Scientific Linux on coLinux

The install

This is a tale of how to make Scientific Linux (SL) and Cooperative Linux (coLinux) work together.

1. Downloads:
   • Download coLinux and install.
   • Download coLinux Debian image (renamed to image_debian_1GB).
   • Download SL 4.0 ISO image (disc 1).
   I've installed coLinux in d:\coLinux\ (including Debian-image) and put all SL-relevant files in d:\coLinux\SL-test3\ (test3 = this is my third attempt ;-)).
2. Setup of environment:
   • Create blank 1GB file for SL-install with fsutil file createnew image_SL3_1GB 1073741824 .
   • Create two files for booting coLinux with Debian (debian-config.xml) and SL (sl-config.xml), which looks like this (change for local differences).

     
     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
     
     <colinux>
     	<block_device index="0" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\image_debian_1GB" enabled="true" />
     	<block_device index="1" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\SL-test3\image_SL3_1GB" enabled="true" />
     	<block_device index="2" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\SL-test3\SL.40.042505.i386.disc1.iso" enabled="true" />
     
     	<bootparams>root=/dev/cobd0</bootparams>
     
     	<initrd path="..\initrd.gz" />
     	<image path="..\vmlinux" />
     	<memory size="128" />
     	<network index="0" type="tap" />
     </colinux>

     
     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
     
     <colinux>
     	<block_device index="0" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\SL-test3\image_SL3_1GB" enabled="true" />
     	<block_device index="1" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\SL-test3\SL.40.042505.i386.disc1.iso" enabled="true" />
     	<block_device index="2" path="\DosDevices\d:\coLinux\image_debian_1GB" enabled="true" />
     
     	<bootparams>root=/dev/cobd0</bootparams>
     
     	<initrd path="..\initrd.gz" />
     	<image path="..\vmlinux" />
     	<memory size="128" />
     	<network index="0" type="tap" />
     </colinux>

   • To make the whole process a bit less painfull, I've created two shortcuts for booting the two linux-machines. The actual creation of these are left as a trivial exercise for the reader...
   • Also note that this requres networking. I know it's a pain in the ass for newcomers to coLinux, but you need it to install packages later on.
3. Boot the Debian-machine (use the shortcut from above or have a shell in d:\coLinux\SL-test3, type ..\colinux-deamon.exe -c debian-config.xml). Log in as root.
4. Install RPM in Debian with apt-get install rpm.
5. Mount the SL-image and SL-disc in Debian:

   mke2fs -j /dev/cobd1
   mkdir sl disc
   mount /dev/cobd1 sl
   mount /dev/cobd2 disc
   ln -s disc/SL/RPMS

6. Initialize new RPM database:

   
   mkdir -p sl/var/lib/rpm
   rpm --root /root/sl/ --initdb

7. Create the devices the new machine needs:

   mkdir sl/dev
   for i in `seq 0 7`; do
   mknod sl/dev/cobd$i b 117 $i;
   mknod sl/dev/pty$i c 2 $i;
   mknod sl/dev/ttyp$i c 3 $i;
   mknod sl/dev/tty$i c 4 $i;
   done
   
   mknod sl/dev/mem c 1 1
   mknod sl/dev/kmem c 1 2
   mknod sl/dev/null c 1 3
   mknod sl/dev/port c 1 4
   mknod sl/dev/zero c 1 5
   mknod sl/dev/full c 1 7
   mknod sl/dev/random c 1 8
   mknod sl/dev/urandom c 1 9
   mknod sl/dev/aio c 1 10
   mknod sl/dev/kmsg c 1 11
   
   mknod sl/dev/tty c 5 0
   mknod sl/dev/console c 5 1
   
   cd sl/dev
   ln -s /proc/self/fd
   ln -s fd/0 stdin
   ln -s fd/1 stdout
   ln -s fd/2 stderr
   cd

