diff --git a/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/howtoChap.sgml b/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/howtoChap.sgml index 4412ab05..5378a5e4 100644 --- a/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/howtoChap.sgml +++ b/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/howtoChap.sgml @@ -1689,7 +1689,7 @@ kernel. IBM7248-HOWTO, Installing LinuxPPC-2000 on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 HOWTO -Updated: August 2001. +Updated: June 2003. Describes the installation of LinuxPPC-2000 on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 series. diff --git a/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/hwSect.sgml b/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/hwSect.sgml index 66c7af9c..5831bfcb 100644 --- a/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/hwSect.sgml +++ b/LDP/howto/docbook/HOWTO-INDEX/hwSect.sgml @@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ with Linux and some free software. IBM7248-HOWTO, Installing LinuxPPC-2000 on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 HOWTO -Updated: August 2001. +Updated: June 2003. Describes the installation of LinuxPPC-2000 on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 series. diff --git a/LDP/howto/docbook/IBM7248-HOWTO.sgml b/LDP/howto/docbook/IBM7248-HOWTO.sgml index b6783f7c..4894fd7e 100644 --- a/LDP/howto/docbook/IBM7248-HOWTO.sgml +++ b/LDP/howto/docbook/IBM7248-HOWTO.sgml @@ -1,2666 +1,3270 @@ - -]> - -
- - - - - Installing LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 HOWTO - - - Ingvar - Hagelund - -
- ingvar@linpro.no -
- - - - - - 1.52 - 2001-08-29 - ih - - Added a chapter on Linux 2.4. - Fixed some dead and wrong links. - Fixed a lot of typos. - - - - - 1.51 - 2001-04-06 - ih - Download site for LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 cd images - - - - 1.50 - 2001-02-06 - ih - Now supports LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 - - - - 1.40 - 2000-12-14 - ih - Translated to SGML. This is the initial release for LDP - - - - - - - - abstract - - - - This document describes the installation of LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 on - the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 series. - - - - - - - - - - - Introducion - - - introduction - - - - This document describes how to install LinuxPPC on the IBM - RS/6000 43P 7248 series, that is, the 43P-100, 43P-120 and - 43P-133. It describes quite in detail anything to get one of - these boxes from a non working stage to a networked X - workstation. This relase covers LinuxPPC-2000 Q4. For older - versions of LinuxPPC, please have a look at my homepage at - - http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p. - - - - Some years ago I got a couple of old 7248s for free and I did - not have any OS to run on them. So I gathered some bits and - pieces from the net, and got it to install LinuxPPC-1999. Later, - I found that a lot of other people may have the same problems - that I had, so I wrote this document to help. It has been - availble for some time in HTML form only. Now, it's moved - to SGML and a part of the LDP. - - - - - - - Copyright Information and Legal stuff - - - copyright - - - - This document is copyrighted (c) 2001 Ingvar Hagelund and is - distributed under the terms of the Linux Documentation Project - (LDP) licence, stated below. - - - - Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted - by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be - reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium - physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is - retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed - and encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified - of any such distributions. - - - - All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works - incorporating any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under - this copyright notice. That is, you may not produce a - derivative work from a HOWTO and impose additional - restrictions on its distribution. Exceptions to these rules - may be granted under certain conditions; please contact the - Linux HOWTO coordinator at the address given below. - - - - In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information - through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to - retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be - notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs. - - - - If you have any questions, please contact - linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu - - - - "Linux" is a registrated trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. "IBM" and - "RS/6000" are trademarks owned by IBM Corporation. "MS-DOS" is a - trademark owned by Microsoft Corporation. - - - - Updated: August 27, 2001. - - - - - - - - Disclaimer and scope - - - disclaimer - - - - This document is made after own experiences on a 43P - 7248-132. The things I did might or might not work for - you. You are on your own. I take no responsibility whatsoever - for any damage, loss or expenses because of something you - might have done because this document said so. If you want to - give me feedback on errors, typos, or anything that can make - this document better, please feel free to contact me by - sending an e-mail to ingvar@linpro.no - - - - No liability for the contents of this documents can be - accepted. Use the concepts, examples and other content at - your own risk. As this is a new edition of this document, - there may be errors and inaccuracies, that may of course be - damaging to your system. Proceed with caution, and although - this is highly unlikely, I do not take any responsibility for - that. - - - - This document is about installing LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 on the IBM - RS/6000 43P, model 7248. The methods described in this - document may or may not work on other machines or models. They - may or may not work on other Linux distributions. Don't ask me - about this, as I have not tested others. Look in the for other resources - on this. If you find that these instructions work on other - models or distributions, please let me know, and I'll add that - info here. - - - - All copyrights are held by their by their respective owners, - unless specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in this - document should not be regarded as affecting the validity of - any trademark or service mark. - - - - Naming of particular products or brands should not be seen - as endorsements. - - - - You are strongly recommended to take a backup of your system - before major installation and backups at regular intervals. - - - - Note that the 7248-132 and 43P-132 is two terms for the same - model, and the same goes for 7248-133 and 43P-133. These four - terms describes almost the exactly same model, with - modifications so small, I have not been able to find them. You - can safly assume that they are all the same machine. - - - - If you feel that this document makes your life better, makes you - glad and happy, or if you just are in a good mood, and have - nothing to do, feel free to donate hardware, money, pizzas, - e-mailed thankyous, postcards or anything to me. I can be - reached at: -
- e-mail: ingvar@linpro.no - snail-mail: Ingvar Hagelund, Asperudlia 15, NO-1258 OSLO, NORWAY. -
- - - - - - - New versions - - - versions - - - - Version 1.52 - - Added a chapter on Linux-2.4 - Fixed some wrong links and typos - - - - - Version 1.51 - - Download site for LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 cd images - - - - - Version 1.50 - - Updated to cover LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 - - - - - Version 1.41: - - Made some small changes to the kernel chapter. - - - - - Version 1.40: - - Added a FAQ section. - Reformatted howto to SGML. - New copyright notices. - Ready for bundling with the LPD. - - - - - If you are reading an offline version of this document, please - note that an up to date HTML version can be found at - - http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p. - - - - - - - - Credits - - - credits - - - - A lot of people have given me suggestions and help on these - pages. I might have forgotten some of them, and if so, I - apologize. Please send me a note to me at - ingvar@linpro.no, and I'll list you here. Thanks to - all of you, I could not have done this without you. - - - - Ingvar - - - - Here is list of people that have been helpful, in a completely - unordered fashion :-) - - - Ingvar Hagelund - James Rooker - Mike McCammant - Alberto Varesio - Rolf Brudeseth - Ian Dale - Hollis R Blanchard - Linar Yusupov - Cort Dougan - Roger Bonussen - Rolf Zimmerli - Philippe Senot - John Roebuck - Jacopo Silva - Martin Espenschied - Dan Burcaw - www.linuxppc.com - Tor Arne Rein - Chien-Yu Chen - Wadamori Naoki - Arne Chr. Jørgensen - Doc Shipley - Thomas M. Nymand - Alberto Varesio - Pat Berge - Kazunori Aoshima - David Monro - Matt Porter - Olaf Hering - Xavier Piednoir - Steve Cornett - Greg Ferguson - - - - - - - Feedback - - - feedback - - - - Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Without - your submissions and input, this document wouldn't exist. Please - send your additions, comments and criticisms to the following - e-mail address : ingvar@linpro.no. - - - - - - - Translations - - - translations - - - - This document exists in English only. If you want to translate - this document into an other language, please do so, just give me a - note, and read the copyright notices above. - - - - - - - - - - - Overview - - - overview - - - - - The IBM RS6000 43P 7248-133 - - - 7248 7248-133 - - - - This chapter contains a short overview over the 7248-133 and Linux - for PowerPC. The data for the other 7248 models should not be too - different from this. - - - - The IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248-133 is a not extremely new PReP - based PowerPC workstation which was produced from 1995 through - 1997. The 43P series includes a lot of machines, both CHRP - and PReP based. Our model has among other things this to offer: - - - - - PReP architecture - 132MHz PowerPC model 604 processor - 512K synchronous L2 cache - Max 192MB RAM (EDO) - Integrated ncr53c810 SCSI-2 controller - Integrated IDE controller - Integrated AMD PCnet32 PCI ethernet adapter - Integrated IBM E15 2MB graphics adapter based on the S3 - Vision864 chip - Integrated Crystal Audio cs4232 sound adapter - 1.44MB Floppy disk drive - IBM 8X SCSI CD-ROM drive - Usually equipped with a 1.2MB IBM DPES 31080 SCSI - hardisk - - - - - You can find more information at IBM's sales manual for this machine, found at this horrible URL - - - - Linux has a native port to the PowerPC processor, and all - official code is maintained in the main kernel tree. - The main