Installing Debian Linux

[Shimon Lebowitz]

Hi,
I was wondering if maybe someone here has experience
installing Debian linux 31r1?

I recently downloaded it -
debian-31r1-s390-binary-1.iso -
and tried to install, but the
procedure fails because I don't give it the address
of an ftp or http host holding the installation CD.

The messages I get are:
13:14:27 Please select the file download protocol.
If unsure,select "http"; it is less prone to
problems involving firewalls.
13:14:27 Protocol for files download:
13:14:27 1. http [*] 2. ftp
13:14:27 Prompt: '?' for help, default=1>

What I *did* do, was set up an nfs host, as I have
done to install linux in the past, but this time that
doesn't seem to work.

I know the nfs is OK, because from another linux on the
same subnet (which successfully pinged both the debian installer
and the nfs host) I *was* able to perform the mount:
linux02:~ # mount -t nfs 10.1.20.20:/cdrom temp
linux02:~ # ls temp
. DEBIAN DOC MD5SUM.TXT POOL README.TXT README_M.TXT _DISK
.. DISTS INSTALL PICS README.HTM README_M.HTM TOOLS
linux02:~ #

But on the Debian installer I could not access the nfs.
I tried dropping into a shell to set up the NFS mount:
BusyBox v1.00-pre10 (Debian 20040623-1) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

~ # mkdir cdrom
~ # mount -t nfs 10.1.20.20:/cdrom /cdrom
mount: Mounting 10.1.20.20:/cdrom on /cdrom failed: No such device
~ #

And even if I did the mount, how would I get the
installer to use it?

I asked these questions last week on Debian-390, but that list
seems a bit sleepy, and no one responded.

Thank you for any help!
Shimon

[Adam Thornton]

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
~ # mkdir cdrom
~ # mount -t nfs 10.1.20.20:/cdrom /cdrom
mount: Mounting 10.1.20.20:/cdrom on /cdrom failed: No such device
~ #
And even if I did the mount, how would I get the
installer to use it?
I asked these questions last week on Debian-390, but that list
seems a bit sleepy, and no one responded.

The S/390 Debian port, to the best of my knowledge, only does http or
ftp installs, not NFS.

If your machine cannot reach the outside world, you could set up a
mirror of the Debian pool on an internal machine.

It is our intention to produce a VM installer for Sarge as we did for
Woody, which turns one of your S/390 guests into the installation
server; however, this one will come on 2 DVDs instead a whole bunch
of CDs.

It's not ready yet--I've been very busy with other higher-priority
projects--but if you'll write me offlist I can see whether a) I can
just ship you a DVD copy of the installation pool and give you some
help configuring a machine to serve it up, or b) I can try to help
you through a regular network install if you can get to the external
network from your s390.

Adam

[Shimon Lebowitz]

First, thank you Adam for your quick response.

Since various fluids will congeal in some strange places
before our mainframe sees a public network, I will need
to forgo option "b".

regarding "a", I don't know of any dvd I can use, the only
one I have access to at work in on the HMC.

That leaves the original suggestion, setting up a mirror
on an internal machine.
When you say that I can use a s390 as an installation server,
does that mean that my VM FTP server could do it??
I don't really see VM understanding that CD very well.

What if I ftp up the ISO image, can that be mounted -loop
by the debian starter system?

Thanks,
Shimon

Post by Shimon Lebowitz

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
~ # mkdir cdrom
~ # mount -t nfs 10.1.20.20:/cdrom /cdrom
mount: Mounting 10.1.20.20:/cdrom on /cdrom failed: No such

device

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
~ #
And even if I did the mount, how would I get the
installer to use it?
I asked these questions last week on Debian-390, but that list
seems a bit sleepy, and no one responded.

The S/390 Debian port, to the best of my knowledge, only does http
or
ftp installs, not NFS.
If your machine cannot reach the outside world, you could set up a
mirror of the Debian pool on an internal machine.
It is our intention to produce a VM installer for Sarge as we did
for
Woody, which turns one of your S/390 guests into the installation
server; however, this one will come on 2 DVDs instead a whole bunch
of CDs.
It's not ready yet--I've been very busy with other higher-priority
projects--but if you'll write me offlist I can see whether a) I can
just ship you a DVD copy of the installation pool and give you some
help configuring a machine to serve it up, or b) I can try to help
you through a regular network install if you can get to the external
network from your s390.
Adam

[Adam Thornton]

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
First, thank you Adam for your quick response.
Since various fluids will congeal in some strange places
before our mainframe sees a public network, I will need
to forgo option "b".
regarding "a", I don't know of any dvd I can use, the only
one I have access to at work in on the HMC.

