Mfl

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You should have a text editor that can create unix line ends, this works with e.g. QED from Christian Felsch. unix line ends only made of a LF (ASCII10 Line Feed), normal line ends are a CRLF (ASCII 13,10, Carriage Return, Line Feed) MiNT configuration files always use unix line ends so that you have to use a editor which can create them (like vi, vim, QED)
Before starting you have to look for MINTNP.PRG, official version is 1.15.5, all versions >1.15.5 should not be used now because they're almost in beta stadium and can have bugs. You can get latest MiNT version here:

http://www.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/~fnaumann/

When you've got MiNT-Kernel you should copy MINTNP.PRG to the AUTO -folder of your boot partition and reboot. Please use MINTNP.PRG first, not MINT.PRG! (This is for MiNT users with a black belt.:))
Now you have to put a filesystem on a harddisk partition that can handle long filenames and file permissions, like ext2- or minix, not VFAT this can only handle long filenames but no file permissions! It is possible to install MiNT-Net on a normal TOS partition, but that's a bad solution and when you will got to discover more MiNT secrets in the future you will run in trouble. So we will do it right, now!
But there are some restrictions, that I have to tell you:
If you want to install a ext2-filesystem on a Atari with 68000 processor you have to use a special driver, ext2_st.xfs. But you can get this driver only direct from the author, Frank Naumann, because it's only in beta stage. So, if you want to try this you have to contact him. For all computers with 68020 or higher you should use the normal ext2.xfs For 68000 users I recommend to use minix-filesystem, because of the beta stage of ext2_st.xfs. The ext2-, resp. minix-filesystem only works with a XHDI-compatible harddisk driver, e.g. HDDriver or CBHD.
Further you need a desktop that can handle long filenames, e.g. THING, with original Atari desktops this don't work. With THING you also can easily change file permissions, so you don't have to use cryptic command line tools like chmod.(Hope the Unix freaks will forgive me.:)
You need about 5-6 MByte harddisk space to install the "MiNT-Net for lamers"-distribution, when you're not planning to expand your MiNT system. But if you're planning to extend your MiNT system you need much more harddisk space, 20 MB and more.

Mfl

To setup a partition that can handle long filenames and file permissions, you have to clear a partition, because when make a minix- resp. ext2-partition all data on this partition will be lost! So at this point again the Security hint, make a

BACKUP!!!
When you've found a nice place on your harddisk, you should change the identifier of the partition to RAW or LNX for ext2, or MIX for minix, with the partitioning utility of your harddisk driver.(How that works you will find in the documentation of your harddisk driver)
Now it's the best to reboot, after that we will create the filesystem with mkfsext2.ttp or minit.ttp and this is how it works:

ext2: start mkfsext2.ttp and enter, in the appearing box, the drive letter of the partition you've choosed for MiNT- Net.
For partition D: it looks like this, for example:

                mkfsext2.ttp D:

            

On the screen should appear something like this:

            mke2fs 1.14, 9-Jan-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09

            WARNING: THIS WILL TOTALLY DESTROY ANY DATA ON #:
            Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE you want to do this? (y/n)
            

When you're absolute shure, enter 'y' followed by RETURN, then should appear some wild expressions which will end up with this:

            Writing inode tables: done
            Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done
            

Now the ext2-filesystem should be on your partition and we can begin.

minix: start minit.ttp and similiar to the example above enter the drive letter in the appearing box. Example drive E:

                 minit.ttp E:

            

Than should appear something like that:

            Minix-compatible initializer v0.32

            Copyright S N Henson 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994.
            Copyright Frank Naumann 1998, 1999.

            Found XHDI level 1.30.


            Information about drive #:
            --------------------------
            XHDI major number    : 16
            XHDI minor number    : 0
            partition start      : 10240003
            partition length    : 2047999
            sectorsphyiscal sector size : 512
            bytespartition type      : TOS
            partition ID         : RAW

            Drive will be initialised with 1023999 Blocks and 65535 Inodes.
            Names can be 62 characters long (dir increment = 4).

