installing

[Harting, David]

Hi,



I am trying to install Debian on a Z800 IBM mainframe in a z/VM V5.2.0
guest.

The mainframe has an OSA GIGE IP card for network access.

I created "LINMSTR" user id in the user direct.

I formatted a new pack for the Linux files.

I downloaded & created these files and installed on the Linux machine.



PARMFILE DEBIAN A1 F 80 1 1 3/29/06
16:15:46

INITRD DEBIAN A1 F 80 21439 419 3/29/06
11:06:27

KERNEL DEBIAN A1 F 80 34999 649 3/29/06
11:05:53

PROFILE EXEC A0 V 56 22 1 3/29/06
9:19:03

LIN EXEC A1 V 38 9 1 3/29/06
8:55:17

LIPL EXEC A1 V 24 3 1 3/20/06
16:12:07

LINMSTR NETLOG A0 V 107 2 1 3/20/06
9:38:18

PROFILE XEDIT A0 V 24 11 1 7/05/05
12:19:57



This is what starts when I do a "LIN".

Linux version 2.4.27-2-s390 (***@raptor) (gcc version 3.3.5 (Debian
1:3.3.5-6)) #1 SMP Wed Jan 26 14:15:27 CET 2005


We are running under VM ........



This is the main menu for the Debian installer.

Choose the next step in the install process:

1. Configure the network device [*]

2. Configure a network using static addressing

3. Continue installation remotely using SSH

4. Choose a mirror of the Debian archive

5. Download installer components

6. Execute a shell

7. Abort the installation

Prompt: '?' for help, default=1>



I am trying to use the OSA GIGE card as my network connection.



Checking the Debian archive mirror ..100%


Choose a mirror of the Debian archive





!! ERROR: Bad archive mirror





The specified Debian archive mirror is either not available, or does not
have a




valid Release file on it. Please try a different mirror.


[Press enter to continue]




Is there a way to install this without using a network connection?



Most software I install on the mainframe, does not need a network
connection to install?



What you see is downloaded from the internet but I did buy a DVD of this
also.

I thought the DVD would help me with this install.

I could not even find the VM files on the DVD.



This is my first LINUX install.



Thanks



David Harting

System Programming

State Employees' Credit Union

<mailto:***@ncsecu.org> ***@ncsecu.org

Pager: <mailto:***@my2way.com> ***@my2way.com

S07548D

[phone]

[Shimon Lebowitz]

I am sorry to say that it seems impossible.

I recently also tried to install, under z/VM 4.4
on a z890, where I had the downloaded CD
on an NFS server, also connected through an
OSA link.

The linux startup files got me into
the configurator (as you showed in your email).
I successfully connected to the network,
but it ONLY seems to work with an Internet
connection to one of Debian's hosts.

I have in the past installed linux on IBM with
NFS from a CD, but that seems to be out of style
now.... I cannot understand *requiring* an Internet
connection EVER, but certainly not for something
other than a personal home computer.

Debian looks like it is out of the picture for me,
and since the big distributions are only available
for $$$, I don't think I will be running any more
linux either. :-(

Shimon
VM Sysprog
Israel Police Natl. HQ

Post by Harting, David
Hi,
I am trying to install Debian on a Z800 IBM mainframe in a z/VM
V5.2.0 guest.
The mainframe has an OSA GIGE IP card for network access.
I created "LINMSTR" user id in the user direct.
I formatted a new pack for the Linux files.
I downloaded & created these files and installed on the Linux
machine.
PARMFILE DEBIAN A1 F801 1 3/29/06
16:15:46
INITRDDEBIAN A1 F8021439 419 3/29/06
11:06:27
KERNELDEBIAN A1 F8034999 649 3/29/06
11:05:53
PROFILEEXEC A0 V5622 1 3/29/06
9:19:03
LIN EXEC A1 V 38 91 3/29/06
8:55:17
LIPL EXEC A1 V243 1 3/20/06
16:12:07
LINMSTR NETLOGA0 V1072 1 3/20/06
9:38:18
PROFILE XEDITA0 V24 11 17/05/05
12:19:57
This is what starts when I do a "LIN".
(Debian
1:3.3.5-6)) #1 SMP Wed Jan 26 14:15:27 CET
2005
We are running under VM ........
This is the main menu for the Debian installer.
1. Configure the network device [*]
2. Configure a network using static addressing
3. Continue installation remotely using SSH
4. Choose a mirror of the Debian archive
5. Download installer components
6. Execute a shell
7. Abort the installation
Prompt: '?' for help, default=3D1>
I am trying to use the OSA GIGE card as my network connection.
Checking the Debian archive mirror
..100%
Choose a mirror of the Debian
archive
!! ERROR: Bad archive
mirror
The specified Debian archive mirror is either not available, or does
not have a
valid Release file on it. Please try a different
mirror.
[Press enter to
continue]
Is there a way to install this without using a network connection?
Most software I install on the mainframe, does not need a network
connection to install?
What you see is downloaded from the internet but I did buy a DVD of
this also.
I thought the DVD would help me with this install.
I could not even find the VM files on the DVD.
This is my first LINUX install.
Thanks
David Harting
System Programming
State Employees' Credit Union
S07548D
[phone]

