Re: problems installing Debian on my PowerBook G4 12".

[Wout Tankink <debian-powerpc@tankink.com>]

At 20:33 28/07/2003 -0700, you wrote:

> OK, you can copy the 1.3.10 yaboot onto your installer disk in place
> of the 1.3.6. However, you may not be able to mount the OS X partition,
> if it's an HFS Extended format.
>
> Do you have network access in the installer? If so, then after
> mounting your partitions and configuring the network, switch
> to console 2 or use the Execute a Shell menu item to:
>
> wget http://penguinppc.org/projects/yaboot/yaboot-binary-1.3.10.tar.gz
> tar -xzf yaboot-binary-1.3.10.tar.gz
> mv usr/local/lib/yaboot/yaboot /target/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
>
> (I'm not sure if the installer's tar has a z option; if not, substitute
>
> gunzip yaboot-binary-1.3.10.tar.gz
> tar -xf yaboot-binary-1.3.10.tar
>
> )
>
> Alternatively, you could move your 1.3.10 yaboot binary somewhere that
> you could get to from the installer: an ftp server you have access to,
> or make an HFS partition you could put it on from within OS X.
>
> Then, after getting yaboot 1.3.10 snuggled into place, run the Make
> Hard Disk Bootable step again; that will copy the new version to the
> bootstrap partition and you should be set.

I followed your instructions and installed
1. the new benh-kernel I found at 
http://ppckernel.org/benh-devel/linux-benh-devel-2.4.21-ben2.tar.gz
2. yaboot 1.3.10

It makes quite a difference:
1. "Make system bootable" works (so does "chroot /target ybin -v")
2. now my harddisk is now known as hda

The generated /etc/yaboot.conf by "make system bootable" is:
"boot=/dev/hda2
device=hd:
partition=3
root=/dev/hda3
timeout=30
install=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
magicboot=/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot

image=/vmlinux
    label=Linux
    read-only"

I still can't boot Debian.

When I try "boot hd:2,yaboot" and wait for the default-choice "Linux", 
booting starts, but stops with the error
"VFS: Cannot open root device "hda3" or 03:03
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:03
 <0>Rebooting in 180 seconds.."

So, I tried to edit my 'ideal' yaboot.conf on my Mac OS X partition:
"default=Debian
defaultos=linux
boot=/dev/hda2
device=hd:
magicboot=/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot
enablecdboot
macosx=hd:5
install=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
ofboot=hd:2
delay=10
timeout=100

image=/vmlinux
    label=Debian
    partition=3
    root=/dev/hda3
    append="hda=ide-scsi"
    read-only"

image=/linux.bin
    label=install
    initrd=/root.bin
    initrd-size=8192
    append="disksize=2.88""

When I try "boot hd:5,yaboot" and choose "Debian" booting starts, but ends 
with the same error.

FYI
My partition table is:
/dev/hda1   Apple_partition_map Apple                        63 @ 
1        ( 31.5k)  Partition map
/dev/hda2         Apple_Bootstrap bootstrap                1600 @ 
64     (800.0k)  NewWorld bootblock
/dev/hda3         Apple_UNIX_SVR2 root              57554944 @ 1664  ( 
27.4G)  Linux native
/dev/hda4         Apple_UNIX_SVR2 swap             1048576  @  57556608 
(512.0M)  Linux swap
/dev/hda5                   Apple_HFS  Mac OS X     58605048  @ 58605184 ( 
27.4G) HFS
/dev/hda6                  Apple_Free                                   8 
@ 117210232  (  4.0k)  Free space

What could be the reason for this error?
What to do next?


Wout