net/__:
-
-!SmallLinux will boot in as little as 2mb RAM but its
-root disk can't be taken out of the drive, which is a shame since otherwise
-it has everything we need (i.e. fdisk, mkswap and mkfs.ext2). !SmallLinux can
-create the needed partitions but can't be used to copy the root partition.
-; __muLinux
-http://sunsite.auc.dk/mulinux/__:
-
-muLinux will boot in 4mb but only in a limited single-user
-mode. In this mode fdisk and mkswap are available but mkfs.ext2 and the libraries
-needed to run it are on the /usr partition which is not available in maintenance
-mode. To use muLinux to do the whole pre-installation procedure the files needed
-to create ext2 file-systems must be extracted from the usr disk image and copied
-onto a floppy.
-
-
-
-This gives the option of either using !SmallLinux to create the partitions
-and muLinux to copy the root partition or using muLinux to do the whole job.
-Since I had two laptops I tried both.
-
-!!3.2 The Distribution
-
-
-
-It didn't take much time to choose Slackware. Apart from the fact that
-I like it but haven't used it much and want to learn more, I considered the
-following points:
-
-
-
-
-
-*Slackware has possibly the most low-tech DIY install of all the major distributions.
-It is also one of the most flexible, coming with a wide range of boot-disk
-kernels to suit many different machines. This makes it well suited to the kind
-of hacking about required in this scenario.
-*
-
-*Slackware supports all the methods listed in
-Which Installation method to use?.
-*
-
-*Slackware is a distribution designed by one person. I'm sure Patrick Volkerding
-won't object if I say this means its configuration tools are simpler and more
-streamlined. In my opinion this makes the job of trimming the installation
-to fit cramped conditions easier.
-*
-
-
-
-Version 7.0 was the latest version when I tried this so that's what I used.
-
-!But I don't like Slackware!
-
-
-You don't have to use it. I can't answer for all the distributions but
-I know that Debian, Red Hat and SuSE offer a range of installation methods
-and have an "expert" installation procedure
-Does Debian do any other kind?
-which can be used here. Most of the steps in this document would apply
-to any of the distributions without change.
-
-
-If you haven't used the expert method with your preferred distribution
-before, do a trial run on a simple desktop machine to get the feel of it and
-to explore the options it offers.
-
-!! 3.3 Which installation method to use?
-
-
-
-
-
-; __Floppy Install__:
-
-This means churning out 15 floppies - which only gives
-you an absolute minimal install and requires a second stage to get the apps
-you want on. It's also ''very'' slow on such low-spec machines. This is a last
-resort if you can't make the others work.
-; __Parallel-port Install__:
-
-Where the parallel port has an IDE device,
-parallel cable or pocket ethernet adaptor
-A pocket lan adaptor installation onto these machines will be ''very'' slow.
-attached. This would be a good choice for the Aero, leaving the
-PCMCIA slot free to run the floppy drive.
-; __PCMCIA Install__:
-
-As above, this could be a CD-ROM or network install.
-This would be the best method for the T1910 - on the Aero it's a bit more awkward.
-; __ISA/PCI Ethernet Install__:
-
-Not an option for the laptops, obviously,
-but included in case your target machine is a desktop PC.
-
-
-
-
-
-The tools I had to hand dictated a PCMCIA network install. I will point
-out where steps differ for the other methods. Whichever method you choose,
-you need to have a higher-spec machine available - even if only to create the
-disks for a floppy install.
-
-
-!! 3.4 Partition Layout
-
-
-!Basic Requirement
-
-
-This procedure requires at least two Linux Native partitions in addition
-to a Swap partition. Since one of the ext2 partitions will be in use as temporary
-root during the installation it will not be available as a target partition
-and so should be small - though no smaller than 5mb. It makes sense to create
-for this a partition that you will re-use as /home after installation is complete.
-Another option would be to re-create it as a DOS partition to give you a dual
-boot laptop.
-
-!How complex a layout?
-
-
-There isn't room to get too clever here. There is an argument for having
-a single ext2 partition and using a swap file to avoid wasting space but I
-would strongly urge creating a separate partition for /usr. If you have only
-one partition and something goes wrong with it you may well be faced with a
-complete re-installation. Separating /usr and having a small partition for
-/ makes disaster recovery a more likely prospect. On both machines I created
-4 partitions in total:
-
-
-
-
-
-#A swap partition -- 16mb on the T1910, 20 on the Aero (I'm more likely
-to upgrade the memory on the Aero).