part of the port was done by Gary Thomas. The story of - the port - can be found here. For more information on running Linux on - the PowerPC processor, check out the LinuxPPC homepage - http://www.penguinppc.org. - - - - - - - What's the matter, why not use the original installation procedure? - - - The LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 distribution is made primary for the - PowerMac Apple Macintosh. The installation programs has - therefore no direct support for the 7248 nor the PReP - architechture in general. But no worries, we'll make a few - hacks, some manual configuration, and make it work anyway. - Don't despair, this document will lead you through it, step by - step. - - - - - - - An overview on what to do - - - Here is what we are going to do: - - Set up the hardware properly ("BIOS settings") with - IBM's System Management Services (SMS) - Get installation files from CD or FTP - Make boot floppies - Get the machine to boot and start the installation program - Partition the hard drives - Install the system - Boot the system - Set up networking - Update the kernel and set up X - Set up sound - - - - - - - - - - - Setting up the hardware with SMS - - - SMS - - - - This chapter describes how to configure the system's Firmware - to use the hardware properly. To do this we are going to use a - software tool from IBM called System Management Services, SMS. - - - - - Where is the BIOS? - - - bios - - - - Lots of Linux users are familiar with the x86 platform, and - immidiatly ask "What key may I press to access the - BIOS". Well, on the 7248-133 it's not that easy, but it's not - very difficult either. This is a real UNIX machine, and real - UNIX machines don't have a BIOS. They have some sort of - Firmware instead. There is not much to yell about, 'cause to - the users, it's almost the same thing. Firmware often seem to - have lots of bugs in them, just like the BIOSes in the PC - world. They often are more selective on what kind of hardware - they support too. For hardware system management on our 7248, - IBM has a software program to be booted from floppy disk, - called "SMS" - "System Management Services". With this you can - access the Firmware. You can get floppy images and MS-DOS - programs for creating those - - here. You might also want to upgrade your Firmware. Check - the README files on the link about this. - - - - - - - How to use the SMS - - - To boot the SMS, turn off the machine, insert the SMS floppy, - push the power button and press the F4 key while the system - check icons pop up in the bottom of the screen. (If you prefer a - text based interface, try F2 instead.) Basic usage is outside - the scope of this document, but it's not very difficult. - - - - - - What settings to use - - - You should have a little look over your system to see whats - actually there. Then you should check the boot sequence, as it's - quite important to make your system boot right. The sequence - should be: (You guessed it) Floppy disk -> CD-player -> first - SCSI harddisk -> second SCSI harddisk -> etc. - - - - - - More info about the hardware - - - hardware - - - - You might find good references in - IBM's salesmanual for our model. - - - - There are also some - - reference manuals in pdf format - for free download from the IBM - RS/6000 pages that might come handy. - - - - - - - - - - - Get the installation files - - installation files - - - This chapter describes how to get your hands on a copy of the - LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 operating system. - - - - - Buying a CD - - - CD - - - - The easiest way to get all the files you need is perhaps just to - buy an official CD set. You may order the CD set directly from http://order.linuxppc.com - or you may try to find a local reseller, linuxppc.com has a list here. - - - - - - Download CD images over FTP - - - FTP - - - - The other way around is to download preformatted CD images, - and burn them out yourself. You can download installation CD - images for example from - Linuxiso.org. - You should download the LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 install image and the - LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 software image. There are some interesting readme - files on the download sites on burning the files to a - CD-ROM. - - - - To make a CD, you need some CD burning software package. This - is outside the scope of this document, allthough any good CD - burning software should be able to do it. Remark that the - images are in HFS format, and NOT the usual iso9660 format. - - - - - - Network installation - - - Network-install - - - - Other Linux distributions have often support for direct - installation via a network connection. This is not currently - supported in LinuxPPC-2000 Q4, at least not on these machines, - yet. - - - - - - - - - - Make boot floppies - - - floppies - - - - In this chapter we will learn how to make useable boot floppies - from files downloaded from the Internet. - - - - - - What floppies to make - - - To install LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 on the 7248 you need three floppies: One - bootfloppy, and two ramdisk floppies. - - - - The bootfloppy is a precompiled Linux kernel image - called - carolina_bootimage_2.2.18_with_fb, and it can be found - in the - images directory on my homepage. - - - - The ramdisk floppies are in the ramdisk.image.gz file found - in the