path: root/release/INSTALL-binary

-*- Text -*-
Instructions for bootstrapping the Hurd from binary images (i386).
GNU Version 0.2


This is the Hurd.  Welcome.

This directory contains i386 binaries for the Hurd and various
programs built to run under it.  

See the file SOURCES to see where each package came from.  Remember
that you must adhere to the GNU General Public License and the GNU
Library General Public when distributing this binary snapshot.  See
/share/misc/COPYING and /share/misc/COPYING.LIB for copies of these
licenses. 

If you have noticed that these steps are rather long and a bit too
complex, you are right.  One of our upcoming tasks is to develop a
convenient package mechanism and more streamlined installation
procedure. 

Bug reports for programs in this distribution should be sent to the
maintainer of the program.  For a complete list of which mailing lists
get bug reports for which programs, ask `gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu'.

Bug reports for the GNU Hurd should be sent to the mailing list
`bug-hurd@prep.ai.mit.edu'.  Please do not send requests for
assistance in installing or using the software to that address.
Instead, send requests for assistance to the mailing list
`help-hurd@prep.ai.mit.edu'.  You can join these lists by sending a
request to `bug-hurd-request@prep.ai.mit.edu' or
`help-hurd-request@prep.ai.mit.edu' respectively.

In addition, bug reports or requests for help in using the system as a
connected whole (as opposed to for particular programs) should be sent
to the hurd mailing lists.



STEP I:

Fetch the file `grub-boot.image' from the FTP site.  It should be
in the same directory as the Hurd binary image tar file.  Copy this
file onto a fresh floppy with the command:
  dd if=grub-boot.image of=/dev/fd0 bs=512
This is your `grub boot floppy', referred to below.

Unpack the binary distribution onto a fresh disk partition, which
needs to be BSD FFS format or Linux ext2fs format.

Start with a system already running BSD:

  You should ideally use a fresh disk, labelling it with the BSD
  `disklabel' command.

  Make the A partition large enough to hold the entire Hurd binary
  image, and then some, and make a B partition for swap.  Use newfs to
  make a filesystem on the A partition, mount it, and extract the
  entire Hurd image into it.  Make sure you do this as root, and
  remember to give tar the `p' option.
  
Start with a system already running a GNU/Linux system:

  Again, we suggest using a fresh disk.  But you can also use an
  existing partition.  Make it big enough to hold the entire Hurd
  binary image, and then some.  Make sure you have a partition for
  swap too.  Extract the binary image onto the new partition using
  tar; make sure you sue the `p' option to tar.   

If you do not have a system running BSD or a GNU/Linux system, you can
install using the NetBSD boot floppies.  To do this, you do NOT need
to install NetBSD; you will just be using their boot floppies
briefly. 

  Unpack the entire Hurd image somewhere accessible by NFS.  Then see
  the instruction subroutine in this file labelled `Installing from
  NetBSD boot floppies' and follow them.

We plan to have our own boot floppies, which will make this all a fair
bit easier.



STEP II:

You might need to change the device on which paging is done.  This is
done in a file in the Hurd partition called `boot/servers.boot', on
the line which looks like:

  /dev/sd0b $(add-paging-file) $(default-pager)

`sd0b' is the paging device.  Replace this with the correct device
name (this is a mach partition name), or comment out the line if you
don't want paging.  Note that you don't have to do anything to
initialize swap partitions, unlike Linux.  

If your filesystem is an ext2fs filesystem (if you are starting with a
system already running a GNU/Linux system, for example), then you also
should change the reference to /hurd/ufs.static into a reference to
/hurd/ext2fs.static.  

(If you did STEP I using NetBSD boot floppies, then this file should
be /mnt/boot/servers.boot.)



STEP III:

(If you used NetBSD boot floppies, shutdown NetBSD with the commands
`umount /mnt' and `halt'.)