-#
-
-#/home (temporary root during installation) -- 10mb
-#
-
-#/ -- 40mb on the T1910, 30mb on the Aero.
-#
-
-#/usr -- All the remainder.
-#
-
-
-
-In addition, the Aero uses hda3 for a 2mb DOS partition containing configuration
-utilities. See the Aero FAQs for details.
-
-!! 3.5 Which components to install?
-
-
-
-The full glibc libraries alone would nearly fill the hard disks so there's
-no question of building a development machine. It looks as if a minimal X installation
-can be squeezed in but I'm sure it would crawl and I don't want it anyway.
-I decide to install the following (for a full listing see
-Appendix A):
-
-
-
-
-
-*The core Linux utilities
-*
-
-*Assorted text apps from the ap1 file set:
-*
-
-*Info/FAQ/HOWTO documentation
-*
-
-*Basic networking utilities
-*
-
-*The BSD games
-*
-
-
-
-This selection matches the kind of machine described in
-What use is a small laptop?.
-----
-
-!!4. The Pre-installation Procedure
-
-
-This section covers creating a swap partition and a temporary root partition
-on the laptop's hard disk. Nothing here is Slackware-specific.
-
-!! 4.1 muLinux Preparation
-
-
-
-If you are going to use only muLinux to for this procedure then you need
-to prepare a disk with mkfs.ext2 and supporting libraries on it. From the muLinux
-setup files uncompress USR.bz2 and mount it as a loop file-system. If you are
-in the same directory as the USR file and you want to mount it as /tmpusr then
-the sequence for this is:
-
-
-
-----
-
-losetup /dev/loop0 USR
-mount -t ext2 /dev/loop0 /tmpusr
-
-----
-
-
->From there copy mkfs.ext2, libext2fs.so.2, libcomerr.so.2 and libuuid.so.1
-onto a floppy.
-
-!! 4.2 Prepare the installation root files.
-
-
-
-Select the root disk you want - I used the color one with no problems but
-the text one would be slightly faster in these low memory conditions. Uncompress
-the image and mount it as a loop device. The procedure is the same as in the
-above section but the root disk image is a minix file-system.
-
-
-Next you need 3 1722 floppies or 4 1440 floppies with ext2 file-systems
-- it's better with 1722 disks as you don't need to split the /lib directory.
-Give one floppy twice the default number of inodes so it can take the /dev
-directory. That's 432 nodes for a 1722 disk or 368 for a 1440. If you specify
-/dev/fd0H1722 or /dev/fd0H1440 then you don't have to give any other parameters
-so for a 1722 disk do
-
-
-
-----
-
-mke2fs -N 432 /dev/fd0H1722
-
-----
-
-
-If you have mounted the root image as /tmproot and the destination floppy
-as /floppy then cd to /tmproot. To copy the dev directory the command is
-
-
-
-----
-
-cp -dpPR dev/* /floppy/
-
-----
-
-
-For the other directories with files in (bin, etc, lib, mnt, sbin, usr,
-var) it's
-
-
-
-----
-
-cp -dpPr directoryname/* /floppy/
-
-----
-
-
-Don't bother with the empty ones (floppy, proc, root, tag, tmp) because
-you can simply create them on the laptop. boot and cdrom are soft links pointing
-to /mnt/boot and /var/log/mount respectively - you can also create them on
-the laptop.
-
-!!4.3 Create the partitions.
-
-
-!Mini-Linuces and ext2 file-systems - an important note.
-
-
-To save space, small-Linux designers sometimes use older libc5 librariesand
-where they do use up-to-date libc6 they leave out may of the options compiled
-into full distributions, including some optional features of the ext2 file-system.
-This has two consequences:
-
-
-
-
-
-*Trying to mount ext2 disks formatted using a modern Linux system can generate
-error messages if you mount them read-write. Be sure to use the -r option when
-mounting floppies on the laptops.
-*
-
-*It is not wise to use the mkfs.ext2 that comes with the mini-Linux to create
-file-systems on the partitions into which !SlackWare will be installed. It should
-only be used to create the file-system on the temporary root partition. Once
-installation is complete this partition can be reformatted and re-used.
-*
-
-
-!Procedure
-
-
-If installing on an Aero, make sure the floppy drive is inserted before
-switching on and do not remove it.
-
-
-
-
-
-#Boot from the mini-Linux
-With muLinux, wait until the boot-process complains about the small memory
-space and offers the option of dropping into a shell - take that option and
-work in the limited single-user mode it gives you.
