How to prevent OS to ask for CD

Harshit_24 · 09-20-2015, 10:44 PM

I have Linux OS divided into CDs. One part contains the main OS & other parts contains the basic softwares to be installed on Linux. Now I made a bootable USB of the main OS CD & also put all the basic software's rpm packages of the second CD to the USB. While installing the OS I was expecting now it would not ask for the CD instead it would get all the softwares from the USB itself, but now also it needs CD, else it gives error

Code:

kernel panic attempted to kill init

Here is the cdlilo.conf files data.

Code:

append = "hdc=scsi init=/linuxrc console=tty3"
boot=/dev/fd0
install=/boot/boot.b
map=/boot/map
read-write
backup = /dev/null
message=message
prompt
timeout=200
#compact

ramdisk=32000

image= KERNEL
	label=linux
	initrd=initrd.gz
	root=/dev/rd/0

How can I tell OS to search all those rpm packages to search in the USB itself rather than asking for CD ?

Thanks

DaneM · 09-21-2015, 01:08 AM

I'll need some more information. First, which version of Linux are you using? I notice that it comes with the LILO boot loader, which is quite old. So, one possibility is that it's simply too old to be bootable from a USB drive. If you have a computer made within the last 10 years, I suggest trying Linux Mint 17.2 with MATE or the latest LTS version of Ubuntu. If your computer is fairly fast, you should first try the 64-bit version, but if in doubt, use the 32-bit version.

Here are some links to a download page where you can find DVD images. I suspect you'll have better luck installing these from a USB than the version you're currently using.

Linux Mint:
http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Ubuntu:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Harshit_24 · 09-21-2015, 02:04 AM

I am currently using Siemens Industrial Linux 2.4.36. It is of year 2000. I am using this because I have the old hardware & a particular old software. Hardware can be upgraded, but not that particular software. I don't know if that particular machine software will work on new Linux or not, so I am trying it in old Linux.

John VV · 09-21-2015, 02:34 AM

it is a 15 year old OS
that would explain the "fd0" you posted
" /dev/fd0"
a 1.4 meg 3.5 in "floppy" or the older 5 in. floppy in the paper sleeve
are you using a FLOPPY boot disk ???????

forget using a usb thumb drive

that os is using the very old 2.4 kernel has no idea what a usb2 or 3 is
But the "Linux 2.4.36" ( update 36 ) kernel was released in 2008

dose this machine have a cd drive ?

make a install cd

DaneM · 09-21-2015, 03:11 AM

John VV is absolutely right: your current Linux distribution doesn't know what USB is. The only way to install it is probably with the media that it came on.

Let's take a different approach. Linux is amazingly backwards compatible, in terms of hardware. Software is a somewhat different matter, but if you tell us which software you need to use, we might be able to help you either make that work on a modern distro or get a compatible and more modern piece of software that will do the same job. Otherwise, we can try to make it work via a CD installation (assuming you have a CD drive in that computer) or *shudder* floppies.

So, what is this software you wish to use? Name and function?

Edit: I just realized that 2.4.36 is actually one of the later 2.4 series kernels. Are you sure it's from 2000, and not a little later? It occurs to me that 2.4.36 did understand USB, but LILO boot loader did not. So, it might be possible to load a version of Linux with the 2.4 kernel and a similar set of packages, but with GRUB instead of LILO. This should cause your software to work just fine, without requiring you to load it from a CD.

DaneM · 09-21-2015, 03:44 AM

I just did some digging, and your version of Linux is based on Red Hat Linux 9, which shipped with the 2.4.20 kernel and GRUB, as well as LILO. You might be able to download RH9, put it onto a USB drive, install it, and then install the RPMs from your Siemens CDs. It would be a messy solution, and you might run into unfixable dependency problems, but it's probably worth a shot, if all else fails.

Harshit_24 · 09-21-2015, 07:01 AM

@John VV, yes currently I boot it using floppy disk. I have successfully booted it using USB but there is other problem as I mentioned above.

@DaneM, I could switch to a new version of Linux like CentOS but the specific software must run on CentOS. The software name is PECOM which is specially design for a machine to run. If this software runs on CENTOS like system, then I could switch.

DaneM · 09-22-2015, 03:13 AM

Ah, that makes things easier. Here are the system requirements for a modern version of CentOS.
https://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/C...uirements.html
See also:
https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product

Does your machine meet these requirements? If so, download the latest stable version, put it onto a USB drive, and away you go! :-)

Harshit_24 · 09-22-2015, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneM

Ah, that makes things easier. Here are the system requirements for a modern version of CentOS.
https://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/C...uirements.html
See also:
https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product

Does your machine meet these requirements? If so, download the latest stable version, put it onto a USB drive, and away you go! :-)

I have tried to run CENTOS 7 on that hardware but it gave error while booting. Hardware limitations are
- Adapter SCSI I20
- Ethernet Card(3COM)
- Arcnet Card(3COM)

Although I can shift to the latest hardware but as I told that the machine specific software I mentioned above should run on latest CENTOS 7 since that specific software was too old, so I doubt it would run on latest CENTOS. Is it possible or is there any compatibility issue occur ?

If not, what can we do older OS for bootable USB ?

DaneM · 09-22-2015, 03:57 PM

Give CentOS 6 a shot. CentOS 7 requires 64-bit CPU, which I'm guessing your setup doesn't have.

Can you post the following?

-CPU type (32- or 64-bit?)
-Amount of RAM
-Size of hard drive

michaelk · 09-22-2015, 06:01 PM

I might try Debian 8 first. It looks like the common 3com and arcnet modules are already compiled and I think so is the SCSI card but not so with CentOS. If the hardware is recognized then it should work vs having to learn how to compile kernel/modules with CentOS.

However, I have doubts about the PECOM software working with a version 2.6 or 3 kernel. There might be a configuration file somewhere in /etc where you can change the path from the floppy to the USB drive. Which might be a workaround for your problem.

DaneM · 09-22-2015, 08:59 PM

I would expect most hardware to work with a modern Linux distribution, but I'm concerned about getting PECOM to work on a non-RPM system, since it was originally distributed in a Red Hat derivative. Give CentOS 6 a shot, and if that doesn't work, I would recommend trying other RPM-based distributions.

michaelk · 09-23-2015, 08:11 AM

True, if PECOM is installed via an RPM then CentOS would be best but depending on what dependencies are required it might fail to install. If it does not install then I do not see how trying other current RPM based distributions would fare any better.

We do not have enough information about the system. There are lots of industrial equipment (and I work with some) that runs on legacy operating systems where upgrading is not possible.