Now boot the Hurd the following way.  First, boot the grub boot
floppy.  When the menu comes up, select one of the single user boot
commands, depending on whether you have a SCSI disk (sd0) or an IDE
type disk (hd0).  If you put the Hurd on something other than
partition `a', then you will need to edit the boot commands
appropriately before booting.  (Editing the commands using grub only
affects what you boot that time, it does not affect what the floppy
does the next time you boot it.)

Mach should load, and then the Hurd should start, saying something like:

   Hurd server bootstrap: ufs exec init proc auth.
   Single-user bootstrap: term sh.
   bash# 



STEP IV:

When GNU boots the first time, you might see some confusing messages,
and you may notice that pipes don't work.

In order to set up the translators for this to be a fully functional
Hurd system, say

  /bin/sh /SETUP

This will set up some initial translators so that the system runs
normally, and then offer to reboot the system.  When you get to the
GRUB menu, do step V.


NOTE: Do NOT RUN BSD FSCK on a Hurd FFS!
  
  (Hurd partitions, especially the root partition, may have filesystem
  extensions that BSD does not know about.  Most of these are ignored
  by the BSD kernel and filesystem tools.  One of them, `passive
  translators' (a/k/a non-transient mounts), is not understood by the
  BSD fsck.  If you run the BSD fsck on a Hurd partition with such
  translators, things might fail *massively*.  The Hurd version of
  fsck does not, of course, have any such problem.

  (The Hurd root partition needs to have such translators installed in
  order to work correctly.  Other partitions don't; the filesystems
  support compat options to prevent the use of Hurd filesystem
  extensions.)



STEP V:

Now boot from the floppy again.  This time, select the option to
install grub from the floppy.  (If your disk isn't known as hd0 to
grub, then you will need to edit the commands accordingly.)  Reset
your PC and take the floppy disk out of the drive.  The hard disk
should now boot successfully.

Select the single-user boot menu option, and proceed to STEP VI.

The menu that grub provides is found in /boot/grub/menu.lst.  You can
edit that file to change what options the menu provides, as well as
which option is selected by default.  (You can change the one on the
floppy by mounting the filesystem it contains and editing the file
there.)



STEP VI:

Now you have a Hurd system.  But in order to make it fully usable, do
the following:


*** make devices
cd to /dev and make devices.

Say `./MAKEDEV dev1 dev2 dev3 ...'.

Supported devices are:
  o any hard disk device you have; you must specify both unit number *and*
    partition.  Something like `sd0a' or `hd1f' is called for.  Unit
    number without any partition names the entire disk.  
  o floppy disk drives, give something like `fd0' or `fd1'.
  o hardwired terminals, something like `com0' or `com1'.

In general, the name of the device to use was printed by Mach when it
booted. 


*** setup network

If you want to use the network, set it up thus:
    
     settrans /servers/socket/inet \
	/hurd/pfinet --interface=eth0 --address=NN.NN.NN.NN \
                     --gateway=GG.GG.GG.GG --netmask=MM.MM.MM.MM

where NN.NN.NN.NN is your IP address (not hostname, IP address).  GG.GG.GG.GG
is the address of an IP gateway, and MM.MM.MM.MM the netmask for the local
subnet.  If your host is isolated, then you can omit the gateway, and the
netmask argument is optional if you don't use subnetting.  The
interface name to use was printed by Mach when it booted.

Pfinet currently only supports a single active interface.  Parameters may be
changed while pfinet is running by using fsysopts, e.g.:

     fsysopts /servers/socket/inet --netmask=MM.MM.MM.MM

Make sure you edit /etc/resolv.conf and/or /etc/hosts for the
nameserver to work properly. 


*** mount partitions

You can mount a partition (say hd0a) by saying:

     settrans /mnt /hurd/ufs /dev/hd0a

The name `/dev/hd0a' must have been created using `./MAKEDEV hd0a' in
the /dev directory.

(This is equivalent to Unixy `mount /dev/hd0a /mnt'.)
   
If it's a Linux ext2 format disk, just do

  settrans /mnt /hurd/ext2fs /dev/hd0a

You can make it readonly thus:

  settrans /mnt /hurd/ufs -r /dev/hd0a

For more information on settrans, see the end of this file.