-
-#
-
-#Use fdisk to create the partitions.
-#
-
-#Reboot on leaving fdisk (with muLinux you may simply have to turn off and
-on again at this point).
-#
-
-#Use mkswap on the swap partition and then activate it (this will make muLinux
-much happier).
-#
-
-#If using muLinux then mount the extra floppy created in
-muLinux Preparation, copy mkfs.ext2
-into /bin and the libraries into /lib.
-#
-
-#Use mkfs.ext2 to create the file-system on the temporary root partition.
-#
-
-#If you have been using !SmallLinux, shut down and reboot using muLinux.
-Don't forget to activate the swap partition again.
-#
-
-#muLinux will have mounted the boot floppy on /startup - unmount it to free
-the floppy drive.
-#
-
-#Now mount the temporary root partition and copy onto it the contents of
-the disks you created in
-Prepare the installation root files. Do not be alarmed by the error messages: if, for
-example, you copy usr from the floppy to the temporary root partition by typing
-"cp -dpPr usr/* /tmproot/" then you'll get the error message "cp: sr: no such
-file or directory". Ignore this, nothing is wrong.
-#
-
-#cd to the temporary root partition and create the empty folders (floppy,
-proc, root, tag, tmp) and the soft links boot (pointing to mnt/boot) and cdrom
-(to var/log/mount).
-#
-
-#Unmount the temporary root partition - this syncs the disk.
-#
-
-#You can simply turn off the machine now.
-#
-
-----
-
-!!5. The Installation
-
-
-This section does not give much detail on the Slackware installation process.
-In fact, it assumes you are familiar with it. Instead, this section concentrates
-on those areas where special care or unusual steps are required.
-
-!!5.1 Boot the machine
-
-
-
-Make a boot-disk from one of the images. I recommend you use bareapm.i
-on a laptop and bare.i on a desktop - unless you have a parallel-port IDE device
-(pportide.i). Boot the laptop from it. When the boot: prompt appears, type
-"mount root=/dev/hdax" where x is the temporary root partition. Log in as root.
-Then activate the swap partition.
-
-!!5.2 Floppy/Parport CD-ROM Install
-
-
-
-In both these cases, no extra work should be necessary to access the installation
-media. Simply run setup.
-
-!!5.3 Network/PCMCIA Install
-
-
-
-Slackware has supplementary disks with tools for these and instructions
-for their use greet you when you log in. Use the network disk on a desktop
-PC with ethernet card or a laptop with pocket ethernet adaptor. Use the PCMCIA
-disk for PCMCIA install. Once your network adapter/PCMCIA socket has been identified,
-run setup.
-
-!PCMCIA install on the Aero
-
-
-The Slackware installation process runs the PCMCIA drivers from the supplementary
-floppy. Because the Aero has a PCMCIA floppy drive, this means you can't remove
-the floppy drive to insert the PCMCIA CD-ROM/ethernet card. The solution is
-simple: the Slackware PCMCIA setup routine creates /pcmcia and mounts the supplementary
-disk there, so
-
-
-
-
-
-#Create the /pcmcia directory yourself
-#
-
-#Mount the supplementary disk to /mnt. Be sure to specify the type as vfat
-- if you don't, it'll be incorrectly identified as UMSDOS and long filenames
-will be mis-copied.
-#
-
-#cd /mnt;cp -dpPr ./* /pcmcia/
-#
-
-#Unmount the floppy.
-#
-
-#Run pcmcia. When the script complains that there is no disk in the drive
-simply hit Enter: Card Sevices will start. Connect your PCMCIA device and hit
-Enter.
-#
-
-#Run setup
-#
-
-
-!!5.4 Set-up
-
-
-
-The Slackware set-up program is straightforward. Start with the Keymap
-section and it'll take you forward step by step.
-
-!!AddSwap
-
-
-You do need to do this step so it can put the correct entry in fstab but
-make sure it doesn't run mkswap - you're already using the partition.
-
-!Target
-
-
-In this section Slackware asks which partitions will be mounted as what
-and then formats them if you want.
-
-
-The safest bet here is to leave your temporary root partition out altogether
-and just edit fstab later once you know you don't need it for it's temporary
-purpose anymore. If you're going to reuse it as /home then it is OK to designate
-it as /home - obviously, don't format it now! If you intend to re-use it as
-a part of the directory structure that will have files placed in it during
-installation (/var, for example) then you absolutely must ignore it in this
-step: after the installation is complete you can move the files across.
