Re: debian-installer for powerpc/iseries
On Fri, Mar 26, 2004 at 05:13:03PM +0100, karl.kappel@segmueller.de wrote:
>
> sven.luther@WANADOO.FR schrieb:
>
> >On Fri, Mar 26, 2004 at 03:06:06PM +0100, karl.kappel@segmueller.de wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> On debian-installer mailing list I found that you are working on powerpc
> >> kernel for debian/debian-installer.
> >
> >Yeah.
> >
> >> I have been trying to make the new debian-installer also install on
> iSeries
> >> Linux logical partition and it seems to be possible with little effort.
> >> Maybe you can consider to provide also the neccessary iSeries
> >> kernel-package/udebs for this subarch. This way iSeries could become
> >> official supported with debian.
> >> Of course I can help to configure, compile and test kernel and installer
>
> >> on iSeries.
> >
>
> Thank you for your answer,
>
> >Naturally, this would be interesting. PLease provide more info on these
> >boxes ? Since tuesday, the daily builds should provide a power3 and a
>
> iSeries - also named as400 - supports to run Linux in multiple guest
> partitions
> hosted by the native iSeries operating system os/400 (maybe similar like
> Linux
> on s390 architecture). Processortype/architecture is 64bit powerpc and the
> hardware is nearly identically with pSeries (RS6000) boxes.
> Processors and memory can be shared or owned dedicated between hosting
> and guest partitions. The corresponding kernel patch for this architecture
> provides
> "virtual devices" for disk, network adapters, console, cdrom and tape.
> Additionally,
> devices can be owned dedicated by linux guest partitions. This way only
> very
> few device drivers have to be supported.
But it will otherwise work as a normal 64bit powerpc box.
We need to test the current debian-installer build, and test them.
> >power4 configuration, which may be relevant here. These provide the
> >netboot and cdrom targets, but only for use with yaboot, i have yet to
> >commit code needed to generate kernel images with builtin initrd, for
> >use from the OF directly or trough netbooting.
>
> Linux on iSeries can be booted simply from os/400 with kernel images and
> builtin initrd
> placed somewhere in the hosting system file system.
> There is no need for a bootloader or a special prep partition (although its
> possible too).
> Building only the netboot target seems to be sufficiently.
This will be the zImage.chrp-rs6k then, right ? or will the plain elf
vmlinux be enough ?
Actually, we ship only the vmlinux, need to fix that yet but no more
time for it today, but you can install the kernel-build-2.4.25-power[34]
package, install it on any debian system, unpack the tarball contained
in it, log into it, and call the build script with the initrd as
argument.
> >Also, /proc/cpuinfo, and lspci output would be interesting on those
> >machines, as well as dmesg output.
>
> I took these attached outputs from a system installed with the new
> debian-installer and
> only had to add "iseries" to archdetect and the necessary kernel info into
> base-installer.
Can you send us the patch, as well as the exact info on :
what keymap is used.
what boot method (see above)
what partition stuff (LVM i think).
I guess only that is needed.
> Unfortunately busybox insmod/modprobe don't work with the 64bit kernel and
> these
> binaries have to be provided separately.
Err, the don't work with 2.6 already, but we need to fix that.
> I hope my explanations about iSeries are understandably and you are still
> interested
> helping this subarch to become available with Debian.
Yeah, altough it is a bit less high priority than other subarches right
now.
> (See attached file: lspci.txt)(See attached file: dmesg)(See attached file:
> cpuinfo.txt)
Ok, thanks.
Friendly,
Sven Luther
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