"Bad Penguin" Installation
Prepared in 1999 by Antonio Gallo
=================================


Preamble
--------
This document describe the idea and algorithms behind the installation
process of the "Bad Penguin" GNU/Linux distribution.


Stages
------
The installation process is divided into three stages:
  1) hardware and distribution probing;
  2) distribution and package installation;
  3) software configuration.


Strategy
--------
We use a single disk to boot the system. This disk contains:
  - a linux Kernel;
  - the first stage installation program (statically linked).
The first stage program is in charge to detect the distribution's
location and to load device modules or prompt for them from a
floppy.
The second stage install program is inside the distribution and
contains all the apps and binaries to complete the installation
program.
The third stage happen after the machine reboot and before the
login prompt all the apps and devices are configured.



Stage1
======
Stage1 is responsible for:
- splash screen
- disclaimer: this software is under development
- distribution license
- GPL license
- writing 'ACCEPT' into the disclaimer
- probing hardware
- looking for the distribution location
- going into Stage2



Probing Hardware
----------------
In this stage we probe for any EIDE and/or SCSI device that is not configured,
i.e. for whome loading a module is required.
If we found one of it we have to load the modules, we have two change:
  1. looking for the distribution into of one of the available devices;
  2. looking for the modules from a diskette;



Looking for the distribution location
-------------------------------------