install directory on a LinuxPPC ftp mirror or on the - CD. But it would be easier, at least for ms-dos users to - download 1.44MB sliced images, also from my - - images directory over http. - - - - If you use Netscape or another web browser to download the files, - you should check that the sizes of the downloaded files are - correct. Some versions of Netscape tend to uncompress compressed - files, and we want to keep them compressed. This yields especially - for the ramdisk.image.gz file(s). If strange freezes or other things - happens at boot time, try using another program for downloading - the files, like wget or lynx. - - - - - - - How to make the bootfloppies - - - Use always errorfree 1.44MB floppies for these images. The - commands shown here is for a working Linux system. They - might work on other UNIX systems as well. On some systems - you may have to be root to write directly to the floppy drive. - In those cases, just su root before issuing the commands. - - - - For MS-DOS, you may use the rawrite util. You can download - rawrite from several places, for example a RedHat mirror as - - ftp://ftp.freesoftware.com. More information on how to - use rawrite here. - - - - To make the bootfloppy, insert a floppy in the drive, cd - to the directory containing the bootfloppy image and issue - the command: - - dd if=carolina_bootimage_2.2.18_with_fb of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b conv=sync - - Label the disk "Boot floppy" or whatever you like. - - - - To make the first ramdisk floppy, insert a floppy in the drive, - cd to the directory containing the ramdisk image, and issue - the command: - - dd if=ramdisk-2000-Q4-floppy-image.1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b conv=sync - - (If you use the ramdisk.image.gz from the CD or a ftp mirror, try - dd if=ramdisk.image.gz of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b conv=sync count=80 ) - Label the disk "Ramdisk root floppy (#1)" or whatever you like. - - - - To make the second ramdisk floppy, insert a floppy in the drive, - cd to the directory containing the ramdisk image, and issue - the command - - dd if=ramdisk-2000-Q4-floppy-image.2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b conv=sync - - (If you use the ramdisk.image.gz from the CD or a ftp mirror, try - dd if=ramdisk.image.gz of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b conv=sync skip=80) - Label the disk "Ramdisk floppy #2" or whatever you like. - - - - - - - - - - - Boot the machine and start the installation program - - - installation program - - - - In this chapter we will find out how to get the installation - program up and running. - - - - - Boot the machine - - - boot - - - - To boot the 7248, just insert the bootdisk and switch on the - machine. Insert the installation CD at the PowerPC splash - screen. If it won't boot off the floppy drive, check SMS settings - (), and try to force a floppy boot - by pressing F5 (or F6) at the bootscreen while the check icons pop - up in the bottom of the screen. After a while, the screen blanks - out, and Linux will boot. At this point, you can shout a little - "hooray" for yourself, if there are not too many in the room, - and Tux, the Linux Penguin will show up in the upper left corner - of the screen. Insert the ramdisk root floppy and ramdisk floppy - #2 when prompted. - - - - After some seconds, the installation program will complain - about a lot of things. It can't find a usb mouse, it can't - start the Xpmac X-server, it can't open the local display, and - that kind of things. Don't worry, we'll take care of this in a - minute. Just press enter, and you'll be thrown to a standard - root bash prompt. For those of us who have used Unix systems - earlier, this is enough to give good vibrations. For all - others: Don't Panic [tm]. - - - - - - - Make some hacks - - hacks - - - To be able to start the installation program, we have to - change the standard PowerMac setup to something that is - useable for the 7248. This is what we are going to do in this - section. Remember that all commands are case sensitive. - - - - First, let's set up mouse, to make them work - correctly with X. Issue these commands: - - rm -f /dev/mouse - ln -s /dev/psaux /dev/mouse - - - Done! Now, that wasn't too difficult, was it? Let's continue with - some X configuration. Issue these commands: - - - cd /etc - mv X11/XF86Config X11/XF86Config.old - cp XF86Config.PReP X11/XF86Config - rm -f /etc/X11/X - ln -s /usr/X11R6/bin/XF68_FBDev /etc/X11/X - - - This XF86Config.PReP file is not complete, it so we have to - fix it. The easiest way to do this is to run Red Hat's - Xonfigurator program - Xconfigurator - - - Xconfigurator - - - and follow the instructions on the screen. The usage of - Xconfigurator is beyond the scope of this document, but it's - quite easy. If you need help, try the Xconfigurator section in - the Red Hat Installation guide. - Xconfigurator should figure out that we use the IBM E15 frame - buffer device by itself. Note that the frame buffer device has - only support for 256 colors, so only 8 bit mode should be - selected. Follow the on-screen instructions and enter values - that match your Screen. Resolutions of 800x600 or 1024x768 - should be allright. Skip the test at the end. It will fail. - - - - If you try it ouy, you will maybe conclude that the X-server - does not work. Again, Don't Panic [tm]. The reason for