Re: useful links

Here are the notes but from a brief look at your webpages, it looks as though there is a later mach_kernel that I should try? If so I'll gladly update the notes accordingly. Do you recommend a reinstall from scratch or just upgrading the kernel?

Installation notes for Woody on Nubus PowerPC's using the Apple MkLinux Booter and the Kernel with Debian Potato installer. I couldn't get potato (Debian GNU/Linux 2.2r5) to run X, recognise the floppy or use ppp successfully and so I upgraded to woody after installing a LAN and ADSL. These notes describe the woody (Debian GNU/Linux 3.0) installation on a PowerPC 8100/80 via the internet (broadband connection) accessed from a LAN with a DHCP server.

It is assumed that one or more Linux partitions reside on your hard disk. I used pdisk (MacOS). For partitioning help see:

http://www.debian.org/releases/woody/powerpc/ch-preparing.en.html#s-non-debian-partitioning Stage 1: Installing Debian Linux booter

1. Obtain the Apple MkLinux Booter from: http://nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net/ It comprises three folders , the contents of which need to be copied to Control Panels (1 file), Extensions (1 file) and Preferences (2 files) folders - it's pretty self-explanatory. 2. Download the Mach_Kernel from: http://www.symsys.com/~ingram/hardware/powermac/

(the Kernel with Debian Installer from nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net/ didn't boot for me)

Rename from "Mach_Kernel" to "Mach Kernel" and place in the Extensions folder. 3. Go to Control Panels and open MkLinux window, select Custom which opens lilo.conf and make sure it reads as follows: # RAMDisk Debian Installer rootdev=/dev/ram

(It doesn't matter what else is in the file as long as every other line starts with "# ")

Save the file and exit 6. Restart your machine 7. When Apple MkLinux Booter comes up, press "MkLinux" button which should if all has gone according to plan it will take you to the woody installation system. Stage2: Installing woody Choose the following from the menus: 1. Configure the Keyboard 2. Initialise and Activate a Swap Partition 3. Initialise a Linux Partition (more than once if you have multiple partitions)

The partition set I used on /dev/sda0 was:

11. /tmp 100M 12. /home 500M

4. Install Operating System Kernel and Modules

Select Installation medium: network

The installer configures your network configuration automatically using DHCP or BOOTP if you accept the defaults.

It will then download from the default URL: powermac/images-1.44/rescue.bin powermac/drivers.tgz 5. Install the Base System Select Installation medium: network It will then download from the default URL: base2_2.tgz 6. Configure the Base System Choose and configure your time zone 7. Your can't "Make a Boot Floppy: for a Nubus Mac so - Reboot the System into MacOS. Go to Control Panels and open MkLinux window, select Custom which opens lilo.conf Comment out with "#" the second line below: # RAMDisk Debian Installer rootdev=/dev/ram and add: # boot from root partition on scsi hard drive rootdev=/dev/sda6 (sda6 is the root partion initialised in 3. above) Save the file and exit 8. Reboot into "MkLinux" (which is in fact Debian) Which takes you to Debian System Configuration Accept the defaults and enter a password for root and set up a user with password. When you get to Apt Configuration choose http and select a mirror site Apt will then install and configure the woody packages. Choose "simple" install After getting the list of packages required it will tell you how much is being downloaded and ask if you want to continue; the default is Y

9. After the packages download you will be taken to Configuring Debconf. Accept the defaults Configuring Locales: choose a locale (I chose cy_GB ISO-8859-15) choose "C" as your default system environment Configuring Setserial choose "kernel" It will then continue unpacking, installing and configuring packages. When asked if you want to Restart Services, accept the default Y

Allow "update-passwd" Y Configuring Console-common choose "Keep kernel keymap" Always accept the maintainer's configuration setup

When asked if you want a QUIK boot block type N [Return] After loading a few more packages you will get a login prompt with the heading: Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 debian tty Your debian version is in "/etc/debian_version" You can check that everything has installed correctly by typing: apt-get dist-upgrade (which will offer to install any missing packages) 10. You now have a base system to which you can add your choice of packages to tailor woody to fit your needs using "dselect" . Before doing so read the docs at: http://www.debian.org/release/woody/powerpc/ch-main.en.html Congratulations you've installed Woody on your Nubus PC. I wouldn't have attempted this without the network and ADSL. I wouldn't have been successful without the invaluable support of everyone at: debian-powerpc@lists.debian.org Go read their archives for the last couple of months: http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/ By subscribing to the list, I've read every posting since the beginning of this year and although much of it was beyond my knowledge, I have gleaned a great deal of help with the install and some understanding of how Linux works. If you're upgrading from potato there are some issues you need to be aware of - see: http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/keycodes (important information regarding key mapping - ignore this at your peril!) http://www.debian.org/releases/woody/powerpc/release-notes/ch-upgrading http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2002/debian-devel-200202/msg01868.html For general Linux help, try: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/howtos.html http://www.linuxquestions.org/ http://www.linuxpowered.com/ http://www.unixgeeks.org/

I confess that my lack of progress on X is because other stuff has got in the way and my attempts, immediately after installing woody, were characterised by frustration and slow progress. So a short-cut solution would be much appreciated but please be aware my technical knowledge is limited ;-)

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