SuSE on laptop with NO floppy or CD drive

[ming0]

SuSE on laptop with NO floppy or CD drive

Hi all,

I am getting a Panasonic Toughbook R1 this friday, and am going to try to install SuSE over the network. However, this notebook lacks FDD and CDROM drives.

I am fairly inexperienced, but as far as I can tell, it can be done without floppies or CDs...

I looked around at Linux.org and found the following HOWTO:

Network Boot HOWTO (http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/Network-boot-HOWTO/index.html)

Part 6.1.-- BOOTP or DHCP capable NICs is the part that makes me think that this is definantely possible

The only problem is that the guide gives very little detail on how to actually boot from the network. It just tells me that once I set up a DHCP client that I am done, but I am not sure how to do this, and what I do after???

Once I get the laptop booted I am fairly sure that I won't have a problem FTPing the install...

Oh and if this all goes to hell on me, I have a backup plan:

Someone else used a USB CDROM successfully (http://www.alfalab.com/toughbook.html) (but I would rather save my $$$)

Well any suggestions or pointers will be appreciated!!!

Thanks,

Dean

[dkeav]

get a usb floppy drive, that will save some cash, or anytype of external floppy that will boot corectly

[fixxxer05]

bump

[ming0]

I might just fight dirty, and go to a Staples, pick up a USB floppy and return it if worst comes to worst...

[dkeav]

now your thinking, there ya go GIT R DONE lol , man that sounds like something i would do

[ming0]

So I got the laptop this morn, and the FDD Boots no problem!--but once I load the installation floppy (from SUSE) I tried doing the manual install and the kernel loads fine, but when I attempt to load the NIC driver module, it tells me it can't find the FDD. I can't figure out how to tell the kernel that is loading that it should use the USB FDD... anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

[andysimmons]

Check to see if you BIOS has the option to boot from an Ethernet device, and change the boot order so your NIC comes before the HD.