this is - that Xconfigurator presumes you have an X font server - running. You don't, so we have to add Font Paths - manually. Edit the configuration with - - - vi /etc/X11/XF86Config - - - (What? You don't like vi? - Read this to - get started.) - - - - Look for the line which contains the FontPath. Comment out - (that is: Put a '#' in front of) the existing line - containing something like "unix/:7100", and add these lines instead. - - - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/:unscaled" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic/:unscaled" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic/" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/" - FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/" - - - - - - You are now ready to start the installation program. Issue this - command, and go for it: - - start_installer - - - - - - - - - - - - - Install the system - - - In this chapter we will get used to the LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 - installation environment, partition the harddisk(s) and install - the operating system packages. - - - - - The LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 installer - - - LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 installer - - - - So, now we're actually getting somewhere! At least, so it - looks. This looks really cool, doesn't it? Press the right - mouse button on the background on the screen. What a cute - little menu! Notice that you can change the colors of the - screen with the Styles option. This is - the first installation program I've ever seen with changeable - colors :-) Note that you can move the windows on the screen - around by clicking and dragging on the blue top or right - borders. To bring a window to the front, try clicking on - it. Select xterm on the Blackbox - (background) menu. This will bring up a command line terminal - window which we will use to start some programs that can do - what the installation program can't. - - - - Behold! There are even two (!) installation - programs. Unfortunately, they don't work. In the xterm - window, kill the installation programs. We have to do some more - hand-work. - - - killall install_helper - - - - - - - - Partition the harddisk(s) - - - partition - - - - The first thing to do is to partition the hard disk(s). Since - we have brutally killed the installation program, THERE IS - REALLY NO WAY TO DO THIS. I have framed you all the time. Just - shut down the machine and have a beer. Then visit some - friends. - - - - Just kidding. - - - - In the xterm window, issue the command - - fdisk /dev/sda - - This will start the good old fdisk program. Note: This - program will wipe away anything on the disks in the machine. - If there are something on the disks that you want to protect, - exit the program by hitting Q and press - Enter. If you like a menu driven program, we'll start using - cfdisk in a minute. For an overview on the fdisk commands, hit - ?. To view the present partition scheme, - hit P. If there are lots of unknown AIX - information there, hit D, and select 1, - D again and 2, and continue all the way up - to 5 to be sure all old AIX partitions are wiped away. Write the - changes to the disk by hitting W, and quit - the program by hitting Q. If there are no - AIX partitions on the disks, just quit with the - Q command. If you have more than one - harddisk in the machine, use the commands fdisk /dev/sdb for the - second harddisk, fdisk /dev/sdc for third and so on, and repeat - the steps from the first disk. - - - - You could of course use fdisk to make the new partitions too, - but I prefer a more user friendly solution. At the shell prompt, - type - - cfdisk /dev/sda - - To start the cfdisk program on the first harddisk. Change to sdb - and sdc, and so on for more harddisks. Basic usage of cfdisk is outside - the scope of this document, but I have written a little starter. - You can read it in the . - - - partitions - - - You should have at least these partitions: - - - A boot partition. It should be the first primary partition - on one of the SCSI drives, preferably the first (this - naming the partition to sda1). It must have type PReP boot - (type 41), and must be large enough to - hold a compressed Linux kernel image (zImage). Something like - 5-10MB should do. - - - A swap partition. It can be either a primary or a logical - partition on any drive. Any size will do, but a guide may - be twice the size of you physical RAM. I have 64MB RAM, so - I have a swap partition on 128MB. Remember: This is only a - guide. - - - A system root partition. It can be either a primary or a - logical partition, and it should be big enough to hold the - main parts of the installation. You should write down the - device (disk and partition number, like sda5, for example) - for your system's root partition. You will need it later. - The easy way is just to use the rest of the harddisk space - for this. If you have several harddisks, big drives or - special requirements on safety and other things, you - should consider to make own partitions for /home, /usr, - /usr/local, and other parts of the system. Details on this - is outside the scope of this document, but there is a - good discussion on this in the Linux Partition HOWTO. - - - - It is a VERY good tip to find a piece - of paper and write down which partitions you have made, what - you want to use them to, and where