Re: Debian network installation on IBM RS/6000 44P-170 (POWER3) - HOWTO
On Wed, Jul 31, 2002 at 04:31:47PM -0500, Rolf Brudeseth wrote:
> This HOWTO explains how to perform a network install of Debian 3.0 (Woody)
> on an IBM RS/6000 44P-170 workstation.
...
>
> I got the latest kernel (2.4.18) from:
> http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.4/
>
> I got the ramdisk image from:
> http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-powerpc/current/chrp/images-1.44/root.bin
>
> Then I compiled the kernel:
> $ mv root.bin /usr/src/linux/arch/ppc/boot/images/ramdisk.image.gz
> $ cd /usr/src/linux
> $ make mrproper
> $ make config
> $ make deps
> $ make zImage.initrd
> I used the standard POWER3 config file:
> /usr/src/linux/arch/ppc/configs/power3_defconfig
Other posters have noted that the Debian-provided kernel doesn't
work for chrp or IBM powerpc. Is it the config that's incorrect?
Or are they really binary incompatible? Or is it just that you
need a zImage.initrd format?
I wonder if the stock 2.4.18 Debian kernel would work now that you
have an installed system. That is available (uncompressed) in
disks-powerpc/new-powermac/linux.bin .
>
> Configure the network
> =====================
>
> The next steps in the installer are:
> - Configure the Hostname
> - Configure the Network
>
>
> Install Driver Modules (but not Kernel yet)
> ===========================================
>
> This is where you normally would select the following option in the
> installer:
> - Install Kernel and Driver Modules
>
> However, since I know that the FTP/HTTP method will fail, I am going to the
> shell instead.
I wonder why it was failing. Once the network is configured, if you have an
ethernet connection, we haven't had any other reports of a total failure
like this. Particularly since wget works in the shell, and wget is also
what the installer uses to fetch files.
I'm a little reluctant to document this part, if it can be made to work
through the normal route. Although it's certainly not too difficult.
> In boot-floppies, I select:
> - Execute a Shell
>
> If you issue the 'df' command, you will see that '/dev/sda3' is mounted
> under '/target'. If not, simply issue the command:
>
> # mount /dev/sda3 /target
>
> Now, to download and install the driver modules:
>
> # cd /target
> # wget
> http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-powerpc/current/chrp/drivers.tgz
> # tar -zxvf drivers.tgz
> # ./install.sh
>
>
> Install Base
> ============
>
> While still at the shell in the '/target' directory issue:
>
> # wget
> http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-powerpc/base-images-current/basedebs.tar
...
>
> Make System Bootable
> ====================
>
> The following option in boot-floppies does not work:
> - Make System Bootable
>
> However, if I go to the shell and execute any of the following commands I
> am still not able to make the system bootable:
> # yabootconfig - with various parameters I know should work
> # ybin - with various parameters I know should work
> # dd if=/target/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot of=/dev/sda1
What errors were you seeing here? Does ybin -v report errors, or was
it just not booting? The upgrade notes for 1.3.6 say it should support
zImage.initrd.
> It appears that 'yaboot' on the initrd image is broken. What options do I
> have left?
...
> You would also like to make the system bootable:
>
> # yabootconfig --kernel-args console=ttyS0,9600
>
> No other parameters should be necessary, since 'yabootconfig' is good at
> guessing.
So this works from the installed system but not from the installer? Maybe
it's the installer chroot that was getting to you.
Thanks again for putting all this down so we can shoot holes in it!
--
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| Chris Tillman tillman@voicetrak.com |
| To Have, Give All to All (ACIM) |
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