Booting from FAT

BleedingEdge · 06-19-2005, 04:14 AM

Hello,

Is it possible to boot linux from a FAT partition, and mount the root (/) on FAT? I've having trouble doing this and I was wondering if maybe the linux kernel just doesn't allow it.

Thanks

newpenguin · 06-19-2005, 08:31 AM

Compile a kernel with vfat driver within kernel not as a module then try again.

Not now, John! · 06-20-2005, 05:31 PM

If I understand you want to use FAT partitions instead ext2/ext3 or ReiserFS? Don't do that. FAT is not capable to support Linux.

win32sux · 06-20-2005, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Not now, John!
FAT is not capable to support Linux.

that's not entirely true... sure, you don't get all the features that you'd get by using a native filesystem, but there's ARE indeed several distros which can be installed unto a FAT system... for example:

http://www.slackware.com/zipslack/

http://www.amigolinux.org/

it's also possible to install a "regular" distro on FAT, for example:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/l...tallation.html

BleedingEdge · 06-26-2005, 02:20 AM

Yes, I do have vfat in the kernel, and nothing in my kernel is a module!

I think the problem is that I have nothing in /dev.. How can I create that? Can I mknod on a fat filesystem?

I copied the /dev once by doing a cp -R, but that was onto an ext3 filesystem. How can I setup my /dev on a FAT?