you want to mount - them. You will need this information later. When you have - finished partitioning your disks. - - - - - - Mount the partitions - - - So, we have some nice partitions. Let's use them. We have to - make filesystems on them, and then mount them to our existing - installation filesystem to be able to copy any files to - them. Now, I HOPE you have written down what partitions to use - where. First mount the root partition: - - - mkdir /mnt/install - mke2fs /dev/sdxy - mount /dev/sdxy /mnt/install - - - Of course, x and y are disk and partition number, as you have - written down. I use sda5 for my root partition, so I use the commands - 'mke2fs /dev/sda5' and 'mount /dev/sda5'. - - - -   If you have more partitions, mount them in the same way. I have - a 1GB partition at sdb1 which I want to use for the /usr system. So I write this: - - - mkdir /install/usr - mke2fs /dev/sdb1 - mount /dev/sdb1 /install/usr - - - You may have other partitions and also other mount points, like - /usr, /tmp, /home, /var and other stuff. But I guess you've got - the point now. - - - - - - - - Select and install packages - - - packages - - - - You have now cleared the first stage, and get 250 bonus - points. Congratulations. If the installation program had - worked, you had got no points at all, so be happy. The next - stage is to install packages. Here we can finally use some - semi-automatic programs. In the xterm window, type this: - - - xupgrade --install --debug --path_to_root /mnt/install - - - A new window will pop up. Select packages after your own - will. What packages should I select, you say. Oh, please! I - have no idea how you're going to use the machine :-). Press - Install. Aaah. There it goes! After some minutes (not to say - hours, it feels like that, doesn't it?) the install will be - complete. - - - - - - Make a root password and exit - - - password - - - - Before we finalize the installation, it's a cool thing to have - a root password. Enter your new installation, and make a - funny, not-easy-to-guess password like this: - - - chroot /mnt/install - passwd - (You will be prompted for the new password twice) - - - You are still inside the freshly installed system (the chroot - command does that magic). Now, let's fix some other stuff - while we're at it. The mouse and the keyboard are not - right. Same goes for the timezone. If you are an experienced - user you may want to add even more configuration at this - point. - - - rm -f /dev/mouse - ln -s /dev/psaux /dev/mouse - kbdconfig - timeconfig - - - - - Next, you may find that the /dev/cdrom link is not working properly, - it points to itself. It should point to /dev/scd0, so let's fix - this. Issue these commands: - - rm -f /dev/cdrom - ln -s /dev/scd0 /dev/cdrom - - You should now be able to mount the cdrom using /dev/cdrom. - Thanks to Thomas M. Nymand for this tip. - - - - Now, you should be all ready. Issue the command - - exit - - to exit the installed system and return to the intallation system. - - - - - Finally, shutdown the system, remove the CD and floppy disk, - and take a break. - - - reboot - - - - - - - - - - - - Boot the machine - - - In this chapter we will boot our fresh installed system for the - first time, and make some small custom changes to make it work - as it should - - - boot prompt - - - You are done! If everything worked, you should now be able to - reboot you're system, and start LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 for the first - time. Reinsert the boot floppy disk in the floppy drive, and - switch the machine on again. If it won't boot, try to hit F5 at - the splash screen while the system check icons pop up in the - bottom of the screen. At the boot prompt, ("Linux/PPC load:") - you must add a boot parameter to make the system find your root - partition. (That's usually the main system partition.) Press - backspace to remove what's already there, and add something - like this: - - root=/dev/sda5 - - I use sda5 as sda5 is where I have installed my root partition, - that is, the partition mounted at "/". You might - have something different, and you should have written it down - when you partitioned you harddisk(s). You did, didn't you? - - - - The system should boot up, and after a minute or so, greet - you with a login prompt. Congratulations, you have installed - LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 on your computer! From here, you have to know how - to use linux. This is absolutely outside the scope of this - document, but if you are a complete newbie, you could for - example check out - - Linux Administration Made Easy by Steve Frampton, and start - at - chapter 6, since you've already got your system up. - - - - If you are not an US citizen, you should look over the X - configuration file to get your local keyboard. Use a text - editor like vi or pico, just like we did to get the - installation system to work. Try - - vi /etc/X11/XF86Config - - and scroll down to the Keyboard section. Check that you have - settings that suits you. Edit as you wish. You may also want to - remove LinuxPPC's annoying attempt to autoconfigurate X for you - when the machine boots into runlevel 5. - - rm -f /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/*Xautoconfig - - - - - The next time you power-cycle the box, you must again boot from - the floppy. The bootloader arguments at the boot prompt - ("Linux/PPC Load:") should