Category : UNIX Files
Archive   : LIN95AUX.ZIP
Filename : READ.ME

LINUX VERSION 0.95 INSTALLATION DOCS AND TOOL CHEST


This archive contains a collection of documents and tools to aid in
the installation of Linux version 0.95. They have been taken from a
variety of sources. Read the docs carefully. Linux is not hard to
install but don't attempt it when you are tired or feeling impatient.
If you read the docs installation should take no more than a leisurely
hour or so. BEFORE INSTALLING LINUX MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BOOTABLE DOS
FLOPPY WITH FDISK OR OTHER DISK PARTITIONING SOFTWARE AND AND DOS's
FORMAT PROGRAM AND `SYS' COMMAND. THIS WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER ON
YOURSELF IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT YOU PULL A MAJOR GOOF.

For installing Linux onto a hard disk you will need a free primary
partition. A realistic bare minimum would be about 15 Megabytes, although
10 might suffice in a pinch. Needless to say, these figures are minimums,
bigger is better. If you are going to have to create new partitions,
create an extra one for Linux to use as swap space if you have the disk
capacity. 5 Megabytes should be good here. This is especially helpful
if you are short on RAM (i.e. under 4 Megs of RAM). If you don't already
have free partitions then you will have to BACK UP YOUR DISK because
you will lose everything by repartitoning. After you have repartitioned,
install DOS on the first bootable partition which you create.

The Following is a list of files provided in this archive with a brief
description of each one's relevance. The list is divided into three
categories: Linux Software, Docs, and Installation Tools.

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Linux Software:

AUXTOOL.IMG mountable disk image containing tar, compress, uncompress
and the vi text editor. This image is from a 1.4 Meg 3.5 inch
diskette, but it should work OK on a 1.2 Meq 5.25 inch also.

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Documents and Information:

INSTALL.DOC main document of this archive describes how to effectively use
these tools and docs to install Linux 0.95 on your system.

LINUXSET.DOC Erik Ratcliffe's notes on installing Linux onto your hard disk.
this is a MUST read before you install Linux to your hard
drive; one of the very important docs in this collection.

RELNOTES.11 release notes on Linux version 0.11, the mother of all release
notes, covers the basics of installation.

RELNOTES.12 release notes on Linux version 0.12, refers to earlier notes
and clarifies some points.

RELNOTES.95A release notes on Linux version 0.95, refers to earlier notes
and clarifies some points. THIS DOCUMENT IS REQUIRED READING!!
In fact, all enclosed documents should be read. You have been
warned.

RAWRITE.DOC not Linux specific, covers generic use of RAWRITE.EXE on how
to make diskettes from image files.

HEXED.DOC describes how to use HEXED.EXE to patch the Linux boot
diskette for use with hard drives.

EDPART.DOC covers generic use of EDPART.EXE the partition editor.
EDPART.EXE is similar to DOS's FDISK and is used
when installing Linux to a hard drive. You may not
need to use EDPART.EXE or even refer to this document if
your version of DOS has an acceptable version of FDISK.
Note that some OEM versions of DOS such as Zenith DOS 3.3+
may call their FDISK by another name. Zenith uses a
program called PART.EXE which functions like FDISK.

CAUTION.DOC taken from a post to SmartNet about possible problem when
installing Linux from Digital Research DR DOS. The problem
presented by the one posting this message may or may not be
directly attributable to DR DOS but you should be aware of
it in any case. Using EDPART.EXE which is contained in this
archive may alleviate the problem.

TAR.DOC how to use TAR.EXE to create, extract, or examine tar archives.

PRINTSET.DOC how to use the utility PRINTSET.COM to print documentation.

LINUX.BBS a list of public access BBSs that carry some portion of Linux,
not meant to be all inclusive, but it is a good starting point
for those without Internet access having trouble finding Linux
in their area.

INFO-SHE.12 overview of Linux version 0.12, included here for historical
and reference purposes.

READ.ME this document which you are now reading.

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Tools to aid Linux installation:

RAWRITE.EXE tool to write the boot, root, and auxtool images to diskettes.

EDPART.EXE partition editor similar to MS-DOS FDISK, although somewhat more
versatile and in the public domain.

HEXED.EXE tool to patch boot image diskette after Linux is installed
on hard disk, use this if you don't care to use DOS's DEBUG
to patch the boot diskette. Another possible alternative would
be Norton Utilities NU.

TAR.EXE an MS-DOS version of UNIX TAR, useful for transfering files
into Linux. See RELNOTES.95A on how to do this.

PRINTSET.COM a utility which puts Epson compatible printers in the micro-
print mode in order to save paper and ink when printing docs.

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