Which Linux version?

[NickJohnson]

As long as you can get it installed with a development toolchain quickly, it doesn't matter too much which distro you use. I too would recommend Ubuntu for new users, although I use Gentoo myself.

[quanganht]

I'm gonna stick with Ubuntu. But I'm stucking at how to modify the floppy image: After compiling, I want to copy the kernel to the floppy image and test it. Is there any way to accomplish that? ( it's better be automatically. I mean after make is done, some kind of shell script is called to do all the things above)

[Coty]

Ubuntu is great to start out with, and I love it.

[pcmattman]

I'm gonna stick with Ubuntu. But I'm stucking at how to modify the floppy image: After compiling, I want to copy the kernel to the floppy image and test it. Is there any way to accomplish that? ( it's better be automatically. I mean after make is done, some kind of shell script is called to do all the things above)

losetup & mount.

[NickJohnson]

You probably want to use the loopback filesystem. It lets you use a file as a virtual block device. You also probably want to use a preformatted floppy image with GRUB installed to start from. Try looking at JamesM's tutorials: http://www.jamesmolloy.co.uk/tutorial_html/index.html - he shows you make a setup like that, one which I still use.

[quanganht]

I tried loopback device but it's readonly, which is no good.

EDIT: ah. I forgot some nice scripts on JM's page...

[NickJohnson]

Loopback should allow you to write to the file... you may have to use root/sudo though.

[quanganht]

I can't setup loop0. Used loop1 instead but it is read-only.

[Troy Martin]

What happens when you try loop0? Paste it. And the results of loop1.

[pcmattman]

Also, there are literally hundreds of tutorials out there that will tell you how to mount a disk image using losetup. There's even tutorials that show how to mount partitions of disk images using losetup. There's even this article on the wiki. Googled and searched the wiki yet? I doubt it.

[quanganht]

If I didn't see that page, then how the hell i mounted my disk image???

[pcmattman]

Searched Google for something along the lines of "losetup read only" yet? The wiki link was only part of my post.

[quanganht]

I found the problem myself:

image_update.sh

Code: Select all

sudo losetup /dev/loop1 /home/quanganht/fd.img
sudo mount /dev/loop1 /mnt
sudo cp binary /mnt/boot
sudo umount /dev/loop1
sudo losetup -d /dev/loop1 

It was because I forgot to add the file name needed to copy.
So, line 3 must be:

Code: Select all

sudo cp binary/kernel.bin /mnt/boot

[RevivalDBM]

I find that Ubuntu, is not always the best beginner's distro, if you're a total newbie to the Linux concepts, but FreeSpire is more suitable, rather, though I use a form of Gentoo.

As for the losetup issue, just use "mount -o loop".

[ruisleipa]

Couldn't you just do the following?

Code: Select all

mount floppy.img -o loop /mnt