be still be something like this: - - root=/dev/sda5 - - Where of course, you may have something different from sda5, - according to where your root partition is. - - - - This is the time to install the rest of the system, with all the - packages that are on the software CD. Login as root, open a - terminal window, insert the CD, mount it, and start the package upgrade program: - - mount -t HFS -o ro /dev/scd0 /mnt/cdrom - xupgrade - - - - - - - - - Set up networking - - - network - - - - In this chapter we will set up TCP/IP networking on the - integrated ethernet adapter - - - - - Support for the integrated ethernet adapter - - - ethernet - - - - The 7248-133 is equipped with an internal AMD PCnet 32 PCI - ethernet adapter. There is support for this adapter in the - Linux kernel source, and if you installed from my bootimage, - you should have support for it in your kernel - already. Otherwise, you can compile a new kernel. The - bootimage described in - has support for the adapter too. - - - - - - Configuration files - - - The configuration files to set up TCP/IP-networking over - ethernet on this box is the same manual configuration as on - any other RedHat-like Linux box elsewhere, but here, we do it - manually, without any tools other than your favourite text - editor. This only covers basic installation, and NO EXTRA - SECURITY AT ALL. There are plenty of other, and much better - sources about this topic than I can put up here. The files to - edit are found in the /etc directory and its - subdirectories. To edit the files, you should be logged in as - root. - - - - - - Set IP address and netmask - - - ip address - - - - To set the IP address and netmask, make a file - - /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 - - That looks like this: - - DEVICE="eth0" - ONBOOT="yes" - IPADDR="111.122.133.144" - NETMASK="255.255.255.0" - - Of course, replace the numbers in the IPADDR and NETMASK fields - with the ones you should use. If you don't know, ask your system - administrator. - - - - - - Set hostname and gateway - - - hostname gateway - - - - To set the hostname and gateway, edit the file - - /etc/sysconfig/network - - so it looks like this: - - NETWORKING=yes - FORWARD_IPV4="yes" - HOSTNAME=myhost.mydomain - GATEWAY="122.133.144.155" - - Of course, replace the values in the HOSTNAME and GATEWAY fields - with the ones you should use. If you don't know, ask your system - administrator. - - - - - - Nameserver specification - - - nameserver - - - - To specify a nameserver, edit the file - - /etc/resolv.conf - - so it looks like this: - - search mydomain - nameserver 133.144.155.166 - - Of course, replace the values in the search and nameserver fields - with the ones you should use. If you don't know, ask your system - administrator. - - - - - - The hosts file - - - hosts file - - - - Finally, edit the the file - - /etc/hosts - - so it looks like this: - - 127.0.0.1 localhost localhost.localdomain - 111.122.133.144 myhost.mydomain myhost loghost - - The last line should suit the values you added previously as - the system's IP-address and - hostname. - - - - - - Restart the network - - - This should be everything you need to get started. Now restart - networking with the command - - /etc/rc.d/init.d/network restart - - - - - And you should be all up. Note that there is a bug somewhere that - makes the netcard freeze the whole system when shutting down eth0. - According to Martin Espenschied, this is a known issue, and can be - fixed. When I know how, I'll put the information here. Till then, - remember to sync your system before shutting - down, and you should not miss any information. Remember my disclaimer in - though. - - - - An ugly hack to resolve this might just be to - NOT to shut down eth0 at shutdown/reboot. This can - be done by editing the file /etc/rc.d/init.d/network, and in the - stop) case, just comment away the ifdown command, and add a phoney - command, like this: - - action "Shutting down interface $i" echo does_nothing # ./ifdown $i boot - - Note that this is a rather ugly hack, that won't - actually solve the problem, it just hides it. The network won't - go properly down until you reboot the machine. This is actually - the "stupid Windows" way. I really hope that somebody have a - better fix on this later. Thanks to Doc Shipley for this tip. - - - - - - - - Update the kernel and tune the X Window system - - - kernel - - - - In this chapter we will download the Linux kernel sources, add - a few patches, and compile and install our own custom kernel - on the harddisk. When we have successfully accomplished this - exciting event, we don't have to boot from the installation - boot floppy anymore. - - - - - Why update the kernel - - - The kernel we have used this far is a 2.2.18 kernel that I - have provided. This is a quite stable and good kernel, but - it's not sure that it's what you want. You should make your - own kernel so you know what patches you need and what modules - you can install when you really need them. Here are links to - all sources and patches, and a step by step guide to compile - your new kernel. - - - - As for the installation we just have done, X does work, but - only when you boot from the boot floppy. Would it not have been - nice to be able to boot directly off the hard disk - and by - the way, what about sound support? Let's set up this together - as quickly as possible. - - - - Before