Re: booting the install on the H50

[dtutty@porchlight.ca]

On Mon, Jul 17, 2006 at 12:34:21PM +0300, AlexB wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:20:09 +0200, dtutty@porchlight.ca wrote:
> >In reading the Installation manual for both 3.0 and 3.1 it says that
> >"Currently, the only PowerPC subarchitectures that support CD-ROM
> >booting are PReP and New World PowerMacs."  Elsewhere it says that "for
> >CHRP, floppy support is currently broken".  
> >
> >
> First, try to read relevant Debian bug info about booting on IBM CHRP machines:
> 
> http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=322745
> 
> It has almost all information needed to get Debian 3.1 'stable' image to boot.
> Please note that 'testing' or 'unstable' Debian CDs do not have this problem!
> 
> I have seen a better instruction somewhere (the one I followed to make a boot CD
> for my 7025-F50) but cannot find it right now. I will try to reproduce the
> instruction on how to do it. First, mount your boot CD (or CD image using mount
> -o loop debian-stable.iso /mnt). Then, create a /tmp/deb directory. Then:
>  cp -a /mnt/* /tmp/deb; cp /mnt/.* /tmp/deb
> 
> The latter cp command copies .diskinfo file, so installer will recognize disk
> later on.
> 
> then:
> 
> mkdir /tmp/deb/etc
> cp /tmp/deb/install/yaboot.con* /tmp/deb/etc/yaboot.conf
> 
> this will copy yaboot.conf file to the place where yaboot expects it (/etc on
> the CD, not /install)
> 
> then:
> vi /tmp/deb/etc/yaboot.conf
> 
> then:
> mkdir /tmp/deb/ppc
> 
> and save file, attached to this message as /tmp/deb/ppc/bootinfo.txt
> this file is needed by IBM Open Firmware to find yaboot boot loader
> automagically.
> 
> now, change all occurences of cd: to cdrom: , as IBM open firmware had cdrom:
> alias by default for CD drive. Save the file.
> 
> then, create new ISO image with -l option (so long file names will be allowed):
> mkisofs -r -J -l -o debian-new.iso /tmp/deb

Thanks.  I've used Debian for 5 years but never needed to even consider
bugs untill Debian-Installer.  I've never been able to get it to work on
my old low-memory machines; always use 3.0 boot-floppies.  Apparently
not an option for the H50.

I'll check out the bugs section.

Since this is to prove to the vendor that debian will boot, not
necessarily to install it, could the existing disk not be booted via the
OF command line?  The ofboot.b file just runs the command:

	boot cd:,\install\yaboot

Since we know that we want to run /install/powerpc/vmlinux, couldn't
this be booted directly with:

	boot cd (or whatever the devalias is):,\install\powerpc\vmlinux
	?

By itself, would this not just boot the kernel (which would panic
without the initrd, but at least boot to that point)?

Is it possible, or is this why yaboot is used, to issue kernel command
lines on the OF command line?  How do you handle OF's inability to
handle / and space?

My 3.1r2 net-inst cd doesn't have a .diskinfo file.  It has a .disk
directory with base_components, base_installable, info, and
udeb_include.

To summarize the two issues with the current disk:

	OF uses cdrom not cd devalias

	yaboot needs yaboot.conf in /etc not /install

Is this correct?

Thanks,

Doug.