Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I have temporarely a laptop with similar, very new cpu, but i5 and Puppy nor Easy see the hd.
I cannot try this fix tho because the laptop is totally locked by windows and by the owner.
I need an admin password to set off hibernate, but I do not have it and will not get it.

But I can run Puppy and Easy from usb.
I did have another problem with Fossapup: no ethernet. But with Easy I did have ethernet.
So I changed kernel for Fossa, guessing it needed a newer kernel, and that indeed fixed the ethernet problem.
I have used the k5.11.15 kernel from @ozsouth.
I wonder though if I could use the kernel from Easy in Fossapup?
And how? What should go into zdrv then?

I have used the k5.11.15 kernel from @ozsouth

I would not try EasyOS kernel.
If this one is working.
Be happy and move on.
It is newer and probably configured more for the way a normal official Puppy version works.

EasyOS is not Puppy Linux.

Ditto what bigpup wrote, especially "EasyOS is not Puppy Linux."

IIRC, what file-systems are copied into RAM on boot-up is handled by initrd(.?z). My guess is that EasyOS builds drivers (zdrv.sfs) and firmware (fdrv.sfs) into its kernel (vmlinuz), itself. I don't know if its initrd has instructions to use zdrv.sfs and fdrv.sfs.

But if you want to experiment, you could (a) try booting with just EasyOS's kernel (vmlinuz) & no zdrv.sfs or (b) leave fossapup's zdrv.sfs in place and just swap vmlinuz.

Among the possible outcomes are:
(a) It won't boot.
(b) It boots but some things don't work properly. May take time to test everything.
(c) It boots but you don't have wifi because EasyOS's management of drivers is different from fossapup's and there's a conflict.

I wouldn't trust such hybrid system until extensively tested. But if you want to experiment, I would be interested in the outcome.

@bigpup
@mikeslr
Thanks for the advice and comments, guys.

I was just wondering.
And I had the same considerations.
I am hoping someone just knows the answer before experimenting.
@BarryK will know right away I bet.
It may be usefull in future.

mikeslr wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 7:28 pm

Ditto what bigpup wrote, especially "EasyOS is not Puppy Linux."

IIRC, what file-systems are copied into RAM on boot-up is handled by initrd(.?z). My guess is that EasyOS builds drivers (zdrv.sfs) and firmware (fdrv.sfs) into its kernel (vmlinuz), itself. I don't know if its initrd has instructions to use zdrv.sfs and fdrv.sfs.

But if you want to experiment, you could (a) try booting with just EasyOS's kernel (vmlinuz) & no zdrv.sfs or (b) leave fossapup's zdrv.sfs in place and just swap vmlinuz.

Among the possible outcomes are:
(a) It won't boot.
(b) It boots but some things don't work properly. May take time to test everything.
(c) It boots but you don't have wifi because EasyOS's management of drivers is different from fossapup's and there's a conflict.

I wouldn't trust such hybrid system until extensively tested. But if you want to experiment, I would be interested in the outcome.

EasyOS does not have any *drv.sfs files. There is only one SFS, that is easy.sfs, and it has the kernel firmware and modules.

The initrd does not have any kernel modules or firmware. It relies upon a kernel with everything builtin, to recognize the drives and input devices.

So, if change vmlinuz, then would have to open up easy.sfs and put in the required modules/firmware. But they will only be accessed after switch_root.

BarryK wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 9:55 am

So, if change vmlinuz, then would have to open up easy.sfs and put in the required modules/firmware. But they will only be accessed after switch_root.

hello @BarryK

So I could make the zdrv in Easy, to use for Puppy.
Would it be enough to include everything that is in /bin/modules? Or would I miss something?

Similarly for fdrv I could take what's in /lib/firmware then.
But I could probably keep the fdrv from fossapup as well.
That is not dependent on the kernel, is it?

Would it work the other way around as well:
A kernel from Puppy for Easy?
My guess is that Easy needs a little bit more than Puppy because of the container stuff.

foxpup wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 11:04 am

BarryK wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 9:55 am

So, if change vmlinuz, then would have to open up easy.sfs and put in the required modules/firmware. But they will only be accessed after switch_root.

hello @BarryK

So I could make the zdrv in Easy, to use for Puppy.
Would it be enough to include everything that is in /bin/modules? Or would I miss something?

Similarly for fdrv I could take what's in /lib/firmware then.
But I could probably keep the fdrv from fossapup as well.
That is not dependent on the kernel, is it?

Would it work the other way around as well:
A kernel from Puppy for Easy?
My guess is that Easy needs a little bit more than Puppy because of the container stuff.

Yes, just take out /lib/modules for zdrv and /lib/firmware for fdrv from easyos.

I am unfamiliar with the *drv.sfs files...

I think that I understand this much:

adrv: extra applications
fdrv: kernel firmware
zdrv: kernel modules

...is that correct?

You could keep the /lib/firmware already in Puppy, as long as it is firmware suitable for that kernel version.

To do the reverse, use a kernel from Puppy, you would have to open up easy.sfs and copy contents of zdrv, and maybe fdrv, into it, then rebuild easy.sfs