Instructions for running Cooperative Linux for Windows (see source for how to build and run coLinux for Linux)

WARNING:

Although Cooperative Linux may be actually useful on some setups (e.g, stable setups), it is still meant for testing purposes only. This means that running it may crash the host (Windows or Linux system).

PLEASE REPORT and read about problems on the [email protected] mailing list or file an Bug report at https://www.sourceforge.net/projects/colinux

NOTES ON UPGRADING:

Upgrading from coLinux 0.7.3 and before -- Some dev distries increase eth1, eth2, eth3, ... on every boot. Typicaly have no network, but can see it with "cat /proc/net/dev". As workarrount set an unique MAC address for all network interfaces in config file. Or disable udev. Debian: Remove all entries from /etc/udev/rules.d/z25_persistent-net.rules

Upgrading from coLinux 0.6.4 and before -- XML config files have been removed. Use the command-line syntax in a name=value per line plain text file instead:

kernel=vmlinux
initrd=initrd.gz
mem=32
cobd0=fs\root_fs
cobd1=fs\swap_fs
eth0=slirp
root=/dev/cobd0
ro

Locate for tool "colinux-xml2cfg", a XML to CFG converter for coLinux.

-- The file initrd contains no modules. Modules are only in the file vmlinux-modules.tar.gz. The initrd extracts modules over device cofs31 automaticly, if you configure it as "initrd=initrd.gz" in config file. After modules are installed, you can remove the initrd from config.

Upgrading from coLinux 0.6.1 and before -- Gentoo users need to be careful, Gentoo tends to use devfs when upgrading from 0.6.1 and so block device names change from cobdX to cobd/X and render the image unbootable. For more details and solutions see the 2.6 related information on the Wiki.

RUNNING:

To run Cooperative Linux, please follow these instructions before trying to run anything.

1. Run the downloaded installer file to begin the installation. Under Vista must run the installer via 'run as ...' and the admin account.

2. Choose an installation directory. It is better to choose c:\coLinux because this way you don't need to edit the configuration file since the pathnames of block devices files are currently aboslute. However, note that any directory should be acceptable.

3. Choose networking method(s) to install. Currently there are three choices:

   a. Slirp - The simplest way to use networks in coLinux. This runs as user application on the Windows host and needs no changes on the host networks. Slirp is a good choice for dialup networks and WLAN cards. Slirp use all times the current outgoing interface and forwards (NAT) networking from linux to the internet world. Slirp is a virtual Gateway for all outgoing TCP and UDP connections (no IMCP, no ping). Standard installation works as firewall to your linux. It means, you can not connect from windows side to your linux. To allow incomings from host system to linux, must additional configure 'redirections'. Slirp has a DHCP-Server for linux side. To use slirp, edit your CFG file and set "slirp" as first parameter. Inside linux use DHCP-Client to get your network configuration.

   b. TAP driver - This method installs a virtual network adapter that is typically a separate network between Linux guest and Windows host. This can then be either shared or bridged with a physical network connection. Note that this requires Internet Connection Sharing or Bridging (Windows XP or higher) or a 3rd party Internet connection sharing application. The TAP method autmatically chooses the TAP first TAP adapter it finds, if you have multiple TAP WIN32 devices, you can specify the specific adapter by name (for sample "TAP-Colinux").

   c. Bridging - This method allows the Cooperative Linux network interface to directly interoperate with one of your built in networking interfaces. You'll need to edit the configuration file to reflect that type "ndis-bridge" and the 'name' parameter needs to be set to a substring of the network connection name that you will be bridging with (e.g. "Local Area Connection"). Bridging does not working with WiFi cards.

   You can select all types on installation and use one of these later. See the Wiki at the page 'Network' for more information/help.

4. Choose whether to download a root file system from the Cooperative Linux sourceforge page. The installer will try to download directly in the next step but if you experience any issues you can visit the Sourceforge page directly at:

   https://sourceforge.net/projects/colinux/files/

   NOTE ABOUT DISK SPACE: Each image extracts to over 1GB (or more), so make sure you have enough space there before you start downloading/extracting it. If you are manually downloading, put the extracted file in the installation directory. To unzip .bz2 files, you can use Winzip or 7-Zip (or the bzip utilities in Cygwin, etc). The image MUST be extracted from the compressed archive before use!