            WARNING: THIS WILL TOTALLY DESTROY ANY DATA ON H:
            Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE you want to do this? (y/n)
            

Same here, only if you're absolutely sure you should enter 'y' with following RETURN. Then should appear something like this:

            Writing superblock ... done.
            Writing inode bitmaps ... done.
            Writing zone bitmaps ... done.
            Writing inodes ... done.
            Writing root dir ... done.

            Drive #: successfully initialised
            Leave ok.

            

And now we can also begin at this point. For using this filesystem, you have to install MiNT and the correspondig filesystem driver. So, copy minix.xfs or ext2.xfs to your MINT/ folder! We have already installed MINTNP.PRG in the AUTO-folder. Now you can unpack the package FIRST.ZIP, you will find some folders and ttp in it. The MINT-folder can be copied as it is to the root directory of the boot partition.

The files of the distributions-AUTO-folder can be copied as you need them to the AUTO-folder of your boot partition, the file order should look like this:

                            DRVIN.PRG
                            ESCC.PRG       ---|
                            MFP.PRG           |---- One if these files,
                            MFP_XXX.PRG       |---- depends on the hardware
                            MIDI.PRG          |---- resp. serial interface
                            SCC.PRG           |     (look HSMODEM-Docu)
                            ST_ESCC.PRG    ---|
                            RSVX.PRG
                            MINTNP.PRG
            

You only have to look that MINTNP.PRG is the last program in the AUTO- folder. You should also use only these programs for the moment in the AUTO- folder, so you can be shure if you have trouble that not one of the AUTO-folder programs is the cause of the trouble.
And I really mean, what I wrote here! Only these programs and nothing else, because when I gave help to various people, in some cases e.g a CPX for configuring serial devices made trouble and dialing didn't work and it did take some time to find this out. So, deactivate all AUTO, CPX and ACC programs that are not needed in the moment and only if all works like it should activate them one by one!

Mfl

Before rebooting you should load the MINT.CNF, which resides in the MINT\ folder (when you're updating from an older MiNT installation, it's folder MULTITOS\) in a text editor and adjust the paths to fit to your own system.
The following MINT.CNF is only useable in that way, that MiNT-Net will work, but I recommend to have a look at the MINT.CNF which is delivered with the MiNT kernels.
This is what it looks like:

            # MINT.CNF for MiNT-Net for lamers-project

            # General stuff

            SLICES=2

            cd u:\

            # serial devices will get regular names
            # serial devices that are not needed, should be uncommented


            ren u:\dev\modem1 u:\dev\ttya
            ren u:\dev\modem2 u:\dev\ttyb
            ren u:\dev\serial1 u:\dev\ttyc
            ren u:\dev\serial2 u:\dev\ttyd
            ren u:\dev\midi u:\dev\ttye
            ren u:\dev\HSMODEM1 u:\dev\modem1
            ren u:\dev\HSMODEM2 u:\dev\modem2
            ren u:\dev\HSLAN u:\dev\lan


            # Give the paths to the ext2- or minix-partition

            sln h:\bin     u:\bin
            sln h:\lib     u:\lib
            sln h:tc     u:tc
            sln h:\home    u:\home
            sln h:\usr     u:\usr
            sln h:\tmp     u:\tmp
            sln h:ar     u:ar
            sln h:\sbin    u:\sbin
            sln h:\root    u:\root
            sln h:\opt     u:\opt
            sln h:\mnt     u:\mnt
            sln c:\         u:\boot


            # Environment variables
            # general

            setenv PCONVERT PATH,HOME,SHELL
            setenv UNIXMODE /brUs
            setenv PATH .,u:\bin,u:\usr\bin,u:\usr\ucb,u:\usr\sbin,u:\sbin -- standard paths,
                                               that programs can be found from bash
                                               ATTENTION! When PATH variable was declared
                                               in the NAES.CNF, the PATH variable in the
                                               MINT.CNF will be overwritten.


