Frank Scheiner wrote...
> Let's continue this on the corresponding mailing list.
Jupp, that's how it was meant to be.
> >* Any reasonable documentation on this anywhere? No about how to set up
> > DHCP/TFTP server, I've done this many time. But what about which files
> > are needed, and how to provide a netboot-adjusted yaboot.conf, and
> > mostly: How to make yaboot make using it?
>
> I believe the Debian Wheezy installation manual gives hints about how to
> configure DHCP and TFTP servers for netboot, see e.g. [1].
>
> [1]: https://www.debian.org/releases/wheezy/powerpc/ch04s05.html.en
While I think I managed that step, just a note: I cannot find the
mentioned tftpboot.img listed anywhere in
<http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-powerpc/current/images/MANIFEST>
The important bit is to ship the yaboot file AFAICT.
> >[...]
> >* After a lot of trickery, the installer's vmlinux now gets loaded. At a
> > whopping 6 kbyte/sec (yes: six kilobytes). Just to remind you, kernel
> > and initrd take some 35 megabytes, and the G5 has already turned to
> > airplane mode. My neighbors will love me.
>
> I don't see that slow loading of kernel and initrd you describe on my
> POWER5, but haven't yet tested this on my G5 Cluster Node.
This is a PowerMac G5 Dual Core (11,2).
> I have to disagree, the ppc64 port is totally useful for all my 64 bit POWER
> and PowerPC gear, after Debian switched to Little Endian and POWER8 as
> minimum for its POWER architecture. :-)
After another long night where I was supposed to sleep I assume the core
reason for the nightmare is the TFTP client, and I'm not sure whether
this is yaboot or the OpenFirmware - I haven't studied the architecture
of yaboot yet.
In either way, not only TFTP is horribly slow, but also any provided
filename to download is ignored.
After understanding this, I eventually managed to get the installer
running by doing the following steps (a bit exhaustive for the sake of
other people running into that problem):
* Prepare a sata hard disk using mac-fdisk[0]: Initialize the partition
map, Create the "Apple_Bootstrap" partition (as /dev/sdX2), create and
format a "standard Linux type" partition as /dev/sdX3, ext2 is fine,
some 128 Mbyte size, copy vmlinux and initrd.gz from the iso image
(install/powerpc64/) into this. This partition may later be reused as
/boot. Umount.
Background: This will avoid having to load these files using TFTP.
Not checked: Does yaboot understand MBR partitions? That would make
things easier. However you'd have to purge the entire partition during
the installation then, taking your chance for a second attempt.
Not checked: Can yaboot handle usb? It should but it didn't work for
me. That would allow installation from USB instead from the disk.
* dd the installer image onto a USB flash drive, either native or
into a partition big enough to hold it.
Background: The installer needs the CD-ROM but will accept any block
device that holds the image. However, in that early stage the disk
controller will not be visible yet. The USB modules will have been
loaded, though.
* Configure the DHCP server so it tells the G5 to download the yaboot
file. If it's in the TFTP server's root, basically 'filename "yaboot";'
in dhcpd.conf does the trick. (The yaboot file is in the install/
directory of the CD image.)
* Drop the yaboot configuration[1] in the tftproot as 01-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx
where xx is the G5's MAC, the actually requested file is shown on the
G5's screen, and also quite visible when snooping using tcpdump.
* Install the hard disk into the G5, plug in the USB drive.
* Start the G5, force the Open Firmware prompt (on a PC keyboard, that's
Win-Alt-O-F after the chime until your told to release the keys).
* Trigger netboot by "boot enet:" (or "enet0:"?)
Gotchas: If the OpenFirmware complains about a missing (ethernet)
link, put an el-cheapo ethernet switch between your G5 and the actual
switch. If still no network activity is happening (check using tcpdump
on the DHCP server's side), try "nvram-reset" and "reset-all".
* After a few moments you should get the yaboot prompt.
* My memory is a bit blurry here. Either the yaboot configuration was
loaded or it has to be done manually. So hit Tab, if the "install"
label is shown, skip the next step.
* Load the configuation, "conf foo" should do the trick, or any other
filename as it's ignored anyway.
* Enter "install", and the installation kernel should be loaded.
* From then on, it's the usual Debian installer. The CD-ROM image
will be found automatically thanks to the preparation above.
The installation itself was smoothless and brought no surprises. The
manual mirror configuration is still required.
The red background during installation is probably still #825840.
After reboot into the installed system:
The framebuffer console is sometimes distorted, especially when
scrolling backwards, requires more checking. Not an installer issue.
The kernel creates some hex dump with one value per line[2], certainly
not an installer issue.
Christoph
[0] If you don't have a host at hands where mac-fdisk is available:
A qemu-based powerpc chroot works fine for this. Setting up such
a chroot however is beyond the scope of this document.
[1] Boils down to the following. The "device=" definition is the key.
| boot = "/dev/sda2"
| device=hd
| partition=3
| timeout=50
| install=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
| magicboot=/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot
| enablecdboot
| image=/vmlinux
| label=install
| read-only
| initrd=/initrd.gz
| append="---"
| initrd-size=10240
[2]
[ 3.616937] sat 0 partition c8:
[ 3.616938] c8
[ 3.616939] 6
(and several lines more)
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