Re: How to begin? (And pointer to new UltraSparc install images)

[Steve Dunham <dunham@cse.msu.edu>]

Jake Griesbach <griesbac@gamera.colorado.edu> writes:

> Sorry for the ignorance here.  I'm interested in installing Debian on a
> SparcStation 1+, but I'm not sure how to begin.  It doesn't have a floppy
> drive, so I will need to boot over the network or from a CD.  I am very
> familiar with x86 linux, and SunOS 4.1.3 which the machine currently runs.
> Where can I get instructions on net booting for a network Debian
> installation?

> Do I need to keep SunOS on the machine?  I rather not, unless it means
> decreased functionality.  (I have heard that the SunOS drivers are needed
> to execute SunOS programs.)

> I have another question unrelated to net booting:  when installing SunOS
> from CD, it could only be installed from a Sun CDROM drive, a generic
> CDROM drive would not be recognized by the kernel.  Is this true for
> Debian Linux too?

Yes.  The block size of the CDROM has to be set correctly for the PROM
to understand it. (Once the system is booted Debian should be able to
handle any kind of CD.)

If you do a network boot, you can read the CD from inside Debian.

Brief instructions that I sent to Nils for network installs on an
UltraSparc with my newer install images. (Use the disk images from
sun4cdm directory if you have a non-ultra machine.)


If you don't want to use my images, just grab the tftpboot.img,
{resc,drv}1440.img and base2_1.tgz from the main ftp site and follow
the instructions.


On the sparc: 

  Find out it's MAC address by looking at the screen: 8:0:20:x:x:x

On the other Linux box:

* Make sure the kernel has rarp support (if it's in a module you'll have
  to load it).  "rarp -a" will tell you if you have support compiled in.

* Enable tftpd by uncommenting the tftpd line from /etc/inetd.conf.
   Then send SIGHUP to the inetd process.

* Fetch tftpboot.img from my ftp site: 

    ftp://ftp.cse.msu.edu/pub/debian/install.new

  and place in /boot (world readable).

  Make a symlink from tftpboot.img to the hex IP address of the sparc, e.g.

    ln -s tftpboot.img /boot/C0A80101

  if the IP is 192.168.1.1.  Use a relative link - tftpd chroots
  into /boot.


* Also get the rest of the stuff from the "install.new" dir and export
  it via NFS to the sparc.  (The base2_1.tgz and the sun4cdm directory.)

* Add the rarp entry on the other Linux box:

    rarp -s 192.168.1.1 8:0:20:1:2:3

  where "192.168.1.1" is the IP of the Sparc, and "8:0:20:1:2:3" is
  the MAC address.

* Now, you can start a tcpdump, if you want to watch, then type:

    "boot net" 

  At the PROM prompt on the Sparc.


It should acquire an address, then download a large tftp image, then
boot into Linux.  You want to do configure Network before you install
the kernel or base (so you have an NFS option).  Point it at the
location of your copy of base2_1.tgz and the sun4cdm stuff.


Steve
dunham@cse.msu.edu