Installing Debian on 68k Macintosh

[De Served <deserved@cogeco.ca>]

Not more than a couple of hours ago, I sat down and wrote a rather long
message and posted it to this mailing list by way of a newsgroup reader
(Knode) and NNTP.   I guess this mailing list does not accept posts this
way, as my message never made it to the list.

Anyway here it is again:

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_The Task_

I have four 68k Macintosh machines:  an LC, LCIII, Quadra 700, and a
Quadra
950.   I want to install Debian Linux on at least one of them.   

_The Hardware_

I have done some research and have found that Debian will not run on the
68020-based LC.   I have discovered that Debian has some issues with the
Quadra 950, and, accordingly, I am choosing not to make the 950 my
Debian
machine.   

My two remaining choices therefore, are the LCIII and the Quadra 700.

The LCIII has a 68030 processor and no FPU.   The machine has 36MB of
RAM,
upgraded VRAM, and I have a 9GB Seagate Barracuda drive available for
it.  
Debian reportedly does run on this machine.

The Quadra 700 has a full 68040 processor with built-in FPU.   The
machine
has 20MB of RAM, a full complement of VRAM, and I have a 9GB Seagate
Barracuda drive available for it.  Debian reportedly runs on this
machine.

I am assuming that the EMILE boot loader will work on both of these
machines.   I have checked the EMILE compatibility WIKI and note that
EMILE
is confirmed to work with the Quadra 700.   I am assuming that EMILE
will
also boot the LCIII.

_The Choice_

I am leaning toward the LCIII as my choice for a Debian install.   I
like
the lower profile case and lower power consumption.   The LCIII,
although
using a slower 68030 processor and lacking an FPU, has almost twice as
much
RAM installed than the Quadra 700.   I'm banking on the idea that less
swap
usage will offset the speed consequences of the missing FPU and slower
processor.

_The Purpose_

I want to setup the LCIII as a simple NFS server that will store various
episodes of the A-Team.   The low profile case of the LCIII makes it an
ideal choice.   Additionally, the incredibly low power consumption means
that I can leave this machine powered up indefinitely without having too
much of an impact on electricity costs.

I have several PDS 10Mb Ethernet cards available for the LCIII.
Normally I
would want something faster for an NFS server, but this server will not
be
placing too much of a burden on the 10Mb Ethernet card once the files
have
been stored on the drive.   This machine will rarely be written to from
other network nodes and will basically live life doling out video files
to
more capable machines on the LAN.

_The Challenge_

I have installed Debian on several other architectures.   I am posting
this
message from an x86 Debian install.   I also have installed Debian on
PPC-based Macintosh computers and MIPS-based workstations.   This will
be
my first real foray into putting Linux on a 68k Macintosh.

I do not have access to a Debian CD or a CD writer.   Therefore, I am
not in
a position to install Debian from a CD.   This install must be carried
out
over the Internet.

I have searched the Internet for information on installing Debian on a
68k
Macintosh, and found one "HowTo".   This howto explains the procedure
for
installing Potato on a 68k Macintosh.  I would prefer to install
something
slightly newer -- either Woody or Sarge -- preferably Sarge.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find information on installing
Sarge on
a 68k Macintosh.   Nor have I been able to locate the necessary install
files -- Kernel and ramdisk image -- in order to begin.

I appeal to your knowledge of the 68k Debian port for guidance and
assistance.

Thank you,

D.E. Served