<P><b>What's the advantage of using this program?</b></P>
<P>You can use a bzip2 compressed filesystem, this program is easy to use, and it provides a framework showing a simple initrd method which you can freely
modify. I wrote this program as an extension to BootRoot which was written
<p>
(Explanation from the first gbootroot.)<br>
"You can use a bzip2 compressed filesystem, this program is easy to use, and
it provides a framework showing a simple initrd method which you can freely
modify.
I wrote this program as an extension to BootRoot which was written
as a solution to help oster at EE (www.experts-exchange.com) create separate
boot and root floppies for an emergency system for his customers.</P>
boot and root floppies for an emergency system for his customers."</P>
<P><Ahref="./bootroot.html">BootRoot</A>
was the original program, but it was decided that a GUI approach
was the original program, but I decided that a GUI approach
provided the user much more versatility and power in creating distributions.
</P>
Since the first gBootRoot,
bOOTrOOT has become a full blown distribution creation program.</P>
<P>If you make a cool change to this program, or if this program helps you I'd love to know, that's better than receiving pizza. :)</P>
the UML button. Select root_fs_tomrtbt_1.7.205, and click on the Submit
button.</p>
<P><b>Why doesn't looplinux work as "bootdisk 1?"</b></P>
<P>There is a difference between "1" and "single." Looplinux was written in a
way that runlevel 1 doesn't work properly in relation to gBootRoot unless
single is used. And you thought they were the same thing? gBootRoot
proves otherwise. </P>
<p>
4. Click on the Advanced Boot Section.
Root_fs_tomrtbt is about 16M, so add ramdisk_size=16384 to
the 'append=' entry.
From the main box choose '2 disk compression', and
press on the Root Filesystem button and select root_fs_tomrtbt_1.7.205.bz2.
</p>
5. Click the Submit button on the main box.
Have two floppy disks ready.
<p>
6. When you see Lilo you may access the menu using [Ctrl] and
[Tab] to see the available images.
<P><b>My root filesystem doesn't start in single mode when started like
this:   "bootdisk 1?"</b></P>
<P>
When you start a kernel image with 1, you are telling it to start in runlevel
1, not in single mode.   Use "single" instead.</p>
<p>
Why on the subject, it should be pointed at the setting up init and its
runlevels is one of the
most challenging areas of creating a bootable root_fs.   Often
your creation will only work with "single" until all the conflicts
are resolved.   Things are complicated even futher by the fact that
devices can now be set up in two majors ways: tty? or ttys/? (devfs).
  Fortunately, user-mode-linux comes in very handy for hunting
down all the bugs.
</P>
<P><b>gBootRoot doesn't start because it can't locate Gtk.pm?</b></P>
<p>This program requires Gtk-Perl available from <ahref="http://www.perl.com/CPAN">CPAN</a>, <ahref="http://freshmeat.net/projects/gtk-perl">Freshmeat</a> or most GNU/Linux distributions.</p>
<p><b>There isn't enough room left on my 1440 floppy to make a Boot or Root
disk. Is there any way to free up more space apart from reducing
@ -373,6 +414,34 @@ the size of the kernel?</b></p>
<p>
Move the device size to 1722. This is a trick that <ahref="http://www.toms.net/rb/">tomsrtbt</a> uses on his famous rescue disk.</p>
<p>
(Update 10/05/2001) <br>
Up until mke2fs version 1.19 you were able to do
`mke2fs -F /dev/fd0 1722` on a 1440 device without any problem, but since
then mke2fs has become much more particular about enforcing actual device
size. . Mke2fs will complain:</p>
<p>
"mke2fs: Attempt to write block from filesystem resulted in short write
zeroing block 1600 at end of filesystem."</p>
<p>
I understand Theodore Ts'o reasoning for doing this, but I strongly believe
that the old behavior was very useful for people creating
mini-distributions so I have issued Feature Request (#) at (here).
It should be noted that fdformat is an unacceptable solution because it tends
to be machine specific, and the original mke2fs behavior made floppies that
worked everywhere.
Feel free to add your comments to the Feature Request. Thanks.</p>
<p>
<b>gBootRoot doesn't start because it can't locate Gtk.pm?</b></P>
<p>This program requires Gtk-Perl available from <ahref="http://www.perl.com/CPAN">CPAN</a>, <ahref="http://freshmeat.net/projects/gtk-perl">Freshmeat</a> or most GNU/Linux distributions.</p>
<p><b>If you roll the floppy density counter down to 0 and then try go back
up towards 1440 and 1722, you get very funny figures.</b></p>
freesource
23 years ago