            setenv TZ MST7MDT                 # --- Adjusting timezone
            setenv HOSTNAME MyHostname     # --- Give your own hostname

            # When you have Internet access over a proxy server
            #setenv http_proxy "proxy.test.com:80"
            #setenv nntp_proxy ""
            #setenv ftp_proxy "ftp-proxy.test.com:80"
            #setenv wais_proxy "wais-proxy.test.com:80"
            #setenv gopher_proxy "gopher-proxy.test.com:80"


            # When using desktop THING
            # other desktops look, at docu for this desktops
            setenv THINGDIR C:\THING\
            setenv FONTSELECT THING
            setenv AVSERVER THING

            # You have to start rsvx.prg a second time, otherwise terminal programs
            # like connect will not work properly

            exec c:\auto\rsvx.prg

            # Initialize net

            cd u:\

            exec u:\bin\sh u:tc\rc.net       -- with this script will the
                                                   net daemons be started
            exec u:\bin\sh u:tc\rc.local     -- this script starts the
                                                   syslogd


            

MiNT beginners often have the problem with the sln-command section, the so called symbolic links (the meaning of sln is simply "symbolic link")
A symbolic link is no real folder or file, it's only a reference to a folder or file. A little example on that:
Think you would install the MiNT-Net on partition D: in folder MiNTNET. So, that MiNT can "find" this folder, you're setting a link to drive u:.(u: is a virtual drive, that MiNT creates and administrates). This will look as follows:

               sln D:\MiNTNET\bin  u:\bin

            

This comand sequence takes care about, that we and also MiNT, can find a folder \bin on drive u:, after the next reboot, but this folder in reality is on drive D:\ in folder MiNTNET, that means when you're opening the folder bin\ on drive u:, you're opening folder D:\MiNTNET\bin in reality. The advantage is clear of linking, when you need one folder or file in different places on your harddisk, you only have to make links to this file and have access over this links to the original file/folder, this saves lot of memory.
Another problem for the beginner is renaming of the serial devices. With this little distribution HSMODEM from Harun Scheutzow will be installed, too. That MiNT programms like pppd can handle serial device as well as GEM programs like Connect the serial devices have to be renamed with the ren comand. This looks like this:

                ren u:\dev\modem1 u:\dev\ttya

            

With this comand you make the modem device accessible for MiNT programs, but now there's no modem1 device any more, so you have to give the following comand to rename the HSMODEM device to modem1 device:

                ren u:\dev\HSMODEM1 u:\dev\modem1

            

Because of this comand, the modem device can be accessed by programs like Connect again.
All other devices, like modem, serial, lan and midi will be handled in the same way.
IMPORTANT in this case is the program RSVX.PRG, this program has to be started once from the AUTO-folder and twice with the following command from the MINT.CNF:

                exec c:\auto\rsvx.prg

            

The MINT.CNF that is delivered with the Mfl distribution, is prepared for use with desktop THING, so you have to change the environment variables if you use another desktop.
Also, the added MINT.CNF is not starting any AES (e.g. N.AES or MultiTOS), so if you want to start a multitasking AES, you have to look in the documentation of your preferred AES, how to start it from MINT.CNF
If you have made all changes, you can reboot your machine, after that it should be possible to access the ext2- resp. minix-partition.

Mfl

Let's make a little summary now, we have made a filesystem on a free partition. On our boot drive, we can find MINTNP.PRG in the AUTO-folder and we have a MINT-folder, where should resist the drivers (HSMINST.XDD, SOCKDEV.XDD, SLIP.XIF, EXT2.XFS resp. MINIX.XFS) and we have changed the MINT.CNF to our needs. If there is something not as described, go to the beginning and read it again!

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