And d-i initrd images (vmlinux and initrd.gz only) available too. (was Re: New 2.4.27 powerpc kernel packages ready, please test (including nubus and apus support) ...)

[Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr>]

Hello,

I have no built the daily sid d-i images out of the trunk, without any change,
apart from dropping the generation of the -chrp and co vmlinuz files.

These use 2.4.27 .udebs generated with only two changes : dropping the
-power3/4 packages which where not used anyway, and depending on
kernel-image-2.4.27-powerpc* instead of the -pmac version and the module
package. I didn't enable the built of the -nubus images, since the config file
of them is really primitive (courtesy of a nubus user, all stuff is builtin),
and i would prefer more feedback before enabling this post-rc3 or post-sarge
maybe. I checked in the modification into trunk's 0.64 package.

The other modification that is needed is in base-installer, and drop the
-pmac/-chrp/-chrp-rs6k/prep postfix to the kernel-images, and as all powerpc
kernels now depend on mkvmlinuz, it should be possible to drop the explicit
mkvmlinuz installation procedure too. I checked in the modification into
trunk.

Both of these changes are trivial fixes, and the new kernels should even work
with the .udebs currently in sid (not sure though, as i didn't really follow
the powerpc 2.4 abi change that may have occured since last i built those).

The apus situation has needed no change whatsoever.

So, from this analysis, altough i have not tested the kernels yet, i feel that
any alarmism is exagerated, and that we can without fear use those kernels for
powerpc d-i rc3, and we will get testing from now upto monday, at least on my
ibook and on my oldworld machine, as well as on the pegasos 2, altough 2.6 is
not recomended there.

Anyway, i am uploading the resulting d-i images to :

  http://people.debian.org/~luther/d-i/new-2.4-kernels

Please test them out, as best you can, and provide feedback quikcly, to
convince the skeptics. The alternative being fully dropping 2.4 support for
powerpc from rc3 naturally.

Friendly,

Sven Luther