Install on an Octane

["Mike Martin" <mikemartin@linux.ca>]

I'm (still) trying to install Debian on an SGI Octane. Unfortunately,
I can't Netboot. I can however boot using Gentoo's Live X-RC6 disk.

I need help using this to install Debian.

I've tried following the instructions for using debootstrap manually,
however I can't properly unpack the archive. The problem is that the
system is running from a Live CD and thus most of the tree (/usr,
/bin, /sbin, /opt, /lib, /boot) is symlinked to a read-only
filesystem. Is there any way to unpack the archive somewhere else
(/tmp?) and still have it function?

I realize this isn't entirely MIPS specific, but I couldn't find a
better list to use.

Thanks for your help!

MikeMartin