-
-!Select
-
-
-Here you choose which general categories of software to install. I chose
-as follows:
-
-
-
-
-
-*A - Base Linux System
-*
-
-*AP -Non-X applications
-*
-
-*F - FAQs and HOWTOs
-*
-
-*N - Networking tools and apps
-*
-
-*Y - BSD games collection
-*
-
-
-
-I wouldn't recommend adding to this - if anything, prune it back to A,
-AP and N. That gives you a core Linux setup to which you can add according
-to your needs.
-
-! Install
-
-
-Choose the Expert installation method. This allows you to select/reject
-for installation individual packages from the categories you chose in the Selection
-step.
-Appendix A goes through the precise choices I made .
-
-
-This part takes about 3 hours for a PCMCIA network install. You are prompted
-to select individual packages before the installation of each category, so
-you can't just walk away and leave it to run through.
-
-!Configure
-
-
-Once the packages are all installed, you are prompted to do final configuration
-for your machine. This covers areas like networking, Lilo, selecting a kernel
-etc. Some points to look out for:
-
-
-
-
-
-*If you did a PCMCIA install, don't accept the offer to configure your network
-with netconfig. This will ruin your pcmcia networking. Wait until you've rebooted
-and then edit /etc/pcmcia/network.opts
-*
-
-*This is the point where you should install a kernel. For a laptop the bareapm
-kernel is best, for a desktop simply the bare one.
-*
-
-
-!Exit
-
-
-The set-up process is finished but you are not.__ Do not reboot yet! __There
-is another vital step to complete.
-
-!! 5.5 Pre-reboot Configuration
-
-
-
-On a normal machine you would simply reboot once the installation is complete.
-If you do that here you may have to wait 6 or 8 hours for a login prompt to
-appear and another half hour to get to the command prompt. Before rebooting
-you need to change or remove the elements that cause this slowdown. This involves
-editing config files so you need to be familiar with vi, ed or sed.
-
-
-At this stage your future root partition is still mounted as /mnt so remember
-to at that to the paths given here.
-
-
-
-
-; __/etc/passwd__:
-
-Edit this to change root's login shell to ash. ash really
-is the only practical login shell for 4mb RAM.
-; __/etc/rc.d/rc.modules__:
-
-Comment out the line 'depmod -a'. You only need
-to update module dependencies if you have changed your module configuration
-(recompiled or added new ones, for example). On a standard system it only takes
-a second or two and so it doesn't matter that it's needlessly performed each
-time. On a 4mb laptop it can take as much as 8 hours.
-When you do change your
-module set-up you can simply uncomment this line and reboot. Alternatively,
-change this part of the script so that it will only run if you pass a parameter
-at the boot-prompt. For example:
-----
-
-if
[[ "NEWMODULES" == "1"
] ; then
-depmod -a
-fi
-
-----
-; __/etc/rc.d/rc.inet2__:
-
-This script starts network services like nfs.
-You probably don't need these and certainly not at start-up. Rename this script
-to something like RC.inet2 - that will stop it from being run at boot and you
-can run it manually when you need it.
-; __/etc/rc.d/rc.pcmcia__:
-
-On the Aero you should also rename this script,
-otherwise you'll lose the use of your floppy drive on start-up. It's worth
-considering for any other small laptop as well - you can always run it manually
-before inserting a card.
-
-
-
-Once these changes have been made, you are ready to reboot.
-
-!!5.6 Post-reboot Configuration.
-
-
-
-If you made the changes recommended in section
-Pre-reboot configuration then the boot process will
-only take a few minutes, as opposed to several hours. Login as root and check
-that everything is functioning properly.
-
-!Re-use the temporary root.
-
-
-Once you are sure the installation is solid you can reclaim the partition
-you used as the temporary root. Don't just delete the contents, reformat the
-filesystem. Remember, the mke2fs that came with the mini-Linux is out of date.
-
-
-If you intend to re-use this partition as /home, remember not to create
-any user accounts until you have completed this step.
-
-!Other configuration tweaks.
-
-
-In such a small RAM space, every little helps. Go through !SlackWare's BSD-style
-init scripts in /etc/rc.d/ and comment out anything you don't need. Have a
-look at Todd Burgess' Small Memory mini-HOWTO
- http://eddie.cis.uoguelph.ca/~tburgess/ for more ideas.
