complie a Kernel

[alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com]

hi dan

the "kernel" will boot by itself...

but in addition, you'd need a "file system"...

you might be wanting/thinking, you'd want a "stand alone boot", 
get on the local net,
and download and install the rest of your cluster sw...

to do that... you'd need the kernel plus  the basic initrd stuff

"tomsrtbt" does run linux all by itself.. w/ no hardisk...
( he uses a 1.44Mb floppy....but formated as a 1.77Mb floppy )

- you need to tweek it by:
	- replace his kernel with yours...
	- you may or may not have enough room for your minimum apps
	to get on the local lan...

	- if you use a 4Mb flash disk.... you've got it made...
	it'd be trivial to get your diskless cluster up and running

- you need to tweek mkinitrd, and check into /dev/ram and/or /dev/loop
  devices  and play with initrd.gz files

- after you boot...everything is running off of memory..
  no "hard disk" is needed

- its about a days work to get a "diskless  system booting from fd"
  and running in memory and on the lan...

have fun
alvin
http://www.Linux-Consulting.com/Flash
http://www.Linux-Consulting.com/Boot


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <ds10025 at hermes.cam.ac.uk>
> To: <beowulf at beowulf.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 5:44 PM
> Subject: complie a Kernel
> 
> 
> > Hi
> >
> > I'm putting together a small deskless cluster. I need to complie a basic
> > kernel to fit onto 1.44MB disk. I have found information in doing this my
> > using make xconfig.

most all kernels fit on the floppy...

are you also looking for the "root fs" to also fit on the boot floppy ???
	little trickier but can be done

> > What I want to found what is the basic modules or programs require for the
> > kernel?
> >
> > Are they step by step information to complie a kernel for NFS system.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Dan
> >