Re: First post
Hello John,
The place to put kernel parameters is in the same bit that you write "root=/dev/ram" during installation and
then change to the working linux file system later. You simple add the extra text after the above text. What
this box does is to allow you to pass various parameters to the kernel so that it will change the defaults
(or blanks) it already has.
I don't think you should need a mac monitor. However, I am not quite sure what you mean by "sync on green
SONY Trinitron". Any monitor plugged into the mac (maybe through an adaptor if the monitor plug and card
socket are not compatible) should work fine. In Mac OS do you get RGB colour at a reasonable resolution and
256 colours (it is important the monitor bit depth is set to 256 colours in mac OS)?
Other questions you have relating to the kernel and necessary files. In the standard debian download, there
are various files that have to be in certain places for the installer to work. The drivers, rescue floppy,
root, etc that you already have will continue to work fine for the purpose of testing another kernel, so
laeave them exactly where they are. If you go to the url I gave:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11666
you will see various files grouped together in sections according to kernel version (2.2.20, 2.4.0, etc).
Grab a set of these files and get them onto your mac hard drive (you don't need (or want) to decode them -
the installer/Penguin will do that for you). You can put them anywhere, but a good choice is in a folder at
the root of the drive (call it by the kernel number - 2.2.20, etc).
Open the Penguin booter and then select "settings". Change the "kernel" to point to the "vmlinux...." file
(this IS the kernel file) in the folder you just made. Make sure that the "ram disk" is set for the "root" or
"root.bin" file you used before (should be in the "mac" folder created as part of the debian download
procedure) and that this selection is active (ie check the box to make the selection active). Also make sure
that the kernel parameter box contains the text "root=/dev/ram". All this will make the penguin boot using
the (old) ram disk image and the (new) kernel you just downloaded (rather than the one you already had).
Hit the boot now command. You should see the penguin display say that it has found a kernel (and give the
version number) and that it is extracting it. After a few seconds, the screen will fill with all the
information pertaining to the boot process. Eventually you should get to the install screen that you saw
before.
To actually do a proper installation of a different "system", you will probably need to remove certain of the
original debian files and replace them with the new ones (eg modules, sysmap). Currently I am in the same
situation as this, since I found that the standard debian download I got has a 2.2.10 kernel. This is OLD and
not very good for my machine (ethernet doesn't work properly and other things are slow). I followed the above
for both a 2.4.1 kernel (failed to boot fully) and the 2.2.20 kernel from the url above. This kernel works a
treat (ethernet now fully functional). However, I did get some error messages to do with module dependencies
when I booted it without using the ram disk (ie set root=/dev/sda4/ and disable the ram disk function).
Hence, at this point I am not sure whether I need to do a complete re-install or whether I can patch the old
install (there is a patch file in the set of files for the 2.2.20 kernel). It got rather last last night when
I was at this stage and so I had to call a halt (should that be "kill" ;-) to things at that point.
Hope some of this is of some use to you,
Nick.
>Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 14:23:21 -0600
>From: John Bruner <jbruner@ticon.net>
>To: n.r.helps@dundee.ac.uk
>Subject: Re: First post
>
>Hi again,
>
>I am using 7.6.1. Also Penguin 19. There is no place to enter any "boot kernel parameters" in the settings
>that I
>can see. I can remember from trying Linux on PeeCees one of the first things the installer had you do was to
>configure your monitor.
>
>I have NO Mac monitors. The closest thing I have is the sync on green SONY Trinitron hooked up to the IIfx.
>
>Next?
>
>John Bruner
>
>Nicholas Helps wrote:
>
>> Hello John,
>>
>> Firstly, let me dispell any ideas that I might be a "linux guru" (just in case you had any ;-) I am a
>newbie
>> as well and have some of my own problems (as you might see from previous posts of mine). That said, here
>are
>> a couple of suggestions:
>>
>> 1. What Mac OS are you using? there are problems with OS lower than 7.5 for certain macs (only ones
>mentioned
>> in posts are IIci and IIsi). If you are not using OS7.5, please upgrade to it. Earlier OSs had buggie
>video
>> drivers that caused problems and might also affect your IIfx.
>>
>> 2. Try setting the following in the Penguin booter kernel parameter (in settings) to include:
>>
>> video=font:8x16 or
>> video=font:8x8
>>
>> (this will need to go after the bit saying "root=/dev/ram").
>>
>> 3. Try altering the monitor itself (does it have any adjustments that might allow you to move everything
>to
>> the right a bit?)
>>
>> 4. Can you borrow another monitor to see if that helps?
>>
>> Any or none of these might help :-)
>>
>> Nick.
>>
>> >Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 08:27:04 -0600
>> >From: John Bruner <jbruner@ticon.net>
>> >To: n.r.helps@dundee.ac.uk
>> >Subject: Re: First post
>> >
>> >Hi Nicholas,
>> >
>> >Another member suggested I had an incompatible video card. I changed it and got much further. However, I
>> >now
>> >have another video problem: My screen doesn't display right. There is text off to the left that doesn't
>> >show.
>> >Unfortunately, that's where the commands are. I don't know what command to use to tell the installer to
>> >partition the hard disk.
>> >
>> >The left edge of my screen reads:
>> >/sda
>> >and (? for help):
>> >
>> >And so on. I think the "and" above is short for "command". The text is cut off on the left side. Your
>> >thoughts?
>> >
>> >John Bruner
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Nicholas Helps wrote:
>> >
>> >> >Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 14:24:21 -0600
>> >> >From: John Bruner <jbruner@ticon.net>
>> >> >To: debian-68k@lists.debian.org
>> >> >Subject: First post
>> >> >
>> >> >Hi,
>> >> >
>> >> >I'm trying to get debian running on my IIfx. It won't come all the way
>> >> >up. I get to a screen where it looks like it wants me to select a
>> >> >country, but the machine freezes.
>> >> >
>> >> >Also, the screen is broken up into three vertical bars. The left and
>> >> >right are gui, the center one is command line.
>> >> >
>> >> >I haven't set up a physical partition yet Is that the problem, or is it
>> >> >just the IIfx?
>> >> >
>> >> >Thanks,
>> >> >
>> >> >--
>> >> >John B.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >--
>> >> >To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-68k-request@lists.debian.org
>> >> >with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> Hi John,
>> >>
>> >> Which kernel are you using? If you are not doing so already, please try a 2.4.x kernel. Go here:
>> >>
>> >> http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11666
>> >>
>> >> and download one of the 2.4.x kernels. The 2.4.0 kernel definitely works on the IIfx since if you click
>on
>> >> the version release number (as it says on the page), you will see that it says it has been tested on
>the
>> >> IIfx. I am guessing that the 2.4.1 will also work and will contain the bug fixes listed if you click on
>> >the
>> >> version release number for that one.
>> >>
>> >> Hope this helps.
>> >>
>> >> Nick
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-68k-request@lists.debian.org
>> >> with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
>> >
>> >
>> >
>
>
>
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