-----
-
-!!6. Conclusion
-
-
-That's it all done. You now have a laptop with the core utilities in place
-and 50 to 70mb spare for whichever extras you need. Don't mess it up because
-it's a lot easier to modify an existing installation on such cramped old machines
-than it is to start from scratch again.
-----
-
-!! 7. Appendix A:
-
-
-This appendix lists which packages (if any) from each category might be
-included in the installation and gives my reasons for including or omitting
-them. I made no attempt to install X so those categories are ignored.
-
-
-Although this appendix refers specifically to the Slackware distribution
-it can be used as a guide with any of the major distributions.
-
-!!7.1 A - Base Linux System
-
-
-
-Most of the packages in this category are essential, even those that aren't
-listed as required by the Slackware set-up program. Because of this, I've listed
-those packages that I felt could reasonably be left out rather than all the
-non-compulsory packages that I installed.
-
-!Packages considered for omission:
-
-
-
-
-; __kernels (ide, scsi etc.)__:
-
-There's no need to install any of these,
-you get a chance to select a kernel at the very end of the installation process.
-; __aoutlibs__:
-
-This is only needed if you intend to run executables compiled
-in the old a.out format. Omitting it saves a lot of space. Omitted.
-; __bash1__:
-
-Bash2 (simply called bash in the Slackware package list) is
-required for the Slackware configuration scripts but there are a lot of scripts
-that need bash1. I included it.
-; __getty__:
-
-agetty is Slackware's default getty, this package contains
-getty and uugetty as alternatives. Only include it if you need their extra
-functionality. Omitted.
-; __gpm__:
-
-Personally, I find this very useful at the console (and the Aero's
-trackball is very handy) but it's not essential. Included.
-; __icbs2__:
-
-Not needed. Omitted.
-; __isapnp__:
-
-No use
here. Omitted.
-; __loadlin__:
-
-Not needed with the setup described here - unless your old
-laptop has some peculiarity that requires a DOS driver to initialise some of
-its devices. Omitted.
-; __lpr__:
-
-You could argue that you can do your printing from whichever
-desktop is nearest but I always find it useful to be have printing capabilities
-on a laptop. Included.
-; __minicom__:
-
-Not a compulsory include but I want the laptop to do dial-up
-connection. Very handy. Included.
-; __pciutils__:
-
-Not needed on these old laptops. Omitted.
-; __quota__:
-
-Not vital but it can be used to set limits that stop you from
-overflowing the limited space available in these laptops. Included.
-; __tcsh__:
-
-I recommend using ash as your login shell. Only include this
-if you need it for scripts. Omitted.
-; __umsprogs__:
-
-You can leave this out and still be able to access UMSDOS
-floppies. Omitted.
-; __scsimods__:
-
-No use on these laptops. Omitted.
-; __sysklogd__:
-
-This can interfere with apmd but it does provide essential
-information. Included.
-
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-aaa_base, bash, bash1, bin, bzip2, cpio, cxxlibs, devs, e2fsprog, elflibs,
-elvis, etc, fileutils, find, floppy, fsmods, glibcso, gpm, grep, gzip, hdsetup,
-infozip, kbd, ldso, less, lilo, man, modules, modutils, pcmcia, sh_utils, shadow,
-sudo, sysklogd, sysvinit, tar, txtutils, util, zoneinfo
-
-
-Combined size: 33.4
-
-!!7.2 AP - Non-X Applications
-
-
-
-None of these packages are, strictly speaking, essential - although ash
-is really required for sensible operation in 4mb. Leaving them all out could
-save the vital space for you to squeeze in your favourite app. I selected a
-minimal set of tools that I don't like to do without.
-
-!Packages considered for inclusion:
-
-
-
-
-; __apsfilter__:
-
-Not much point having printing if you can only print text
-files. Included.
-; __ash__:
-
-This is ''the'' shell for low-memory machines, only taking up 60k.
-Use it as the default login shell unless you like waiting 10 seconds for the
-command prompt to reappear each time. Included.
-; __editors (jed, joe jove vim)__:
-
-elvis is the default Slackware editor
-and a required part of the installation. If, like me, you are a vi fan then
-that's all you need: installing vim would be wasteful duplication given the
-space restrictions. If you can't stand vi and need a more DOS-style editor
-then joe is small. Emacs fans with some self-discipline might consider jed
-or jove rather than pigging out on the full-size beast. Omitted.
-; __enscript__:
-
-If you already have apsfilter you don't really need this.
-Omitted.
