Re: PowerMac 7100/80 won't boot
The sad news is I'm the only person in my corner of the world who knows
anything about this stuff, and I haven't found general information to help..
That is why person-to-person has been the best for me. One person knows
this, the other person knows that, and now my computer is sitting on my desk
here at work without being able to find our gateway to the internet, with no
available CD-Burning software around that can make an HFS disk, all of the
MACOS blown completely off the hard drive, and it is sitting waiting for me
to point it to the "Modules?" and "Packages" for debian.
I wasn't able to succesfully make a linux swap using "mac-fdisk??" but I do
have a 32M partition waiting if I ever figure out how (if it'll work now)
It would really help if I knew where to get a MACOS CD to begin all over
again. I learned so much.
Also if anybody knows why an AppleTalk dongle talks fine over a cross-over
cable, but won't find my corporate gateway through a Hub, then a switch, to
a NAT server when PC on the same segment does fine, please let me know...
Thanks
> On Wed, Jan 22, 2003 at 04:52:35PM -0700, Philip Larkin Waters wrote:
> > I think that it is the basic concept that I am having trouble with.
> >
> > when I hear words like "boot loader" and "distribution" and "kernel" and
> > "source" I'm not exactly sure which is which and which pieces I have. I
> > don't know which I still need, and which terms are synonymous and I
don't
> > have to worry about:
> >
> > For Example: (maybe you can help define some of these terms)
> >
> > So I have the "MKLinux" "Boot Loader" installed on my machine. I didn't
try
> > it's sister the "Apple boot loader" or something like that, only because
I
> > followed the instructions and got the one to work.
> >
> > If I understand right it is an "Extention" to the Apple operating
system.
> > and isn't actually a full install of linux (or "Debain")
>
> Up to here you're doing all right
>
> > is debain the "source"? or is it the combination of the bootloader,
source,
> > and "kernel"
>
> Source refers to uncompiled, human readable computer programs. Debian
> is based on the idea that the human readable source code for all
> programs should be readily available. OTOH, Microsoft is based on the
> concept that the originator should guard the source and make it
> unavailable to the user, so the product's functionality can be
> controlled by the originator.
>
> All of Debian is open source code - every program from the kernel (which
is
> the Unix term for the basic operating system manager) to the most
sophisticated
> end user program.
>
> A Linux boot loader is a program whose function it is to:
> 1) Shut down MacOS
> 2) If specified, transfer the contents of a ram disk to a given memory
location
> 3) Launch the Linux kernel and tell it where the ram disk or other startup
disk
> is located
>
> The MkLinux and Apple boot loaders are MacOS programs. Since the MacOS
> ROM code (for machines like yours) is proprietary, we must depend on
> MacOS to get Linux started.
>
> > is the kernel made out of the source? Do I need a source disk to read
once
> > the system boots?
>
> The source is only necessary if you want to see how a program (even the
kernel)
> functions, or you want to change the way it has been programmed.
>
> Once the system boots, you will need further resources in order to install
Linux.
> Be sure to read the install manual
>
> http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/m68k/install
>
> > is the "/dev/ram" "rootdevice" a "ram disk"? is it a "ram drive" and how
can
> > it read from a device that I didn't put anything in. Does the kernel
load
> > itself in to ram? or do I have to put the source code on the Mac side's
ram
> > disk. Do they interfere with eachother?
>
> Yes, it is a ramfs in linux terms. The file root.bin contains the contents
> to be loaded into the ram disk, and the boot loader does the loading job.
> Then it loads the kernel into memory and launches it, giving it the
reference
> to the ramfs memory location.
>
> The boot loader, if it does a good job, assures that nothing from MacOS
> remains to interfere while linux is running. A MacOS Ram Disk would not
> be available to Linux unless a boot loader were invented to do that.
>
> > I tried everything and finally got the problem that it would freeze on
> > "booting....
> > pmac_init() exit
> > ......
> >
> > setup_arch: enter
> > [FREEZE]
>
> Sounds like you're getting closer, perhaps someon more familiar
> with your machine can help :-)
>
> --
> "The way the Romans made sure their bridges worked is what
> we should do with software engineers. They put the designer
> under the bridge, and then they marched over it."
> -- Lawrence Bernstein, Discover, Feb 2003
>
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