Re: Problems with install on Power Mac G3 minitower

[Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr>]

On Tue, Mar 30, 2004 at 06:57:30PM -0500, Rick Thomas wrote:
> 
> 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.

Yes, it fails and then you get dropped to the main menu, where you can
chose continue without boot loader.

This is a bug in debian installer which i hope is being worked on.

> 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???*)

libd-i or yaboot or something bug. Maybe archdetect is involved too. Can
you try going to the second console with alt+F2, and send the output of
the archdetect command ?

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

Should be automatic though.

> 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?

It should, provided the bug above is fixed. If not, it can be worked
around, or you could start the launch with a lower debconf priority. Try
adding DEBCONF_PRIORITY=medium to the boot arguments.

Friendly,

Sven Luther