NFS mounts, not surprisingly, are done thus:

  settrans /mnt /hurd/nfs /remote/file/system remote.host.org

(You may also use the host:fs and fs@host notations if you prefer.)
NFS supports many options; use `/hurd/nfs --help' to see them all.

The mounts created this way are not transient--they will last across
reboots, being recorded directly on disk.  To get rid of one, say:
`settrans /mnt' with no further args.  The command `showtrans /mnt'
will show you where it's at right now.  However, note that to have them
automatically fscked, you'll have to make entries in /etc/fstab (see
`fscking', above).

A temporary mount (which lasts only until the filesystem program is
killed or the system is rebooted) can be accomplished by giving the -a
option to settrans thus: `settrans -a /mnt /hurd/ufs /dev/sd0a'.
(Note the placement of this option, as an arg to settrans, is
different from the -r options you might give to the filesystem.)
`showtrans' does not display these temporary mounts.




*** edit configuration files

Edit the password file (/etc/passwd) appropriately.

Add any serial lines you have terminals on to /etc/ttys.

Set your hostname with `echo foo.bar.baz > /etc/hostname'.  This will
then be permanent until you change the file.

Create a link from /etc/localtime to the file describing your timezone
in /share/zoneinfo.  Something like the following command will do the
trick: `ln /share/zoneinfo/US/Eastern /etc/localtime'.  Look at the
directory /share/zoneinfo to see all the various possibilities.

Edit /etc/fstab according to the disk mounts you've installed; this
will control which partitions `df' prints and which partitions get
`fsck' run for them at boot time.  It will not affect which partitions
are mounted; use settrans for that as explained above.

Edit /etc/hosts if you want to.  The system works fine without it if a
name server is available.

Edit resolv.conf to provide for name service appropriate to your
location. 


*** build a smaller kernel

As an optional step, you can build a smaller kernel.  The distributed
kernel is quite large, because it includes a great many device
drivers.  If you fetch the gnumach distribution, you can build a
kernel with only the device drivers you actually need.  This will make
bootstrapping faster, and also take less memory when the system is
running, and result in a faster system in general.


Once you've completed these steps, you can reboot the system multi
user.  Enjoy!




MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

Fscking:

/sbin/fsck is a wrapper that invokes filesystem-specific backend programs for
each particular type of filesystem; these backends do the actual work (they
can be found in the same directory, with names like /sbin/fsck.ufs and
/sbin/fsck.ext2).

/sbin/fsck will currently only work with filesystems that have entries in the
file `/etc/fstab'; for those, it will try to be intelligent about making
active filesystems readonly before fscking them, and telling them to
incorporate any changes that result (the backend fsck programs do not know
anything about active filesystems).  However, it is up to the user to make
sure that /etc/fstab accurately reflects reality.

/etc/fstab is the same as in most unix systems -- any filesystems that are
there and have a non-zero pass number will be automatically fscked during a
multi-user boot.

You'll certainly want to make an entry in /etc/fstab for the device that
corresponds to your root filesystem (and make a device entry for it using
MAKEDEV, as described above).


GDB:

The version of gdb included in this release has various features not used by
most systems, in particular, the `thread' and `info thread' commands.

The Hurd gdb can also debug running programs without halting them,
which is useful to debug crucial system servers that can't be stopped
without wedging the system.  To do this, give the command `set
noninvasive on'.  Of course, gdb may get confused because data
structures are changing underneath it, but this generally works pretty
well.  Doing a detach and then another attach usually causes gdb to
clue in to changes it otherwise misses.

The `portinfo' program is also useful for debugging problems related
to Mach ports.


SETTRANS:

The syntax of settrans is:

  settrans [settrans-option-args] file command-line

All the options after the file are part of the command given to the
filesystem.  To see the args supported by ufs or ext2fs, say
`/hurd/ufs --help' or `/hurd/ext2fs --help'.

settrans itself supports several args.  (Use settrans --help for a
summary.)  Once a filesystem is running, some options may be changed
at runtime using the `fsysopts FSYS' command, where FSYS is the mount
point (note that there is currently no easy way of finding out which
ones).