There's no PC with a DVD drive anywhere on the network? There's no
laptop you can attach to the network with a DVD drive? They've been
pretty standard in most PCs for the last three or four years now.

Alternatively....is there a PC running Linux that is both attached to
the network and able to see the mainframe? You could build the
installation pool in place on it. I can give you a one-line rsync
command to do that.... (You can probably do this under Windows just
as well, but I don't know much about Windows web servers.) In which
case: whatever PC you connect to your mainframe from also probably
connects to the network, right? Does it have 10GB of free disk?
Build the repository mirror on it, set up a Web server (this is where
you fall afoul of your company's policies) and install from there.

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
That leaves the original suggestion, setting up a mirror
on an internal machine.
When you say that I can use a s390 as an installation server,
does that mean that my VM FTP server could do it??
I don't really see VM understanding that CD very well.

Nope. But a Linux/390 image could. However, the CD isn't really
helpful to you. It contains a very basic system, and not enough of a
package repository to be very useful. Honestly you're just as well
off getting the kernel, parmfile, and initrd from the Debian site and
doing a network install. The problem is doing the initial network
installation, since you don't have a machine you can see that can
function as the package repository.

Hence the suggestion to use a Linux-running PC: hook it up to the
network. Use rsync to build a local mirror of the package
repository. Turn on Apache and configure it so that it can serve the
package repository. Then do a network installation on your s390
using that Linux-running PC as your package repository.

Solving this problem is what our Woody CD set was meant to do, and
what the Sarge DVD set, if I am given time to finish it, will do:
I'll supply, in addition to a package repository, a CMSDDR image of a
minimal Linux instance, which you IPL. Then you transfer the
installation repository to it (ftp, scp, rsync, whatever). Then you
use THAT as your installation source.

How soon do you need this? I can probably come up with something
that would work (I'd rather NOT do a 14-gazillion CD set, but it
could be done) for you, but I basically have to do it in my spare
time, which is nonexistent-and-then-some right now.

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
What if I ftp up the ISO image, can that be mounted -loop
by the debian starter system?

It could be but I don't think that's going to help you any.

Adam

[Shimon Lebowitz]

Post by Adam Thornton
There's no PC with a DVD drive anywhere on the network? There's no
laptop you can attach to the network with a DVD drive? They've been
pretty standard in most PCs for the last three or four years now.

Read "government agency", "lowest bidder", etc...
(and stick in 'low in the food chain')

Post by Adam Thornton
Alternatively....is there a PC running Linux that is both attached

umm.. a PC running WHAT?? Sorry.. *I* have the local
linux systems... an old woody (which I was replacing with sarge,
I thought), and an older Suse-7. (I have erased the antique
Marist "distribution").

Post by Adam Thornton
How soon do you need this?

It isn't at all urgent... don't worry about it.

Thanks!
Shimon

=======================

Post by Adam Thornton
to
the network and able to see the mainframe? You could build the
installation pool in place on it. I can give you a one-line rsync
command to do that.... (You can probably do this under Windows just
as well, but I don't know much about Windows web servers.) In which
case: whatever PC you connect to your mainframe from also probably
connects to the network, right? Does it have 10GB of free disk?
Build the repository mirror on it, set up a Web server (this is
where
you fall afoul of your company's policies) and install from there.

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
That leaves the original suggestion, setting up a mirror
on an internal machine.
When you say that I can use a s390 as an installation server,
does that mean that my VM FTP server could do it??
I don't really see VM understanding that CD very well.

Nope. But a Linux/390 image could. However, the CD isn't really
helpful to you. It contains a very basic system, and not enough of
a
package repository to be very useful. Honestly you're just as well
off getting the kernel, parmfile, and initrd from the Debian site
and
doing a network install. The problem is doing the initial network
installation, since you don't have a machine you can see that can
function as the package repository.
Hence the suggestion to use a Linux-running PC: hook it up to the
network. Use rsync to build a local mirror of the package
repository. Turn on Apache and configure it so that it can serve
the
package repository. Then do a network installation on your s390
using that Linux-running PC as your package repository.
Solving this problem is what our Woody CD set was meant to do, and
I'll supply, in addition to a package repository, a CMSDDR image of
a
minimal Linux instance, which you IPL. Then you transfer the
installation repository to it (ftp, scp, rsync, whatever). Then you
use THAT as your installation source.
How soon do you need this? I can probably come up with something
that would work (I'd rather NOT do a 14-gazillion CD set, but it
could be done) for you, but I basically have to do it in my spare
time, which is nonexistent-and-then-some right now.

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
What if I ftp up the ISO image, can that be mounted -loop
by the debian starter system?

It could be but I don't think that's going to help you any.
Adam