Bug 58500

Summary: "Canned" boot configuration not too useful
Product: [Retired] Red Hat Linux Reporter: Michal Jaegermann <michal>
Component: kernelAssignee: Beth Uptagrafft <bhu>
Status: CLOSED DEFERRED QA Contact: Brian Brock <bbrock>
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: 7.3   
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: alpha   
OS: Linux   
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Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
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Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: 2002-01-30 18:46:40 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Description Michal Jaegermann 2002-01-18 05:28:18 UTC 
Description of Problem:


After applying patches to kernel sources to make them bootable and
using kernel-2.4.9-alpha-BOOT.config for a .config file to create a
"rescue" kernel it turns out that its usefulness is rather limited.
There is no way to mount CD if a drive is ATAPI as ide_cd is a module
which is missing (and which can be retrieved with some effort from
'ramdisk.img' which is, obviously, on CD).  Also bringing up
network is not that simple because 'service network start' assumes
that NETLINK support is present but in a configuration used this is
not true.  Floppy still works.  Probably a grave oversight.

Seriously, there are practically no other CD devices on Alphas as SCSI
and ATAPI as firmware limits choices so compiling in ide_cd support
would make it much more usable.  Making a boot kernel "network ready"
would be nice as well.  There is still enough space on a floppy for
such big splash.
Comment 1 Phil Copeland 2002-04-22 04:44:35 UTC 
Humm

Well if you have the first ISO of the CD install you can actually pass the boot
command argument 'rescue', and the CD will bootup and come to rest at a shell
prompt from which you should be able to access the HD and make all the repairs
needed

This also works for the generic/ramdisk floppies.

The floppies are quite packed. I fear that 1440K just isn't enough these days.

Phil
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