Re: install from CD on an Indy
Hi Bruce,
I got the following from "http://www.debian.org/ports/mips/system";. I
just want to make sure that the R5000PC really is supported, since this
is probably the route I'll go if it is. If you still think I should
stear clear of it, I will.
Thanks,
Chris
SGI Indy IP22/IP24
Manufacturer
Silicon Graphics Inc.
Date announced
Native OS
IRIX
CPU
R4000PC 100Mhz 0/1MB L2 cache
R4400SC 100Mhz-200Mhz 1MB L2 cache
R4600PC 100Mhz
R4600PC 133Mhz 0-512k L2 cache
R5000PC 150Mhz
R5000PC 180Mhz 512k L2 cache
Mem
Standard 72pin SIMM with parity, 256M Max.
Extension slots
3xGIO32
Case
Teal Desktop
I/O
Ethernet 10Mbit AUI/RJ45
SCSI-2 HD50
S-Video/RCA/Indycam connector
2 RS422 serial ports
Parallel
Audio in/out
PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard
Specials
Status
Supported
Chris
Bruce Murray wrote:
>
> As far as I am aware, the big-endian MIPS port only supports R4K MIPS
> machines with IP22 architecture i.e. that subset of Indigo2's. R5K or R10K
> machines might give you a problem because I believe different cache handling
> code is needed in the kernel. I'm sure an official Debian developer will
> wade in with the details.
>
> An Indigo2 is probably a bit more expandable internally than an Indy. But if
> you want a reasonably fuss-free installation, probably best stick to R4K
> processors (or buy a copy of IRIX at lavish expense!).
>
> But with the lack of ISO9660 support in the disc set installer "as is"
> (currently) sounds to me like it's impossible to boot "CD only" i.e. without
> either a network connection or possibly making boot floppies for use on a
> floptical drive (sometimes, but rarely, available on Indys). Except, of
> course, using the boot disc method described previously.
>
> As Guido says, given a suitable volunteer with appropriate knowledge, it
> could eventually be that the "bootable disc" functionality gets integrated
> into CD#1 of a future release. But whilst it is relatively easy to do
> manually, for a project like Debian has it has to properly integrated into
> the disc building process, (as an extra step after making and iso image) and
> is still likely to break if someone tries to use jigdo etc, so it's tougher
> than it sounds at first.
>
> Bruce
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Plummer" <cj.plummer@sun.com>
> To: <bmurray@terminus95.freeserve.co.uk>
> Cc: <debian-mips@lists.debian.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 5:11 PM
> Subject: Re: install from CD on an Indy
>
> Thanks for all the info. I'm glad to hear that this is fairly easy to
> do. I'd like to get the ISO image from you, but let's hold off for a
> bit. I actually don't have the Indy or the CD set yet. I intend to get
> some sort of cheap SGI machine to play around with soon, so I'll get
> ahold of you when I do.
>
> This leads to another question. Are there any SGI machines for which the
> CD set works as-is? Basically I'm looking to get any SGI machine to play
> around with linux-mips on. I only mentioned the Indy because I read
> somewhere that it is the best supported machine, but what I'm actually
> looking for is the path of least resistence and least pain. So if, for
> example, and Indigo2 works just as well and can use the CD set as is,
> then I'd probably go that route instead.
>
> Thanks for the help,
>
> Chris
>
> bmurray@terminus95.freeserve.co.uk wrote:
> >
> > This (i.e. CD only installation) is indeed possible, and I have done it.
> But you cannot do it directly with the 6CD set, I think you also need a
> homemade "boot CD".
> >
> > I made mine as follows...
> >
> > I downloaded the tftpboot image to be found at
> >
> >
> http://honk.physik.uni-konstanz.de/linux-mips/install/r4k-ip22/tftpboot.img
> >
> > (the principal significance of this image is that it uses a kernel with
> ISO9660 support compiled in, needed to mount the installation CDs locally
> rather than accessing them via NFS or ftp over a network - the 3.0r0 and
> 3.0r1 distributions do not have this yet, as far as I know). Then, since I
> was working on a Win2K platform, I used Nero to create an .iso image of a CD
> with this single file on the disc. Don't burn the disc yet, since this iso
> image needs to be modified first.
> >
> > The first 512 bytes of the iso image are then patched (I did it manually
> with a hex editor) to put a fake SGI disk label on the eventual boot CD -
> this is a small data structure which is read by the Indy PROM firmware, and
> contains (primarily) a pointer from filename "sashARCS" to the logical block
> on the disc where the tftpboot image file can be found - I derived this
> using IsoBuster (adjusting for the fact that the Indy firmware expects to
> work in logical blocks of size 512 bytes, whereas CD-ROMs natively number
> logical blocks of size 2K bytes). I think Guido Guenther was the first guy
> to figure out how to do this, by reverse engineering an IRIX install disc -
> there is some C source around on his website from which you can reverse
> engineer the SGI disc label format. There is some checksumming involved in
> making a disc label, I wrote a little bit of code to do that bit.
> >
> > Having modified the iso image, you then burn the disc. The Indy will now
> boot directly from this disc,and run the installer exactly as if you had
> done a tftpboot. Start the machine, escape into the PROM monitor, and select
> "Install System Software" (my Indy has a PROM version in which this is
> implemented in a GUI, but you also can do it with a "boot" command and
> appropriate arguments to specify the boot device.
> >
> > The install pretty much runs as normal from then on. You can do the
> necessary fdisk-ing with the tools that load into the RAMdisc created when
> booting into the installer, but of course when you get to the kernel
> installation part of the install process, you need to insert the real CD#1
> from the set bought from your vendor. When fdisk-ing, you need to make an
> SGI volume header on your target bootable HD big enough to take the kernel
> (at least 5 MB, 10 would safer), but all this is covered in the HOWTOs etc
> available on the web.
> >
> > I also found that I head some problems with a TEAC SCSI CD-ROM drive
> (model 532S), but a 12X Toshiba one worked perfectly. Some people will tell
> you this is to do with the ability of the drive to support 512 byte logical
> block sizes, but I am not convinced. The TEAC had a specific jumper to force
> the drive into this mode, but still failed. I believe it is something to do
> with the SCSI implementation (maybe even a termination problem, I never
> found out) - the SCSI controller on Indys is reputedly very fussy.
> >
> > If it helps, I can email you the image iso image for the boot disc (it is
> on a different machine to the one I am using currently, so it will be a few
> hours yet before I can manage this).
> >
> > Bruce Murray
> >
> > Southampton UK
> > >
> > > From: Chris Plummer <darwin.plummer@Sun.COM>
> > > Date: Wed 05/Mar/2003 04:34 GMT
> > > To: debian-mips@lists.debian.org
> > > Subject: install from CD on an Indy
> > >
> > > Is it possible to install Woody on an Indy using the Debian 3.0 6 CD set
> > > that can be purchased from various venders (assuming the presence of an
> > > internal or external CD-ROM drive of course). I'd rather not go the
> > > netboot/netinstall route if possible. I've done it for the Qube 2, and
> > > found it to be such a major pain compared to CD installs I've done on
> > > other systems.
> > >
> > > If it is possible, please pass along a brief description of what needs
> > > to be done. Thanks!
> > >
> > > Chris Plummer
> > >
> > >
> > > --
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
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