Bering-uClibc 4.x - User Guide - Installing the Disk Image
| Installing the Disk Image | ||
|---|---|---|
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Contents
Choosing An Image File to Download
For Bering-uClibc 4.x there are several different disk image files available for download. These offer a choice of tailored variants of the same basic distribution and you should only need to download one of them - the one that best matches your requirements. The different variables are:
- The Linux kernel optimisations:
- i486 is the most basic and most widely compatible kernel variant, suitable for Intel 486 CPUs (or better).
- i686 is a variant which is optimised for Intel Pentium Pro CPUs (or better) and supports multiple CPUs / CPU cores.
- geode is a variant which is optimised for AMD Geode CPUs such as are used in e.g. the PC Engines ALIX boards.
- The boot media type:
- syslinux for flash drive or hard drive devices such as a USB or Compact Flash drive or a standard hard disk.
- isolinux for CD-ROM devices (optionally in conjunction with a floppy disk for storing configuration changes).
- pxelinux for PXE network booting.
- The console type:
- vga for a standard VGA console.
- ser for an RS-232 Serial console.
If in doubt then start with the first (most standard) option in each case - in other words the combination i486_syslinux_vga.
Download Location
Image file(s) should be downloaded from the LEAF files area on SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/leaf/files/
For the most standard Image variant, look for a file name like Bering-uClibc_4.0_i486_syslinux_vga.tar.gz
(choose the latest available Bering-uClibc_4.x version).
Copying to the Installation Media
Copying to CD-ROM
The CD-ROM Images (boot media type isolinux) are delivered as .iso files which must be copied to CD-ROM media using an optical media "burning" program.
Copying to Flash Media via a USB Interface on a Linux PC
The Images suitable for flash media (boot media type isolinux) are delivered as .tar.gz files which must be extracted onto suitably prepared flash media. The generic term "flash media" includes Compact Flash cards and USB "pen" or "thumb" drives.
The following assumes that the flash media has been physically removed from the system which will be running Bering-uClibc 4.x and can be accessed on another Linux system using a USB interface such as a Compact Flash-to-USB adaptor.
Preparing the Flash Media
For a standard Bering-uClibc 4.x installation, the flash media must:
- Be at least 32MB in size.
- Have a single disk partition, which is flagged as bootable.
- Have a FAT32 file system on the boot partition.
- Have the SYSLINUX boot loader installed on the boot partition.
If all but the last of these requirements is met SYSLINUX can be installed with a command similar to:
syslinux /dev/sdc1
Important: Verify that your flash media device is being mounted as /dev/sdc1 or amend the command line accordingly!
If other requirements are not met you will also need to use:
- fdisk or parted to partition the drive.
- mkfs.vfat to create the FAT32 file system.
Extracting the Image Files
Once the flash media is prepared the contents of the disk Image need to be extracted. Change to the directory where the flash media is mounted and extract the contents of the downloaded file with a command like the following
tar -xvzf ~/Download/Bering-uClibc_4.0_i486_syslinux_vga.tar.gz
Note that this assumes the downloaded file is located in your $HOME/Download directory.
Remove the flash media from the Linux PC and proceed to the next Chapter.
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