Attachment 569 Details for Bug 1790 – ppc quickstart guide, xml version

ppc quickstart guide, xml version

ppcbuildguide.xml (text/plain), 9.50 KB, created by David Chamberlain on 2002-04-14 23:12:03 UTC

(hide)

Description:

Filename:

MIME Type:

Creator: David Chamberlain

Created: 2002-04-14 23:12:03 UTC

Size: 9.50 KB

patch

obsolete

><?xml version='1.0'?>
><guide>
><title>Gentoo Linux PPC Quickstart Guide</title>
><author><mail link="david@trailheadcoffee.com">
>        David Chamberlain</mail>
></author>
>
><abstract>This guide is intended for those already familiar with Gentoo
>Linux.  It will point out the major differences you need to be aware of
>between the PPC port and the x86 version.  If you aren't familiar with Gentoo,
>you should read the Gentoo PPC Full Install Guide.
></abstract>
>
><version>1.0</version>
><date>14 April 2002</date>
>
>
><chapter>
><title>Pre-Install</title>
><section>
><body>
><p>If you're only going to have Linux on this box, you're ready to start.  If
>you
>want OS9 and/or OSX, you'll need to set up your disk from the Mac environment 
>first.  There's a thorough guide here: 
><uri>http://people.debian.org/~branden/ibook.html</uri>.  Also look here:
><uri>http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/2002/03/29/ibook_linux.html</uri>.</p>
><p>
>Don't get carried away making lots of partitions - when you look at the drive
>in mac-fdisk, you're going to see that Apple already has at least 8 partitions 
>
>
>at the start of your drive for its drivers, and you're going to need an extra 
>one for a kind of fake MBR we'll be using.  Since I've been using Linux, I've
>suspected that the large number of partitions on my drive has made OSX rather 
>crash-happy.  Still, one thing to consider is making a smallish, plain HFS 
>("Apple Standard") partition so you can comfortably swap files between Linux 
>and Mac - that's the one format they can both read (though deleting files on 
>HFS has given me quite a few Linux kernel panics).</p>
><note>
>A final note: most OSX users seem to agree it's a good idea to have a separate
>partition for OS9 ("Classic"), even though you can install it on the same one 
>as OSX.</note>
></body>
></section></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title>Using the Install CD</title>
><section>
><body>
><p>
>You can download the iso for the install CD from
><uri>http://ftp.sunsite.dk/projects/gentooppc/build</uri>.  If you burn it as
>a CD
>master, it will be able to boot your Mac.  With the CD in the drive, power-on
>the Mac while holding down the C key.  Alternatively, hold down the Option key
>for a boot menu and choose the CD.  Older Macs may require arcane combinations
>of the keys C, D, Shift, Option etc.  If you have one of these, you're on your
>own.</p>
><p>
>While you're logged into the ftp site, see if there's a version of
><path>build-ppc.tar.bz2</path> that's more recent than the CD image.  If there
>is,
>grab
>it
>too - it probably has something you want in it (currently that means 
><c>rsync</c>!)</p>
><p>
>If you've successfully booted from the CD, you'll have a chance to choose your
>boot mode.  Note that nearly all Macs made in the last four years or so are
>so-called "New-World" machines and can use the default boot mode.</p>
></body>
></section></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title>Setting Up</title>
><section>
><body>
><p>
>Unlike the x86 boot CD, the PPC version will almost certainly activate all
>necessary hardware without the need to modprobe.  You'll see instructions for
>bringing up the network - yes, there's no need to look for your ethernet
>driver.  If ifconfig doesn't work right off the bat, you can poke around in
>/lib/modules to see if there are any drivers you can load, but you're probably
>not going to be able to do the install this way.</p>
><p>
>There are, on the other hand, some useful drivers in /lib/modules - in
>particular, Firewire.  If you want to use a Firewire drive (or a
>powerbook in Target Disk mode :-) during install - e.g. to load a newer build
>tarball - try:</p>
><pre>
><c>modprobe ieee1394</c>
><codenote>actually I think that's built in to the kernel</codenote>
><c>modprobe ohci1394</c>
><c>modprobe sbp2</c>
></pre>
>
><p>This should attach your drive as an emulated scsi device - check 
><c>dmesg</c>
>to
>see
>where it shows up.  If it doesn't work, try unloading and reloading the
>modules a couple of times to check - firewire support has come a long way, but
>it's still kinda sketchy, especially - irony of ironies - on the PPC side.</p>
><note>No, I haven't tried Target Disk with Linux - it's an idea 
>though...</note>
>
><p>Once you get the network set up, you're ready to partition, which you do
>using
><c>mac-fdisk</c>.  It's pretty straight-forward - use "p" after partition
>numbers
>to
>select default starting and ending blocks.  See the guides mentioned above, 
>and don't forget to make the special bootstrap partition using the "b" command 
>
>
>- this is our version of a MBR.  If you make this the first (non-driver)
>partition,the Mac will try to boot from it first; but note that you don't have
>to do it this way.  Once you're done installing, you can boot into Open
>Firmare (Cmd-Option-O-F) and issue some cryptic Forth commands to tell the
