installing to no-cdrom pc

[starlord]

how to create boot disk with module disk support so that
when i compile kernel with modules i can add those modules to other floppy to save space for root fs in boot disk?
or can i have bootdisk all the relevant modules and kernel and rootfs to other floppy.

and no, i won't accept pre-made disks if i can't modify them.

i have 2 pc with same arch and other one doesn't have cdrom drive
only network card that i can use for install.
and the idea is that when i get this no-cdrom pc installed i use that pc for compiling and distributing all the needed packages to my other pc(which do have cdrom but this pc won't be used for install as i need it for running 24h/day)

[hanbyeol]

I have a notebook without CD-ROM drive. I'm operating Gentoo, FreeBSD, XP.

How did I install Gentoo?

First, I installed FreeBSD via network, then made FAT partion and copied XP installing files by network.
I installed VMware in XP then I installed Gentoo in VMware on 'pysical partition'.
VMware 3.2 supports ISO image booting. It takes long to install Gentoo using VMware - especially when compiling kernel.

If you don't have a CD-ROM drive and you use multi OS system, using VMware to install Gentoo is a good and easy bet.

[rtn]

Check out the Alternate install guide.

--rtn

[starlord]

pc setups
1 pc game server
winxp
+dvd
+cdrw

2 pc gentoo
empty harddisk
no cdrom
network card with isa pnp card

in future:
3 pc gentoo (will be bought when pc 2 is working)
gentoo
for daily usage(some devel and office usage)

and pc 2 will be turned to be compile server
so that when new stuff arrive's in portage i will pre-compile it and move it to pc 3

because my pc 2 doesn't have base install of other os i can't use VMware

can't find any solution in alternate install guide.
cannot setup tftp server for netboot.

also i haven't found ready made boot disk's that would allow me to setup my network card
atleast needed:
isapnp
pnpdump
kernel with ne2k isa module
dhcpcd

the boot disk's i have made doesn't have these progs because they doesn't fit on 1 disk,
so i need help or website with directions to take how to span disk
so that boot disk and module or/and filesystem is on diffrent disks.

netboot or cd boot would be so much easyer but the point isn't to take the easiest path,the point is to do this boot,module disk stuff.

when this is done i can honestly say that I have learned a lot, atleast from boot process.

[hanbyeol]

A Korean Gentoo user posted a tip to install Gentoo from harddisk.
(It's Korean Language! http://gentoo.new21.net/forum/read.php?table=tip&no=23 )

This tip was based on AIG and Gentoo 1.2. I summarize and translated it into English. I'm not sure it works on 1.4. Just refer to it. Others depend on you.

Good Luck!
----

Make a boot diskette (as AIG)

untar kernel, initrd and stage3 tarball in LiveCD into hard disk.
- you can use any filesystem - vfat, ext2, reiserfs, xfs ....
...
when you boot, you must chage root(hd?,?)
hd?,? is the partion(aka P) where untarred kernel, initrd and stage3 are stored.
...
boot
...
mount P
note) if P is a vfat filesystem, change file permissions
...
follow the Installtions instructions

PS) I cannot understand why Gentoo Linux doesn't support network installation, like other Linux distros and FreeBSD ....

[starlord]

thanks for the tip hanbyeol, but i think i continue to make bootdisk(and module disk).
so far i have managed to make boot disk(no module support yet):
-kernel 2.4.20
-dhcpcd
-partition tools
-wget
-fs support (ext2,ext3,vfat)
-busybox stuff

but the isa tools are missing(tool's could fit to disk but no the depended lib)

i have to think a way to create custom initrd.
so i can free some space from bootdisk.
all the stuff are "inside" kernel and they really should be modules.

should i be using devfs so i can "free" some space from dev? or is it working(from menuconfig it say's it experimental)