Re: old OpenServers able to use Debian?
Hi Stuart,
On 3/12/19 20:59, IT1 Stuart Blake Tener, USNR wrote:
It is instructive that I thought I had recalled knowing they were
Power5, absent any photos in that link for me to review, I think that is
what they are as they are quite aged. These servers are specifically
locked from being able to boot AIX on them and were sold specifically
for Linux (I know, I tried to boot AIX).
Yeah then, with this firmware limitation we can be pretty sure that
these are IBM eservers OpenPower 710/720.
Notwithstanding the assertion that P7xx = Power7, if hypothetically they
are Power5, then I have the following some several queries:
1. What is the latest/greatest Debian variant that is available for
Power5 that I can install?
That should be Debian Sid/unstable for ppc64 from Debian Ports. The
powerpc version might also work if you prefer a 32bit userland, though I
didn't test this with Sid.
2. What installation instructions still exist for Power5 systems to
install?
I don't think that there are any specific installation instructions
needed for these systems. Just download and burn the latest (test) ISO
from [1] and use `ftp.ports.debian.org` (for "Debian archive mirror
hostname") and `/debian-ports/` (for "Debian archive mirror directory")
when configuring the package manager during installation.
[1]:
https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/2019-01-27/debian-10.0-ppc64-NETINST-1.iso
3. If I want to install the latest updates, I presume I'd have to build
from current source. Is there a script to build a repo targeted at
Power5 that I could use to then install updates from?
No, there is no need for such, because POWER5 is above the baseline for
ppc64, which should be POWER4. So all ppc64 binaries from Debian Ports
adhering to this baseline should also work out of the box on POWER5 IIC.
Cheers,
Frank
Reply to: