[Techtalk] I want to install Fedora Core 3 but can't boot from scsi cdrom

[conor.daly at cod.utvinternet.com]

On Tue, Feb 08, 2005 at 11:40:09PM -0800 or so it is rumoured hereabouts, 
Darlene Wallach thought:
> I have cds for Fedora Core 3 that I want to install to
> replace RedHat7.3.
> 
> Unfortunately, my BIOS has the following options:
>  Floppy
>  ARMD-FDD
>  ARMD-HDD
>  IDE-HDD
>  ATAPI CDROM
>  Intel UNDI, PXE-2.0 [bu
>  Disabled
> 
> My cdrom is a scsi - LSI Logic / Symbios Logic (formerly NCR).
> So I don't see a way to boot from my cdrom.
> 
> The ".img" file on the Fedora Core 3 is too large to save to floppy:
> $ du -h  /mnt/cdrom/images/diskboot.img
> 6.0M    /mnt/cdrom/images/diskboot.img

Yep.

1.  Loopmount diskboot.img
2.  Copy vmlinuz and initrd.img (with unique names) to your /boot directory
3.  Configure grub (you should be on grub with RH7.3) to boot from the
    copied kernel
4.  At boot time type 'linux askmethod' and you'll get to specify the
    CDROM

I used this method to install FC3 online.  Just downloaded the boot.iso
and chose 'ftp' as the install method...

or

1.  Copy boot.iso to your hard disk
2.  Configure grub to boot from the iso [0]
3.  At boot time type 'linux askmethod' and you'll get to specify the
    CDROM
  
This assumes that there is a suitable scsi driver available in the
initrd.img.  If not, you can go about it this way.

1.  copy the contents of the CDs to the hard disk (second and subsequent
    CDs' rpm files go in the RPMS directory copied from the first CD
2.  Use either of the above boot methods and specify 'hard disk' as the
    source.

NB.  Make sure you copy the CD contents to a filesystem that is _not_
     going to be formatted at install time otherwise there'll be nothing
     there for the installer to use!

Conor

[0] Booting direct from an iso is mentioned here:
http://www.linux.ie/lists/pipermail/ilug/2005-February/022062.html

Basically, it's:

grub> chainloader hd(0,0)/image.iso
grub> boot
-- 
Conor Daly <conor.daly at oceanfree.net>

Domestic Sysadmin :-)
---------------------
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