Unable to install Debian/MIPS on Cobalt
Hi everyone,
I'm the owner of a Cobalt Raq2 with 256 MB RAM and an 80 GB hard
drive. I'm wanting to turn it into a caching DNS and caching proxy
server. To do this, I need to get it running.
I tried installing Gentoo on it. I spent an entire day fighting with
it, and could never get it anywhere near being able to boot. No one
seems to have done any updating on it for about 2 years.
I'm currently trying to install Debian on it. I can get it to
netboot. I can use a serial connection or SSH to connect in to run
the installer. DHCP sets up the network for me. I can partition the
hard drives. I can pick a mirror. It downloads and installs a pile
of stuff.
It never completes. When it tries to download the kernel, it fails.
It doesn't matter which of the options I select.
Frustrated, I found a newer nfsroot.tar.gz and started over. The
installer looks better. It fails with the exact same error. It
installs a pile of stuff, but it never succeeds in installing the
kernel.
Frustrated, I downloaded the netinst ISO image for Linux/MIPS (version
5.0.3). I mounted the ISO through a loopback and made it available
through Apache. This should speed things up; I won't need to download
additional megabytes of code.
The netinst ISO image doesn't have any Release.gpg files on it. I'm
still trying to find a way to get the installer to ignore that fact
and get on with life. I am not succeeding. Consequently, I have no
idea whether or not this will install the kernel. I can't get that
far.
Sorry if this sounds like a rant. I've been trying for a couple
months to get this machine working (the only time I have to mess with
it is on weekends) and I still have a beautiful, blue paperweight.
Google isn't helping, much, on this quest. So, I'm asking for assistance.
Any suggestions on what I can do to finally get this machine working?
Thanks,
Tony
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