This section explains how to install Debian GNU/Linux on a computer without Ethernet card, but with just a remote gateway computer attached via a Null-Modem cable (also called Null-Printer cable). The gateway computer should be connected to a network that has a Debian mirror on it (e.g. to the Internet).
In the example in this appendix we will set up a PLIP connection using a gateway connected to the Internet over a dial-up connection (ppp0). We will use IP addresses 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 for the PLIP interfaces on the target system and the source system respectively (these addresses should be unused within your network address space).
The PLIP connection set up during the installation will also be available after the reboot into the installed system (see Chapter 7, Booting Into Your New Debian System).
Before you start, you will need to check the BIOS configuration (IO base
address and IRQ) for the parallel ports of both the source and target
systems. The most common values are io=0x378,
irq=7.
A target computer, called target, where Debian will be installed.
System installation media; see Section 2.2, “Installation Media”.
Another computer connected to the Internet, called source, that will function as the gateway.
A DB-25 Null-Modem cable. See the PLIP-Install-HOWTO for more information on this cable and instructions how to make your own.
The following shell script is a simple example of how to configure the source computer as a gateway to the Internet using ppp0.
#!/bin/sh # We remove running modules from kernel to avoid conflicts and to # reconfigure them manually. modprobe -r lp parport_pc modprobe parport_pc io=0x378irq=7modprobe plip # Configure the plip interface (plip0 for me, see dmesg | grep plip) ifconfigplip0 192.168.0.2pointopoint192.168.0.1netmask 255.255.255.255 up # Configure gateway modprobe iptable_nat iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -oppp0-j MASQUERADE echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
Boot the installation media. The installation needs to be run in
expert mode; enter expert at the boot prompt.
Below are the answers that should be given during various stages of
the installation.
Select the plip-modules option from the list; this
will make the PLIP drivers available to the installation system.
If target does have a network card, a list of driver
modules for detected cards will be shown. If you want to force debian-installer to
use plip instead, you have to deselect all listed driver modules.
Obviously, if target doesn't have a network card, the installer will not
show this list.
Prompt for module parameters: Yes
Because no network card was detected/selected earlier, the installer will
ask you to select a network driver module from a list.
Select the plip module.
Additional parameters for module parport_pc:
io=0x378 irq=7
Additional parameters for module plip: leave empty
Auto-configure network with DHCP: No
IP address: 192.168.0.1
Point-to-point address:
192.168.0.2
Name server addresses: you can enter the same addresses used on
source (see /etc/resolv.conf)