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Date:      Thu, 10 Jun 1999 11:11:27 +0900 (JST)
From:      sanpei@sanpei.org (MIHIRA Yoshiro)
To:        denis@acacia.cts.ucla.edu
Cc:        andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu, mharo@area51.fremont.ca.us, freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Sony VAIO C1 Picturebook
Message-ID:  <199906100211.LAA17169@lavender.yy.cs.keio.ac.jp>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 6 Jun 1999 08:50:22 JST". <Pine.BSF.4.05.9906051618540.4861-100000@acacia.cts.ucla.edu>

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denis@acacia.cts.ucla.edu wrote:

>> On Sun, 30 May 1999, Annelise Anderson wrote:
>> 
>> > I'm talking about the C1 in comparison to the 505.  The screen
>> > is fine with me.  I just can't figure out how to install
>> > FreeBSD on it, since I can't boot floppies (usb floppy is
>> > not yet supported).  A parallel port usb is supported and I
>> > could connect to another machine that way, but I still can't
>> > boot install floppies.  
>> 
>> Why don't you browse the Laptop Compatibility pages for FreeBSD at
>> 
>> 
>> 	http://www.cse.ucsc.edu/~dkulp/fbsd/laptop.html
>> 
>> for further info. 
>> 
>> I am sure that you can boot from the USB floppy since it is the C1X BIOS
>> that is handling the floppy during the reboot process. Tatsumi Hosokowa in
>> Japan (http://www.jp.FreeBSD.org/PAO/) has done most if not all of the
>> work for the FreeBSD Mobile Support Package, and his PA0 release 2.2.8
>> boot floppy should allow you to do a full install of FreeBSD 2.2.8 on the
>> C1X -- and come up with a system fully enabled for pcmcia support.
>> 
>> With FreeBSD 3.x, the single boot floppy has become now two floppies. And
>> the question and problem with the C1X USB floppy drive is whether one can
>> handle the 2 floppy sequence -- one boots with the kern floppy and when
>> that is done it requests that you insert the 2nd mfsroot floppy and hit
>> enter. For laptops, Linux install has a two floppy sequence also (the 2nd
>> floppy being the pcmcia support) but it fails as the floppy change is not
>> detected successfully on the USB-based floppy... so the question is
>> whether the FreeBSD 3.x install fail similarly or actually successfully
>> detects the floppy change and is able to proceed.

  I asked this question in BSD-nomads mailing list,
  Ryoji KATO <ryoji.kato@nrj.ericsson.se> reported:
	o Vaio PCG-C1 which has USB-based floppy can boot FreeBSD-3.x
	  install floppy(but early BIOS has problem, it need ten miniuts
	  to read floppy. Please update your BIOS)

  FreeBSD-3.x and Linux are use 2 floppies for install. 
But there are different way to read 2nd floppy.

  I think current FreeBSD boot floppy use BTX boot code. 
		o 2nd mfsroot.flp is also read by BTX. 
		o BTX use BIOS call to read floppy.  
		o If BIOS recognize USB-based FDD as A: drive,
		  BTX can read 2nd flp via USB-based FDD.
		(Yes, We can install FreeBSD to Vaio C1 easily !!,
		 Also Toshiba Libretto which is PCMCIA-FDD)

  But Linux (RedHat?) installer read 2nd floppy by kernel side
Floppy driver, I think.
  If kernel does not support USB FDD driver, it can't read 2nd floppy :-<.

Have a nice FreeBSD life.
MIHIRA Sanpei Yoshiro


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