8. And then we install RPM's. A few notes on installation:
   • All installations are done with the command rpm --root /root/sl/ -i packagename. Hence, I will not write all commands, only package-names.
   • I will refer to packages by name only, not version. And as we made a RPMS-symlink, the actual install will be pretty much rpm --root /root/sl/ -i RPMS/packagename. Press tab to make the shell find the full filename.
   • Some packages has cyclic dependencies, for which I write package1+package2 to inducate simultanious install. Simply put both packages in the same command-line in rpm; rpm --root /root/sl/ -i RPMS/package1 RPMS/package2.
   • Some packages cannot be installed with full dependencies, which I inducate by suffixing a --nodeps to the package. Simply give rpm the same flag, and it will be OK.
9. Here goes:

   setup
   filesystem
   basesystem
   libgcc
   tzdata
   glibc-common
   glibc
   zlib
   mktemp
   termcap
   libtermcap
   bash
   
   pcre
   ncurses
   info
   grep
   bzip2-libs
   bzip2
   
   gdbm
   libstdc++
   db4
   perl-5.8 + perl-Filter
   perl-DBI
   
   binutils
   
   gawk
   vim-common
   libselinux
   libattr
   libacl
   acl
   vim-minimal
   
   gmp
   readline
   findutils
   sed
   cracklib + cracklib-dicts
   glib2
   coreutils + pam --nodeps
   
   hwdata
   indexhtml
   redhat-logos
   rootfiles
   selinux-doc
   audit
   beecrypt
   chkconfig
   device-mapper
   dmraid
   e2fsprogs
   elfutils-libelf
   ethtool
   expat
   libsepol
   checkpolicy
   mingetty
   less
   popt
   psmisc
   setserial
   sl-release
   slang
   shadow-utils
   MAKEDEV
   SysVinit
   
   usbutils
   lvm2
   hotplug
   udev
   net-tools
   sysklogd
   util-linux
   iputils
   iproute
   tar
   gzip
   cpio
   module-init-tools
   procps
   mkinitrd
   initscripts + kernel-2.6
   rpm-libs
   rpm

10. Some startup-initialization goes wrong in rc.sysinit, why you have to move it; mv sl/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit sl/etc/rc.sysinit.backup. Not a pretty solution, but it makes the thing boot.
11. Correct the mounting of file-systems. The /etc/fstab is missing, so fire up vi (or the likes) and create it;

    #[file system] [mount] [type] [options]         [dump] [pass]
    /dev/cobd0     /       ext3   errors=remount-ro 0      1
    proc           /proc   proc   defaults          0      0
    sys            /sys    sysfs  defaults          0      0

    Lastly, /etc/mtab has to be corrected by rm -f /etc/mtab; mount -a (perhaps a reboot is needed).
12. Networking: install the following packages;

    
    iptables
    iptstate
    tcp_wrappers
    xinetd
    newt
    netconfig
    krb5-libs
    openssl
    bind-libs
    bind-utils
    openssh
    openssh-clients
    wget

    Create the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 with the below syntax (adapt for local use)

    DEVICE=eth0
    BOOTPROTO=static
    BROADCAST=192.168.0.255
    IPADDR=192.168.0.40
    GATEWAY=192.168.0.1
    NETMASK=255.255.255.0
    NETWORK=192.168.0.0
    ONBOOT=yes

    Then a file for DNS-lookups is needed, /etc/resolv.conf (again, adapt for local setup):

    
    nameserver 137.138.16.5
    nameserver 137.138.17.5

    Lastly, tell SL we have a network by creating /etc/sysconfig/network:

    NETWORKING=yes
    HOSTNAME=colinux
    GATEWAY=192.168.0.1

    Lastly, the proc-filesystem seems not to mount at it should; Basically puch in following command in the prompt:

    umount /proc
    mount -a
    ifup eth0
    ifup lo

Current problems

• The proc-filesystem (/proc) does not mount at boot-time. It has to be un-mounted and re-mounted every time the system boots

A few tips

• Get hold of a "real" SL installation and have a look at the /root/install.log-file. It contains all rpm's installed by the installer. I'ts a good reference (I was about midways in digging-around-in-dependency-hell before Jaroslaw Polok told me. :-()
• RPMfind.net is brilliant! It does not cover SL, but is usually gives some good hints about what packages contains what.
• You can create your own mini-rpmfind by extracting what files each RPM will install into a textfile, and grep this file;

  tcsh
  touch rpm-files
  foreach rpm (`ls RPMS/*`)
      foreach file (`rpm -qpl $rpm`)
  	    echo $rpm $file >> rpm-files
      end
  end
  exit

  And search the files with grep filename rpm-files.

Revisions