Post-install

Last Update: 12 March 1999

Post-Install Fix-ups

This section describes several generic fine-tuning operations that should be performed after the initial installation. Make sure you also follow subsequent configuration sections that apply to your system.

Linux, Unix, NT and win95 temporarily cache disk contents in memory to increase system performance. NEVER reset or power-down your system without performing an orderly shutdown procedure; otherwise you risk corruption of the disk filesystem. The normal method of shutting Linux down is to enter the command shutdown -h now from a root shell.

Now lets startup Linux on your Amiga

After the Linux installation script reboots your computer, it should be running under AmigaDos again. In order to launch the Linux operating system we just installed, cd to the RedHat /post-install directory (which may be on your hard disk or CDROM) and enter:

/utils/amiboot-5.6 -k vmlinux-amiga root=<desired dev> video=<desired video mode>

The root= parameter is required, and refers to the disk partition where you installed Linux. Assuming you are using a SCSI disk, typical values for this would be /dev/sda1 for the first partition of the first SCSI disk, or /dev/sda2 for the second partition of the first SCSI disk, or /dev/sdb1 for the first partition of the second SCSI disk (well, you get the idea....). IDE partitions would be labeled /dev/hda2 for the second partition of the first IDE device and /dev/hdb1 for the first partition of the second IDE device.

The video= parameter is optional, and should only be necessary if you are using a special video card or your video does not work correctly after Linux boots. If you have an NTSC Amiga you will need to specify the video=ntsc option if the display stays blank or starts rolling.

If in doubt, consult the amiboot readme file.

After the familiar gray screen, RedHat m68k Linux should come to life on your Amiga. The /post-install/vmlinux-amiga kernel image has support for most Amiga peripherals compiled-in, so it "should" work with your machine, however you may receive several warnings about missing .o files during startup. Ignore them for now (unless your system dies of-course, which is unlikely)....

Login as user root, and supply the root password you entered during the install process ( still remember that password ?? ).

When you are logged in as root, you are the superuser. The system assumes you know what you are doing and will not protect you from yourself, so be very careful- especially when formatting disks or deleting files.

Fixup the 'man' apropos/whatis Database:

The man system is the online reference to almost all Linux programs and configurations. If you have a question on how to use or setup some aspect of Linux, the first thing you should do is goto/open a command-shell and enter man <command> where <command> is the program or function you are curious about. The man system even knows about C library-functions, many configuration files, and operating system-calls.

If you have a vague subject or are looking for related commands you can search the contents of the entire man system by entering the command apropos <keyword>. The system will respond with a list of matches. You can then enter the man command for each listed entry. The output is handled through less, so you should be able to use the line and page up/down keys to traverse the manpage.

There is one little problem with RedHat Linux- they forgot to rebuild the man database after the install process, but you can do this manually by entering the command makewhatis. You should do this from time to time, or whenever you install new programs.

Fix default 'profile' for usual paths:

After logging in as root, you should edit the file /etc/profile with the editor of your choice (such as 'vi'). Recent releases of RedHat Linux (all platforms) have forgotten to PATH the common /usr/lib/bin and C++ compiler (I avoid nasty-old C whenever possible, preferring C++). About six lines into /etc/profile you should find a line containing:

PATH="$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin"

Just below this add the new line:

PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/bin:/usr/lib/gcc-lib/m68k-redhat-linux/egcs-2.90.27"

This should allow you to compile C++ files with gcc, and to execute files in the usual /usr/local/bin directory.

In order for this change to take effect you need to log out of the current shell, and re-login. You do NOT need to reset your computer (remember, this isn't WinNT ! ).

Add a mountpoint for CDROM if not already present:

If you installed Linux via FTP/NFS/hard-disk the file /etc/fstab may not have an entry describing your CDROM (assuming you have one!). The fstab file gives Linux a hint how and where to access filesystems and storage devices. If your /etc/fstab file does not have an entry containing /mnt/cdrom in the second column, you will have to add it yourself. New entries can be added as new lines at the end of /etc/fstab. Do not alter other lines in this file unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Make sure you have a cdrom mountpoint at /mnt/cdrom, otherwise you may have to manually create it by typing:

mkdir /mnt/cdrom

You only need to do this once, after you install Linux.

As a test you should manually mount your cdrom drive. On my IDE-based A4000 I would type:

mount /dev/hdb /mnt/cdrom

and on my SCSI-based A2000 I would type:

mount /dev/scd0 /mnt/cdrom

If your system is SCSI based, this new line in /etc/fstab should be entered as:

/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro 0 0

This assumes /dev/cdrom is softlinked to /dev/scd0 (or maybe /dev/sr0).

Else, if your system is IDE based, this new line in /etc/fstab should also be entered as:

/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro 0 0

this assumes /dev/cdrom is softlinked to your cdrom, which is probably /dev/hdb.

Verify the /dev/cdrom softlink by typing the shell command ls -l /dev/cdrom . If this reports an error then you need to create the /dev/cdrom softlink:

For IDE: ln -sv /dev/hdb /dev/cdrom
For SCSI: ln -sv /dev/scd0 /dev/cdrom

Once this is done you may mount your cdrom with the simple command:

mount /mnt/cdrom

All the files on the cdrom will be accessible from the directory /mnt/cdrom.

When finished with the cdrom, or when you wish to remove it, use the command:

umount /mnt/cdrom

Note: Most cdroms will not eject a mounted disk until you type the umount command. Never force a cdrom open.

Try the command man fstab for a description of available options.

Add a mountpoint for Amiga Harddisks if not already present:

This section assumes you have built Amiga FileSystem support into your kernel (or module support).

Even if you specified some of your Amiga FastFileSystem partitions during the Linux install, they may not be present in the /etc/fstab file.

If for example your AFFS partitions is the first partition of the first SCSI disk ( /dev/sda1 ) and your would like to call it /dh0 under Linux, this is how you would tell Linux where your AFFS partition is located (in the /etc/fstab file) :

/dev/sda1 /dh0 affs noauto 0 0

If not already present, you will have to create a mountpoint for this volume:

mkdir /dh0

All files on your Amiga FastFileSystem volume will be accessible from the Linux directory /dh0.

You should be able to mount your Amiga FastFileSystem volume by typing the command:

mount /dh0

Note: If you would like Linux to automatically mount this AFFS disk you will need to replace the "noauto" above with "defaults".

Add a mountpoint for MsDos 720K Floppy Disk:

This section assumes you have built MsDos FileSystem support into your kernel (or module support).

If you would like to be able to read/write MsDos 720K floppy disks you need to add a line to your /etc/fstab file:

/dev/fd0d360 /mnt/msdos_floppy msdos noauto 0 0

Then you will need to create a mountpoint for this volume:

mkdir /mnt/msdos_floppy

You should be able to mount MsDos 720K floppies by typing the command:

mount /mnt/msdos_floppy

When finished with this disk (or before you remove it) you will need to unmount it by typing the command:

umount /mnt/msdos_floppy

Remember: You must NEVER remove a mounted disk without first umounting it or the contents will be corrupted.

Add filename colorizing to your shells:

This tweek is almost frivolous, but I'll bet you'll get used to it very quickly. This simple change to your /etc/profile script allows the ls command to display a list of files in a color-coded manner, based upon filetype. Scripts, directories, regular files, etc are displayed in a different color, making them easy to differentiate visually.

Just add the following line to the bottom of your /etc/profile file:

alias ls="ls --color=tty"

You will need to logout, then re-login to the shell for this change to take effect.