Re: Problems with install on Power Mac G3 minitower

[Rick Thomas <rbthomas55@pobox.com>]

Is there some way to tell d-i to not try to install a boot
loader?  I think that if I could get past that point, I
might be able to finish a sarge new d-i installation using
BootX as the boot loader.

Here's what I think I'd need to do:

1) Install MacOS (8.x or 9.x) in an HFS (*not* HFS+)
partition.

2) Install BootX in that partition.

3) Get the kernel and initrd.gz from the latest nightly
build businesscard CD and put them in the appropriate
places in the system folder of the MacOS partition.  Leave
the businesscard CD in the drive.

4) Run BootX to load that kernel and ram-disk.

5) Answer questions as appropriate.

6) I may have to tell it to install the HFS utilities
package "hfsutils"
    (*or is HFS support compiled into the kernel???*)

6) When d-i gets to that point, partition the disk  manually
being careful to leave the MacOS partition intact.

7) At some point inform d-i that I don't want it to
install a boot loader.
    (*how???*)

8) Pick a kernel package that is appropriate to the
hardware. Such as "kernel-image-2.4.25-powerpc-pmac"

9) When it's all done with the first phase and wants to
reboot so it can run the configuration stuff, I switch to
the second virtual console and copy the kernel to the
appropriate place in the system folder of the MacOS
partition.

10) Switch back to the main console and allow it to reboot,
which will wind me up back in MacOS where I can tell BootX
about the new kernel and the location of the new root disk.

11) Let BootX load Linux.

12) Answer the configuration questions.


Will this work?

Thanks,

Rick




Rick Thomas wrote: 
> Ron,
> 
> You don't need to mess with floppies.  BootX, which you are already
> using, works just fine -- and it handles kernels and ramdisk images that
> are too big for a floppy.  Once you get into the debian installer, you
> will discover that it insists on trying to install the "yaboot"
> bootloader, which fails on OldWorld machines.  This is supposed to be
> fixed soon.  I'm waiting with baited breath for the announcement!
> 
> Rick