-; __ghostscript__:
-
-Including the fonts this comes to about 7.5mb. One to
-leave until after the core installation, then consider if you need it. Omitted.
-; __groff__:
-
-Needed for the man pages. Included.
-; __ispell__:
-
-Not an essential butvery useful to the overenthusiastic touch-typist.
-included.
-; __manpages__:
-
-Included!
-; __mc__:
-
-Slackware offers a lightweight compilation of mc but I'm happier
-at the command prompt. Omitted.
-; __quota__:
-
-Not necessary on what is not a multi-user machine but you may,like
-me, find it handy to stop you from forgetfully wasting the little space you
-have. Included.
-; __rpm__:
-
-Don't bother. If you do have an rpm that you would like to squeeze
-in, use rpm2tgz on a desktop machine to turn it into a tgz package - then you
-can use the standard Slackware installation tools. Omitted.
-; __sc__:
-
-A useful little spreadsheet packed very small. Included.
-; __sudo__:
-
-Not essential but I find it useful here: it's a cramped environment
-and an awkward reinstall if you mess things up - sudo helps create user profiles
-with the power to do the things you need without carelessly wiping your disk.
-Included.
-; __texinfo__:
-
-Info documentation. Included.
-; __zsh__:
-
-Leave this out unless you're addicted to it or have scripts that
-must use it. Omitted.
-
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-apsfilter,ash, diff, groff, ispell, manpages, quota, sc, sudo, texinfo
-
-
-Combined size: 8.1 mb
-
-!!7.3 D - Development Tools
-
-
-
-You could fit C or C++ into this space but the glibc library package is
-too big, so some pruning would be needed. Do the main installation first and
-then try it.
-
-
-There is room for Perl and Python.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-None
-
-!!7.4 E - Emacs
-
-
-
-I don't use Emacs and so saved myself some space. On the other hand, if
-you are an Emacs fan then you probably use it for e-mail, news and coding so
-you'll claim some of that space back by omitting other packages.
-
-
-If you do want Emacs it might be an idea to leave this out while doing
-the core installation. Once the laptop is up you can try fitting in what you
-want/need at your leisure.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-None.
-
-!!7.5 F - FAQs and HOWTOs
-
-
-
-If you know it all you don't need these. I installed the lot.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-howto, manyfaqs, mini
-
-
-Combined size: 12.4 mb
-
-!!7.6 K - Kernel Source
-
-
-
-You can just squeeze it in. If all you want to do is read the source, go
-ahead.
-
-!Packages Installed:
-
-
-None
-
-!!7.7 N - Networking Tools and Apps
-
-
-
-These packages were selected to provide core networking tools, dial-up
-capability, e-mail, web and news.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-dip, elm, fetchmail, mailx, lynx, netmods, netpipes, ppp, procmail, trn,
-tcpip1, tcpip2, uucp, wget
-
-
-Combined size: 15.1 mb
-
-!!7.8 Tetex
-
-
-
-Another set that will barely squeeze in. I can't say how it would run in
-the space available.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-None
-
-!!7.9 Y - BSD Games Collection
-
-
-
-I'm addicted to several of these. If I really need that last 5mb they can
-go.
-
-!Packages installed:
-
-
-bsdgames
-
-
-Combined size: 5.4 mb
-
-!!7.10 End result
-
-
-
-In total the installed packages plus kernel took up about 75mb of disk
-space of which 19.5mb was in the root partition and 55.5 in /usr. On the Aero
-that left 39mb in /usr, 74mb on the T1910.
-----
-
-!! 8. Appendix B: Resources relevant to this HOWTO
-
-
-
-
-; __Linux Laptop HOWTO__:
-
-
-http://www.snafu.de/~wehe/Laptop-HOWTO.html; __Small Memory mini-HOWTO__:
-
-
- http://eddie.cis.uoguelph.ca/~tburgess/; __Linux on Laptops__:
-
-
-http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/linux-laptop/
-HOWTOs and installation FAQs for a wide range of
-machines.
-; __Linux T1910 FAQ__:
-
-
-http://members.tripod.com/~Cyberpvnk/linux.htm; __Linux Contura Aero FAQ__:
-
-
-http://domen.uninett.no/~hta/linux/aero-faq.html; __Contura Aero FAQ__:
-
-
- http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero/aero.faq
-Comprehensive FAQ on all aspects of the Contura
-Aero compiled by the moderators of the Aero mailing list. Good Linux section
-.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-----
+Describe
[HowTo4mbLaptops
] here.