   See "Quick running" (below), if you would not download an image file in this step. You can download an image file from SourgeForge later.

5. Edit the config file to point to whatever root file system you downloaded and replace the file name 'root_fs' with yours.

6. The installation directory should include vmlinux, example.conf, the supplied linux.sys driver and executables, and probably the root filesystem image. Be sure to review the config file for any additional configuration that may be needed.

   Refer the file colinux-daemon.txt in coLinux installation for the full list of device parameters.

7. Run coLinux. The current directory should be the installation directory, if not, then you need to change paths (especially for vmlinux) in the config file.

   a. Run as an regular application.

    colinux-daemon.exe @example.conf
   
   See file colinux-daemon.txt for details about possible
   command-line arguments.
   

   b. Running as an service.

    colinux-daemon.exe @example.conf --install-service "Cooperative Linux"
   
   Also, to remove the service:
   
    colinux-daemon.exe --remove-service "Cooperative Linux".
   
   Then go to the Service Manager and start the "Cooperative Linux"
   service,
   OR start from command prompt:
   
    net start "Cooperative Linux"
   
   Last, go to the installation directory and double-click on
   
    colinux-console-fltk.exe  OR
    colinux-console-nt.exe
   

   The console window opens and you would see a Linux machine booting in that window.

If you wand only quick check, what coLinux is, and how it works, you can run a very limited linux shell from the ramdisk file. For this you not needs to download an image file, and no need any networking. For such test use this command line:

colinux-daemon kernel=vmlinux initrd=initrd.gz root=/dev/ram0

Try some Linux commands: sh, ls, cd, pwd, uname -a, halt (shutting down).

You may wish to set up some post installation parameters, including increasing the amount of memory allocated to Cooperative Linux, or adding swap partition. See colinux-daemon.txt and the Wiki for additional help on these tasks.

"Unable to mount root fs"

Generally this means that the root filesystem image is
missing, was specified incorrectly, or not uncompressed.

Check the device name and index (cobd0, hda1).
Verify, that the filename behind (cobd0=...) exist and is
readable from current working directory, try it with a
simple "DIR ..." on command prompt.

"Vista admin"

Under Vista an user within administrator group must run the file
C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe from explorer context menu "run as ..." and
admin account to installing the driver or service from command line.

"no network after update" or "network interface increments on every boot"

Since PCI is enabled, some distris create a new network interface
eth1, eth2, eth3, ... on every boot, because coLinux creates a new
randomly MAC on every boot. As workarrount set an unique MAC for all
network	interfaces in config file. See examples in colinux-daemon.txt
Debian: To go back with eth0 must remove all ethX entries from
/etc/udev/rules.d/z25_persistent-net.rules
"cat /proc/net/dev" shows all current networks names in coLinux.

Additional problems not know at time of release are typically documented on the Wiki (https://colinux.wikia.com/), look there for known problems. If your problem isn't listed, report on the [email protected] mailing list or file an Bug report at https://www.sourceforge.net/projects/colinux

Check out the source code, and or the Home page (https://www.colinux.org) for more on developing coLinux and/or helping the project out. Also, subscribing to the Mailing List is helpful.

The following resources are available if you need help getting going, or find bugs, etc.

IRC
	The official IRC location is at server irc.oftc.net,
	channel #colinux.

WEB
	The official website, containing downloads, documentation,
	FAQ, WIKI, etc., is at https://www.colinux.org

Project Web-site
	Source Forge Project website is at 
	https://www.sourceforge.net/projects/colinux

WIKI
	The community has contributed wonderful and helpful
	information on numerous topics, which is available at
	https://colinux.wikia.com/
	(You can contribute here too!)

Mailing Lists
	Visit the colinux.org website and choose from the available
	mailing lists (user and devel) to join, view archives, etc.

Dan Aloni [email protected]

Richard Goodwin (readme portions) [email protected]

George P Boutwell (readme updates, fixes, etc) [email protected]

Henry Nestler (scripting, kernel, fixes, devel releases) [email protected]