[Frans Pop]

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
I have in the past installed linux on IBM with
NFS from a CD, but that seems to be out of style
now.... I cannot understand *requiring* an Internet
connection EVER, but certainly not for something
other than a personal home computer.

You can of course also set up a local mirror on your own network and use
that: no internet connection required during installation.

The basic reason that there is no purely CD-based installation for S/390
is that there is just no-one that has done the work to support it.

The S/390 port in Debian is kept alive by a depressingly small number of
people. If you want to see additional functionality like this, new people
will need to step in and start helping out.

Cheers,
FJP

[Shimon Lebowitz]

I understand the implied jab - 'if ppl (like me?) would help more,
the project would advance more.'

Unfortunately, I (and I am sure many others in the MF world)
are not linux gurus capable of helping, even if we had the time.

If we want to be able to show that linux is worth *anything*,
we need to be able to get it in and running with minimal
'extra-professional' knowledge. (is there such a word? meaning
'out of my profession'?)

Setting up a full debian mirror (where? how? what is rsync?)
doesn't seem possible to me. OTOH, installing from a CD whose
ISO image I d/l and burn is reasonable. For that all I need is
a local net connection to a PC *inside* the firewall, with an NFS
server. I have done this before, I just don't remember which
distro it was. Sorry.

I also tried once to use FTP as the install method, but Windows
FTP was not able to work with the CD filesystem. (Now that I think
of it, I think it was SuSE).

So, I don't think a "purely CD install for s390" is really what
I am looking for. A s390 doesn't usually (ever??) have its own
CD drive anyway. But NFS is really pretty easy to set up
(I mean from the user standpoint, I understand that it would need
more developer time to add another install method).
I even got a freebie NFS server that worked fine, with easy
instructions and only a few minutes to get running.

I apologize if I sound complaining, I *do* appreciate
all the work that goes into giving away free software!
Unfortunately, as things stand today, I just cannot use it,
and I doubt that I am alone in this. No one here will authorize
expenditure of any of the taxpayer's money for a
commercial linux, and I cannot install the free one. :-(

Thank you,
Shimon

P.S. Do you think my REXX, PL/1, ASM, VM skills would be of any use?

Post by Frans Pop

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
I have in the past installed linux on IBM with
NFS from a CD, but that seems to be out of style
now.... I cannot understand *requiring* an Internet
connection EVER, but certainly not for something
other than a personal home computer.

You can of course also set up a local mirror on your own network and use
that: no internet connection required during installation.
The basic reason that there is no purely CD-based installation for S/390
is that there is just no-one that has done the work to support it.
The S/390 port in Debian is kept alive by a depressingly small number of
people. If you want to see additional functionality like this, new people
will need to step in and start helping out.
Cheers,
FJP

[Adam Thornton]

Post by Shimon Lebowitz
I am sorry to say that it seems impossible.
I recently also tried to install, under z/VM 4.4
on a z890, where I had the downloaded CD
on an NFS server, also connected through an
OSA link.
The linux startup files got me into
the configurator (as you showed in your email).
I successfully connected to the network,
but it ONLY seems to work with an Internet
connection to one of Debian's hosts.

As long as you have connectivity to one of your own hosts where you
can assemble a Debian mirror (rsync works well for this) you can
install from that mirror rather than one of the official ones.

Adam