These are basically notes for myself in getting it all installed and running.

• Download a linux kernel source. These docs will generally refer to a 2.4.20 kernel. Extract in somewhere (ie. not in /usr/src) and rename it to something like uml-2.4.20
• Patch the kernel with something like:

     cd uml-2.4.20
     bunzip2 -c /tmp/uml-patch.2.4.20.bz2 | patch -p1
  

• Compile the kernel

     cd uml-2.4.20
     make menuconfig ARCH=um
  # The majority of the defaults are fine.
     make dep ARCH=um
     make linux ARCH=um
  

  You should end up with a file 'linux'. You can strip it with 'strip linux' to make it a bit smaller. You can probably even try the kernel by just running it as ./linux. You should see the normal startup gumpf and it should hang at some point (cannot mount the rootfs probably)
• Installing Slackware 8.1. Create a big root filesystem file.

     # Create a sparse file
     dd if=/dev/zero of=root_fs_slack81 bs=1024k count=1 seek=1024
  

  Format it:

     mke2fs -F root_fs_slack81
  

  Mount it:

     mount -o loop root_fs_slack81 /mnt
  

  fdisk it:

     fdisk /dev/loop0
  # Press 'o' to create a new disk label
  # Press 'n' to create a new partition. Make it a primary one that takes up
    the whole disk.
  # Press 'w' to write out the partition info
  

  Remount it:

     mount -o remount /mnt
  

  Mount the slackware 8.1 cdrom :

     mount -t iso9660 /dev/sr0 /cdrom
  

  Now install all the packages

     cd /cdrom/slackware
     export ROOT=/mnt
     for i in `ls -F1 | grep /`
     do
        cd $i && sh ./install-packages && cd ..
     done
     # You'll get the usual Slackware pkgtool type menus now. Select or deselect the bits you want
     unset ROOT
  

  Running install-packages as above doesn't seem to work from Slackware 10.0 onwards. Possibel idea is something like:

     installpkg -root /mnt a/*.tgz ap/*.tgz n/*.tgz
  

  Now fix up Slackware so that it will work under UML

     chroot /mnt /bin/bash
     # You are inside the slackware install now
     vi /etc/fstab
     # Add the following into /etc/fstab
  /dev/ubd/0      /               ext2    defaults   1   1
  /proc           /proc           proc    defaults
  
     # Make sure the /dev/pts and swap entries are in your /etc/fstab too
  
     # Now set the root password
     passwd root
  
     # Now Fix the inittab so that the virtual console works better. 
     # Comment out all the virtual consoles except the first one and then 
     # change its terminal to ttys/0:
  c1:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 ttys/0 linux
     # As a matter of fact you might want to change the termtype from linux
     # to vt100 or xterm or something
  
     # Edit /etc/securetty to allow root to login from ttys/0. You just need
     # to add a line with 'ttys/0' on it.
  
     # Edit some of the startup/shutdown scripts to get rid of the 
     # references to hwclock
  

  Now try booting it:

     ./linux ubd0=root_fs_slack81 con=pty con0=fd:0,fd:1
  

  You should be able to log in as root.

  pablo , 2005-03-26 04:21:08