Hi All,
I was trying to install SuSE Linux Professional on an external firewire drive. I tried using "Manual install" and loading the modules for the firewire controller using a modules disk. The controller modules loaded just fine, but i couldn't load "Pclynx" which is the Texas Instruments hard drive driver. Therefore I could not install SuSE on the firewire drive. Can Anyone assist me in getting SuSE to install on an external firewire device?

NOTE: both the controller and sbp2 loaded succesfully, but pclynx (under the controller) failed to load!

Please help if you can. Thanx

3 words man: Custom Boot Disk

Unless you have the world's coolest BIOS, I don't think there's anyway you're going to be able to boot to the Firewire drive without using a boot floppy. Or, the easiest way I've found:

Compile a kernel that has support for your controller and driver built in.
Make a SuSe boot disk to use instead of booting from the CD for the install.

Mount that boot disk and copy over their default kernel with your kernel.

Install as normal, but before rebooting, open a terminal (usually with just Ctrl+Alt+F2), and copy over the deafult kernel Suse put on the firewire drive with your kernel, again. (That's if you have a hope that it might be able to boot to that drive.)

Cheers,

Finegan

Thanx for the reply. Much appreciated. As for recompiling a suitable kernel, there are 2 problems there. I was never succesful at compiling a linux kernel, AND the machine I am installing this on has no form of linux installed for me to mount anything. I quote myself:

The thing that bugs me here is that the OHCI controller's module DOES load succesfully, and the dialogue box says "pcilynx" right under it, but trying to load pcilynx will just say "failed to load....."

Anyways, Thanx again for the reply.

Please reply if you have any ideas to share. Any reply is better than no reply


PS: How can I create a custom boot disk?