path: root/release/INSTALL-binary

-*- Text -*-
Instructions for bootstrapping the Hurd from binary images (i486).
Last updated 8 July 1996

This directory contains i386 binaries for the Hurd and various
programs built to run under it.  All program binaries are stripped to
save disk space; the installed libraries have the debugging
information stripped to speed linking.

See the file SOURCES to see where each package came from.  For the
GPL'd sources (most of them) you are not allowed to distribute this
binary distribution to third parties without distributing the
associated source.  All these sources are found on prep.ai.mit.edu
along with the Hurd binary distribution itself.


STEP I:

Unpack the binary distribution onto a fresh disk partition, which needs
to be BSD FFS format.  The boot loader we use (GRUB) does not yet
understand how to boot from a Linux ext2fs filesystem, though this is
expected to change very soon.

Make the disk partition with newfs or mkfs on your favorite BSD
system.  Then unpack the binaries with tar onto that partition.  

[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.]

   
STEP II:

You probably 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.

You also need to edit the file boot/boot-menu.grub.  Change both root
specifications to match your partition.  Note that these
specifications say `hd' for scsi disks, and have a slightly different
syntax.  

Fsck and unmount the new partition before using it, to make sure it's
clean.


STEP III:

Install the grub bootloader.  

The instructions for installing grub are found in INSTALL-grub, which
is a copy of the installation instructions at
http://www.uruk.org/grub.

We have included binaries for the various pieces of grub in /boot/grub
on your Hurd partition.  So you can follow the grub installation
instructions without needing to build the actual grub pieces.

You may want to switch to using grub entirely; it is able to most
other kernels too.  Full instructions are available on at
http://www.uruk.org/grub, or in the grub source (which you should find
wherever you picked up this binary release).



STEP IV:

Boot the system with grub.  You should get a grub boot menu with two
entries, `hurd' and `hurd-single'.  Select hurd-single.

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 V:

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 it comes back up,
boot it single-user again, so that you can do step VI. 

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 VI:

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


*** making devices
cd to /dev give the command `./MAKEDEV ptyp ptyq'.

Also add any disk device you have; you must specify both unit
number *and* partition.  Something like `sd0a' or `rd1f' is called
for.


*** setup network

If you want to use the network, set it up thus:
    
     settrans /servers/socket/2 \
	/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.

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

     fsysopts /servers/socket/2 --netmask=MM.MM.MM.MM

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



*** mounting partitions

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

     settrans /mnt /hurd/ufs /dev/rhd0a

The name `/dev/rhd0a' must have been created using `./MAKEDEV hd0a'.

(This is equivalent to Unixy `mount /dev/hd0a /mnt'.)

(Note that you are using the *RAW* device here.  In theory, it's
irrelevant [and this is really only being used to get a name in a
clever but strange way], but there are minor bugs in the non-raw
versions, so don't try and use them.)
   
If it's a Linux ext2 format disk, just do

  settrans /mnt /hurd/ext2fs /dev/rhd0a

You can make it readonly thus:

  settrans /mnt /hurd/ufs -r /dev/rhd0a

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


*** mounting nfs

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.


*** 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.

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.

Edit /etc/hosts if you want to.

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


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 commands `set task pause off', `set
exceptions off', and `set signals off', before attaching to the process.  Of
course, gdb may get confused because data structures are changing underneath
it, but this generally works pretty well.

The `portinfo' program is also very useful for debugging.


SETTRANS:

In all these cases, note that all the args after `/mnt' are a command
line being sent to the filesystem program when it starts.  The syntax
of settrans is:

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

settrans itself also supports several args.  (Use settrans --help for a
summary.)  To see the args supported by a ufs or ext2fs, say `/hurd/ufs
--help' or `/hurd/ext2fs --help'.  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).

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).

You probably want to add all such mounts to fstab, so that the
relevant disks are checked with fsck automatically on reboot, and so
that programs like `df' know of them.

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/rsd0a'.
(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.