CRASH SERVER:

When programs get fatal signals in the Hurd, they call the "crash
server".  Right now, the crash server suspends the program, and the
rest of its process group.

At that point, if you resume the program, it will exit.  But you can
also attach a debugger to it, and all it's current dynamic state will
still be there.

If you would rather have crashing programs just exit, and not suspend,
then disable the crash server by saying `settrans /servers/crash'.
You can always reenable it later, if you like, by typing the command
`settrans /servers/crash /hurd/crash'.  

Core dumps are not yet supported.




Subroutine: Installing from NetBSD boot floppies

If you do not have a system running BSD, the NetBSD 2-floppy install
set contains enough tools to make a new filesystem using newfs and
copy to it from nfs.  You can fetch these floppies from ftp.netbsd.org
in the directory /pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-1.1/floppies.  The NetBSD install
script will start automatically when you boot from the floppies, and
we suggest you use it in order to partition and set up your disk.

Here are detailed instructions for this step, assuming you are using
NetBSD boot floppies, and you have the Hurd binary snapshot unpacked
somewhere accessible via nfs.  It is assumed here that your machine's
network address is MY-ADDR and that the nfs server's address is
SERVER-ADDR.  The nfs mountpoint on the server is presumed to be
SERVER-DIR.  (MY-ADDR and SERVER-ADDR should be IP addresses in dot
notation, not hostnames.)  Your server and your new machine need to be
on the same network.
      
If you installing this way, you probably want to do STEP II first,
because your nfs server probably has more convenient editors than the
NetBSD boot floppies.  The boot floppies have only ed.

A.  Fetch the netbsd boot floppies from
    ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-1.1/i386/floppies.  Put the
    images onto floppy disks using the instructions found on the FTP
    site. 

B.  Boot the `kernel' floppy, and switch to the `filesystem' floppy
    when instructed.

C.  Proceed through the NetBSD automated installation script.
    When you are asked if you want to view the boot messages again, 
    say yes.  Then answer the disk geometry questions correctly,
    copying from what was printed at boot time.

D.  Tell the script that you want to use cylinders, not sectors,
    in specifying sizes.

E.  Make the size of your `NetBSD' portion the total amount 
    that the script has listed, starting at cylinder 0.

F.  Then allocate however much disk you want to your root partition
    and to your swap partition.  The root partition must be big
    enough to hold the entire Hurd binary snapshot; it is strongly
    recommended that you make it a fair bit bigger than that.  It is
    quite satisfactory to use only one filesystem partition in the
    Hurd. 

G.  If you specify partitions beyond the root partition and swap,
    the script will ask you for a `mount point'.  Type anything you
    like, it won't matter.

H.  Affirm to the over-eagerly questioning script that you really do
    want to smash your disk.  NetBSD will proceed to create
    filesystems on all the partitions you specified in I.G-H.

I.  When the script says "populating ..." hit ^C.  You are now done
    with the script.
    
J.  cd to /mnt.  For each mount point that was gratuitously created
    in step I.H, say `umount NAME'.  Then say `rm -rf * .*'.  Make
    sure you are really in /mnt.  This will delete whatever NetBSD
    has put on your new partition.

K.  Initialize the network with `ifconfig DEV MY-ADDR'.  DEV was
    printed by the kernel when it booted; type `more /kern/msgbuf'
    if you want to see those messages again.  (Sometimes ifconfig
    says that something is "offline".  Ignore it.)

L.  Mount the NFS server partition with the convenient command
    `mount -o -P SERVER-ADDR:SERVER-DIR /mnt2'.

M.  Copy the Hurd onto your disk with the command 
    (cd /mnt2; tar cf - .) | (cd mnt; tar xfpv -)

N.  If you haven't done STEP II yet, then do it now; otherwise go on
    to STEP III.