Steps to install a PLD core system

[Dirk Ullrich]

Hi, PLD users,

I am about to install PLD AC using the PLD rescue CD (version 2.0).

I have tried to use the English install documentation starting at
  http://docs.pld-linux.org/instalacjarc_intro.html
but I noted after doing some steps that this HOWTO seems to be
a little bit outdated. Thus I took heart and looked into the Polish
one starting at
  http://pl.docs.pld-linux.org/instalacja_chroot_wstep.html
The Polish version seems to be more up-to-date--and luckily
command sequences are the same all over the world :-)

Until now I have install some PLD core RPMs using the following
steps:

1. Boot the PLD rescue CD.
2. Prepare a rootfs partition using ext3 (and swap), mounting it at
    "/inst"
3. Customize "/etc/poldek/poldek.conf" to use "/inst/var/cache/poldek"
    as package cache dir.
4. Customize "/etc/poldek/pld-source.conf" to use AC's RPMs for
    i686--the architecture of the machine I try to install PLD onto.
5. Prepare poldeks cache dir and the rpm database:
      mkdir -p /inst/var/cache/poldek
      rpm --root /inst --initdb
6. Install core packages according to the Polish documentation
    but using "grub" instead of "lilo":
      poldek --root /inst -i \
      FHS setup dev chkconfig dhcpcd poldek vim geninitrd modutils grub
    When being ask to choose one of "pwutils" or "shadow" I have chosen
    "shadow".

All these steps are running smoothly--but now I have some questions:
a. When I my 'guessing Polish' is correct later only a kernel RPM and
    "udev" will be added, and then you should be able to boot into the
    system. I wonder whether some more packages needed.
    For instance what about the tools to check the root filesystem (check
    will be issued by "/etc/rcd./rc.sysinit")? Are there other packages
    needed for a minimal bootable system?
b. I see that "pdksh" was installed as dependency. Well, first I did not
    worry about that since I did not explicitly choose a shell. So I've tried
    step 6 again but added the "bash" package. But "pdksh" would be
    installed again. This looks strange to me, and I've analized the
    situation a bit:
    Many packages require "/bin/sh", and this feature seems only be
    provided by "pdksh". Even "bash" seems to require "/bin/bash", thus
    "bash" depends on "pdksh"--sounds a little bit like a joke to me!
    (Why, for instance, does "bash" not provide "/bin/sh" itself?) If this is
    a feature and not a bug I would be very interested in any reason for
    this situation.

Beside these questions I am pleased by PLD even now: The core system
seems to be very small and highly customizable. Features which I've
missed in many Linux distros I've tried.

Dirk