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3.4 Installing Red Hat Linux/Alpha

Installing Red Hat Linux/Alpha

3.4.1 Making a Boot disk

Making a Boot disk

The first step in installing Red Hat Linux/Alpha is creating a boot disk; which boot disk to use depends on the hardware you have. A variety of boot disk images are available on the Red Hat Linux/Alpha CD in the images directory, along with a README containing more information about the various images which are available.

Available boot images include:

  1. cab.img (AlphaPC64, Cabriolet)
  2. noname.img (AxpPCI33, Noname, Universal Desktop Box)
  3. eb64p.img (EB64+, Aspen Timberlines)
  4. eb66.img (EB66)
  5. eb66p.img (EB66+)
  6. jensen.img (Jensens)
  7. avanti.img (AlphaStation 200, 250, 400)
  8. xl.img (Alpha XL)
  9. xlt.img (Alpha XTL)
  10. eb164.img (EB164 based machines)
  11. p2000.img (Platform 2000)
  12. pc164.img (Alcor based machines)
  13. alcor.img (Alcor based machines)
  14. mikasa.img (Mikasa based machines)

All of these images should work on machines with either VGA or TGA based graphics boards. To create a floppy from these images, use rawrite.exe under MS-DOS or MS-Windows (it is available in the dosutils directory), or dd under Linux or Unix.

3.4.2 Beginning the Install

Beginning the Install

Installing Red Hat Linux/Alpha requires the use of a ramdisk. Several ramdisk images are on the Red Hat Linux/Alpha CD in the images directory. To begin the install, boot to the MILO prompt and insert your boot disk in your first floppy drive. Then give this command to MILO:

boot fd0:vmlinux.gz root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1 

MILO reads the Linux kernel from your boot disk and runs it. The kernel loads a basic system from the remainder of the floppy and runs the installation program. If you are using the SRM console, the

load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1 

command must be given to the kernel as arguments for the install to begin properly. Red Hat Linux/Alpha supports two varieties of hard drive partitioning:

3.4.3 Finishing Up

Finishing Up

After the install is finished and your system is fully configured, you will be asked to reset your computer. This indicates that your system has been successfully installed.


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