Ubuntu GNU/Linux on a Sharp PC-CV50F
My Sharp PC-CV50F finally arrived (don't ask). Here is how I installed Ubuntu GNU/Linux on it.
Connecting
The Sharp PC-CV50F acts as a USB-harddrive ("DirectHD") if you plug it in to another computer via the tiny USB-port on the right side. So I did that, and the machine showed up as a usb-storage device - /dev/sdb on my desktop machine.
Partitioning/filesystem
I quickly used fdisk to remove all the Windows-partitions (I did leave the "Dell Utility" partition there, I don't know if I should have), and created a /dev/sdb1 for most of the space and /dev/sdb2 for around 1GB of swap.
It's preferable to remember to mark sdb1 bootable.
topper:~# fdisk -l /dev/sdb Disk /dev/sdb: 20.0 GB, 20003880960 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2432 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sdb1 * 1 2296 18442588+ 83 Linux /dev/sdb2 2297 2426 1044225 82 Linux swap / Solaris /dev/sdb3 2427 2432 48195 de Dell Utility topper:~#
Then I created an XFS filesystem on /dev/sdb1 (mkfs.xfs /dev/sdb1) and prepared /dev/sdb2 as swap (mkswap /dev/sdb2).
Installing (debootstrap)
The new XFS-partition was mounted on /mnt/hodja on my desktop. I got an Ubuntu GNU/Linux 5.04 hoary Install cd and put the files from that in /var/local/ (my desktop machine does not have a cd-rom drive either).
Following the instructions in Appendix C.4.2 on the cd: file:///cdrom/ubuntu/doc/install/manual/en/apcs04.html I downloaded a debootstrap.deb-package and installed it.
Unset all LC_* variables beforee running debootstrap! (POSIX or C is probably fine).
I then started debootstrap, still following the instructions in the manual, and it started installing the system on /mnt/hodja:
/usr/sbin/debootstrap --arch i386 hoary /mnt/hodja file:/var/local/ubuntu
This ended with the very nice message: 'Base system installed successfully.'
Manual installation chores
Set up /mnt/hodja/etc/fstab:
# /etc/fstab: static file system information. # # <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass> /dev/hda1 / xfs defaults 0 0 /dev/hda2 none swap sw 0 2 proc /proc proc defaults 0 0 sys /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
Edit /mnt/hodja/etc/hostname and /mnt/hodja/etc/hosts:
hodja
127.0.0.1 hodja.koldfront.dk hodja localhost
Networking in /etc/network/interfaces:
# Used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8). See the interfaces(5) manpage or # /usr/share/doc/ifupdown/examples for more information. auto lo iface lo inet loopback auto wlan0 iface wlan0 inet dhcp
chroot
Then I chroot into the new machine: chroot /mnt/hodja and, remember this!, mount /proc (otherwise /proc/partitions is not available, and funny things may very well happen - like no IDE-driver loaded in your initrd...)
To still have my files available under /var/local, I do this:
mount -o bind /var/local /mnt/hodja/var/local
Setting up the base-system
Set up locale and keyboard by running 'dpkg-reconfigure locales console-data'. Chose en_DK.UTF-8.
I had to make an /etc/apt/sources.list myself:
deb file:/var/local/ubuntu hoary main restricted
Install lilo and linux-image-2.6.10-5-386 with apt-get. The initrd.img made can go wrong (no IDE-driver loaded on boot!) if your fstab has sdb* in it, for instance.
Run liloconfig - change fstab to read sdb1/2 before!
Change boot to /dev/sdb in lilo.conf - run lilo.
Change fstab back. You'll need to change lilo.conf when you have booted the new machine.
base-config
Run /usr/sbin/base-config new
This starts a host of daemons on the desktop machine, that I just shut down (gdm being the most odd one).
Wireless networking
Install linux-wlan-ng
Add 1280x768 to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Boot!
Unmount /mnt/hodja/var/local, /mnt/hodja, remove the usb-cable and power the machine up.
Fix lilo.conf, add append="i8042.nomux" from Debian-link below, run lilo