>machine which partition to boot from.</p>
><note>Another note: since i'm concerned about having too many partitions, I
>kept
>/boot on the root partition.  No unforseen problems so far.</note>
><note>What with all those Apple partitions, it's a good idea to write down the 
>
>
>important partition numbers and names somewhere.</note>
></body>
></section></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title>Install</title>
><section>
><body>
><p>
>You can follow through most of the standard Gentoo install guide now.  Make
>sure your net connection is working (e.g. put an entry in 
><path>/etc/resolv.conf)</path>;
>make your linux filesystem(s) and mount it.  Unpack the
>build tarball onto <path>/mnt/gentoo</path> - note that if you want to grab an
>
>updated
>tarball now, wget is available - mount proc, copy over 
><path>/etc/resolv.conf</path>
>
>and
><c>chroot</c>
>in.</p>
><p>
>Now you can run <c>emerge rsync</c>: first check <path>/etc/make.conf</path> -
>set
>SYNC
>to rsync://sunsite.dk/gentooppc/portage.  You're ready to bootstrap and emerge
>system.</p>
><note>I strongly recommend getting all the sources before starting: before
>bootstrap, you should <c>emerge --fetchonly</c> baselayout, gcc, glibc,
>binutils 
>
>and
>gettext. Before <c>emerge system</c>, <c>emerge --fetchonly system</c>.</note>
><note>Be sure that <path>/etc/make.conf</path> has the ppc settings.  It
>should
>probably
>just
>be a link to <path>/usr/portage/profiles/default-ppc</path>.</note>
></body>
></section></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title>Configuring your system</title>
><section>
><body>
><p>
>The main difference you'll find here from x86 Linux is the bootloader, yaboot.
> It's a lot like lilo: settings go in <path>/etc/yaboot.conf</path> - here's
>mine:</p>
><pre>
>## /etc/yaboot.conf
>##
>## run: "man yaboot.conf" for details. Do not make changes until you have!!
>## see also: /usr/share/doc/yaboot/examples for example configurations.
>##
>## For a dual-boot menu, add one or more of:
>## bsd=/dev/hdaX, macos=/dev/hdaY, macosx=/dev/hdaZ
>
>## our bootstrap partition:
>boot=/dev/hda9
>
>##hd: is open firmware speak for hda
>device=hd:
>partition=11
>
>root=/dev/hda11
>delay=5
>defaultos=macosx
>timeout=30
>install=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
>magicboot=/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot
>
>#################
>## This section can be duplicated if you have more than one kernel or set of
>## boot options
>#################
>image=/boot/vmlinux
>	label=Linux
>	read-only
>##################
>
>macos=/dev/hda13
>macosx=/dev/hda12
>enablecdboot
>enableofboot
></pre>
>
><p>Once <path>yaboot.conf</path> is set up how you want it, you run
><path>/usr/sbin/ybin</path> to
>install
>the settings in the bootstrap partition.  Don't forget this!  If all goes 
>well, and you have the same options as me, your next reboot will give you a 
>simple, five-entry boot menu.</p>
><note>Yaboot has some functionality for
>setting config at boot time, so take a look at
><uri>http://penguinppc.org/projects/yaboot</uri> for more info.</note>
>
><p>As for configuring and compiling your kernel, the default config you'll get
>with the gentoo ppc sources will have most of the important stuff set up
>already.  There are usually very few alternative drivers for Mac hardware, and
>the necessary ones will almost certainly be preselected.  Still, use the
>'help' option in <c>make menuconfig</c> if you have any doubts.
>Note that you'll have trouble making a bzImage.  Stick with <c>make 
>vmlinux</c>
>unless you know what you're doing.</p>
><note>If you want to know who Ben is, see 
><uri>http://penguinppc.org/~benh</uri >
>or
><uri>http://ppckernel.org</uri>.  He's the PPC kernel maintainer, and most PPC
>linux
>users use sources from his tree, not the kernel.org tree.</note>
>
><p>Another ppc quirk is the difficulty of setting up XFree.  First, if you
>want
>to use direct rendering with a video card, try loading the appropriate kernel
>module first, just to be sure.  Second, I've had best luck recently with
><c>XFree86 --configure</c>.  Still, what the config programs think should work
>may
>not.  Your usb mouse will probably be <path>/dev/input/mice</path>, by the
>way.
>If you
>don't know what hardware (e.g. video card) you have, try emerging pci-utils,
>then issue the command <c>lspci</c>.  It may pick up the relevant details.</p>
><note>"Option" "UseFBdev" is your friend :-)</note>
><note>At the time of writing, ppc portage has an extra, cvs version
>of
>xfree. This may not build, so don't rely on leaving it to compile overnight 
>or something like that.</note>
>
><p>Well, there it is.  Things are functioning very well right now, but the
>more people we can get testing, the better.  If you want to try your hand at
>making
>an architecture-independent ebuild, take a look at <path>
>/usr/portage/media-sound/mpg123/mpg123r-r1.ebuild</path>.  Note also that any
>ebuild
>that downloads binary files will probably be broken, unless the author has
>included alternate ppc binaries (see new xanim ebuilds).</p>
>
><note>Yes, KDE3 works fine - thanks for the great ebuilds, Dan :-)</note>
></body>
></section>
></chapter>
></guide>

Actions: View

Attachments on bug 1790: 569