Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

filoktetes · 2006-10-19 23:07:52

To skip the introduction, scroll down below the dashes..
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It happens quite often with me, that a friend or whoever tells me about that old laptop they never use, since it doesn't work anymore.
Then I tell them, well, it's probably windows that doesn't work anymore, if it ever has. An I go on an say that it'll probably run quite well for simple tasks with Linux.
So I end up with some pre 1998 laptop, and of course it has a Pentium 1 processor. That means I have to use something else than Arch Linux on it. And I hate that.
With the nice Thinkpad 380D I got hold of recently, I have tried a lot of distros already. Slax (aaahhr), Damn Small Linux (thanks, but no thanks), Xubuntu (it took 3 hours to install the language packs I didn't get the chance to unselect), crux (Ahh, so you want me to compile everything myself, did I get that right? On my pentium 1 150Mhz?), and some others.
Well, the point isn't that those distros aren't good, it's just that after getting used to Arch Linux's simplicity and elegance I get frustrated each time I try anything else.
I looked up the Arch-i586 project, but it seems quite dead at the moment. And a complete i586 port of Arch really isn't necessary, in my opinion. So I got the idea to start a less demanding project:
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I'd like to make a low-end desktop / laptop x86 Arch Linux distro, with only the packages one would use on such a system. I think fluxbox, xfce4 etc. No mplayer, no cinelerra, no gl-games. I suppose I could call it LowArch Linux or something
So yesterday I compiled the base packages, except some I didn't want (slocate because I don't like it, and reiserfstools, since it didn't compile at once and I don't need it)
What I want to do now, is to make a x86 LowArch install cd. And since yesterday I've read what I could find about that on the net.
So I've understood that I need to make a root filesystem with the Arch install program, and make a initrd of it, and use isolinux. I've looked at the 0.7.2 disk image, and looked inside its initrd.

Here's my questions:
How can I make a x86 version of the initrd file in the arch install cd? Is there some place I can find the development files for the install cd? And finally, do you think it sounds like a good idea?

sash · 2006-10-20 01:29:37

Sounds like a good idea

Sigi · 2006-10-20 12:08:47

Sounds like a very good idea!

You may also be interessted in the larch-skripts, which are quite useful for building live- and install-CDs for Arch Linux i686. They also include a installation skript to install a LiveCD to HD. I don't know if they also work for self compiled x86 packages, but this shouldn't be too problematic, IMO.

You can find gradgrinds skripts linked in my sig.

filoktetes · 2006-10-20 13:19:12

Yes, I've looked at larch, and it seems it should be possible to use it. But a live system is usually quite slow to load on a low end system, and I'm just interested in making an install cd. The normal arch install cd is a perfect installer for old computers, I think.
If someone could tell me how the i585 install cd was made, then I could make a x86 version. I'm trying to figure it out myself too, but there's many things that aren't obvious.

gradgrind · 2006-10-20 17:02:18

IMVHO you might find larch easier ...

I admit I haven't tried it on VERY old computers, but I think a console-only system (which is what the install CD is anyway) should not boot too slowly.
I dare you to prove me wrong ...

filoktetes · 2006-10-20 18:34:55

Thanks, I'll look into larch once more...

The problem right now is that compiling packages on my i686 machine seems to create i686 packages whatever I put in /etc/makepkg.conf or CFLAGS etc.

If I understand correctly, some packages check which system the compiler runs on and optimises the program for it, whatever the initial flags are. Is there a list of packages that does this somewhere, or can anyone tell me how I (on a 686 system) can find out if a binary will work on a eg. 586?

I already tried to install my newly compiled base system (using a modified old i586 install cd). The installation works on my i686, but not on the i586.

Mr Green · 2006-10-20 18:42:38

your main problem Arch is i686 ... you may be able to find in arch-ports some i586 stuff but for old hardware you may need to go waay back to i386

my2c

Yeah whats wrong with Larch?

filoktetes · 2006-10-20 20:35:59

Oh, nothing's wrong with larch as far as I know. I haven't even tried it, so how could I know? I just like the standard installer. But I'll try larch as soon as I figure out how to make x86 packages.

I'm trying now to put --build=i386-pc-linux-gnu into all the ./configure in the PKGBUILDs. It seems to take away references to i686 in the compile options at least.
I hope that'll help some. Does anyone know if it'll help?

Mr Green · 2006-10-20 20:40:29

I am surprised that you don't just use Damn Small Linux & install it to hard drive but I admire Norwegians they are quite mad in a nice way

filoktetes · 2006-10-20 22:25:04

Mr Green wrote:

I am surprised that you don't just use Damn Small Linux & install it to hard drive but I admire Norwegians they are quite mad in a nice way

I did, actually, and a lot of others too, but nothing can beat Arch. They are all obscure, and Arch is transparant and logical. I like that.

Status report:
I can see that I'm having some progress, since building gcc, glibc etc. starts to fail. I was surprised earlier that it didn't, and so I discovered that I had just compiled i686 packages...
Ok, back to work

gradgrind · 2006-10-21 04:14:04

Maybe it would help to look at how slackware does these fundamental builds as that is still i486 (I think), or else Linux-from-scratch? They should be fairly accessible (i.e. not too difficult to follow).

filoktetes · 2006-10-21 04:39:07

I decided to make it i486. NPTL doesn't work on i386.
I think I've got all of base ready now. Next I'll look at larch, to make a proper installer, and what I need to get xfce4 up and running

I must say, it's very difficult to find out just exactly how the -mtune and -march flags work.

Mr Green · 2006-10-21 06:34:37

http://delili.lens.hl-users.com/

you have most likely seen this but anyway....

but there may be some information on the dark art of flags ;-)

Arch Linux

#1 2006-10-19 23:07:52

Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#2 2006-10-20 01:29:37

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#3 2006-10-20 12:08:47

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#4 2006-10-20 13:19:12

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#5 2006-10-20 17:02:18

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#6 2006-10-20 18:34:55

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#7 2006-10-20 18:42:38

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#8 2006-10-20 20:35:59

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#9 2006-10-20 20:40:29

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#10 2006-10-20 22:25:04

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#11 2006-10-21 04:14:04

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#12 2006-10-21 04:39:07

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

#13 2006-10-21 06:34:37

Re: Making minimal desktop Arch install cd for old systems

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