starting downloading files and compiling the kernel, check - that you have these packages installed: - - make - gcc - cpp - glibc - glibc-devel - ncurses-devel - kernel-headers - This list should probably be longer - - - - - - - What files to download - - - kernel version kernel patches - - - - We'll use the 2.2.18 kernel sources. The 2.2.19 kernel is - availble, but it has some problems with compiling on ppc, so - we'll stay with 2.2.18. To add better support for our Carolina - motherboard, well add two patches from David Monro's Carolina - page. This may sound complicated, but believe me, it's - not. Follow the steps below here, and we'll get you up in an - hour or so. - - - - We're going to use the standard place for linux kernels, - that is /usr/src/ There might be a linux directory there - already, so let's rename it: - - mv /usr/src/linux /usr/src/linux.old - - When downloading the kernel source and patches, place all files - in /usr/src. - - - - Begin with the - - linux-2.2.18.tar.gz source from the - - /pub/linux/kernel/v2.2 directory at - ftp.kernel.org or a - local mirror (recommended for faster download). - - - - Then, get the - - Carolina patch and the - - IBM E15 frame buffer patch from David Monro's Carolina page at - - http://www.amberdata.demon.co.uk/carolina - - - - - - Unpacking and patching the source - - The next step is to unpack and patch the source files you just - downloaded. cd to the directory where you downloaded the files, - and unpack the kernel source by issuing this command: - - tar xzvf linux-2.2.18.tar.gz - - - - - (On some mirrors there are only bz2 files availble. If this is - the issue, use xvIf instead of xvzf.) - - - - This will make a directory called "linux" with all the kernel - source. Now we shall add the patches. If the patches have the - extentions "gz", unpack them with gunzip like this: - - gunzip carolina.diff.gz - gunzip ibm_e15fb.diff.gz - - - Now add the carolina patch by issuing the commands: - - mv linux new - patch -p0 <carolina.diff - - - Last, add the IBM E15 patch by issuing the command: - - patch -p0 <ibm_e15fb.diff - - - For a clean compile later, rename the kernel tree to its original - name by issuing this command: - - mv new linux - - - If you get through these steps succesfully, the kernel source is - now ready for configuring. - - - - - - Configuring the kernel - - The details of configuring the kernel are way outside the scope of - this document. To get more help, try - The Kernel - HOWTO. Here, we'll just cover the basics to get a working - kernel. Download - my kernel config file into the linux directory in the - kernel tree top directory. - - - - In the directory containing the linux kernel tree, start the - configuration program by issuing these commands: - - cd linux - make menuconfig - - - Select the almost last option Load an Alternate Configuration - File. Press backspace to remove the text in the box, type - ingvar.config instead, and press enter. This - config file has support for most you'll need on this box, - including sound and the frame buffer device to run X. This - should be enough to get the kernel to compile, but while - you're in there, check over the different menus to get to know - your possibilities. Don't be afraid to change anything. You - can always load the configuration file again. A thing you - really should check, and possibly change, is the - Initial kernel command string, located in - the General setup submenu. Change the - value of the root device to the device where your root (/) - filesystem is mounted. If unsure, press - ALT+F2, log in and try the command - mount. Press ALT+F1 - to get back again (supposed that you are on virtual terminal - 1). Also check your own preferences on filesystems and other - stuff you might have special need for or interest in. If you - for some reason don't want (or need) to run X, eg. because the - console becomes much slower, remove support for the IBM E15 - frame buffer in the Console drivers submenu. - - - - In the main menu, save your new configuration for later use, - if you like, and select exit. Answer Yes - to the question about saving the changes. You are now ready to - compile the kernel. - - - - - - Compiling and installing the kernel - - To compile the kernel is quite straightforward. If you're not in - there already, enter the linux directory in the top level of the - kernel tree, and issue this command series: - - make dep && make clean && make zImage && make modules && make modules_install - - - Now, go and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee or have a - beer or a bible study for some minutes. This can take some - time. If everything is alright, you'll finally have a kernel - to install when the text stops scrolling after maybe as much - as 20 minutes, depending on your kernel configuration. - - - - Now it's time to install your fresh-baked kernel. On RedHat-like - systems like LinuxPPC, we keep kernels and their setupfiles in - the /boot directory. - - - cp /usr/src/linux/arch/ppc/boot/zImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.2.18 - cp /usr/src/linux/System.map /boot/System.map-2.2.18 - - - Assuming that sda1 is your boot device, install the new kernel by - issuing this command: - - dd if=/boot/zimage-2.2.18 of=/dev/sda1 - - - We also want the System map link to point to our new System.map. - Issue these commands: - - mv /boot/System.map /boot/System.map.old - ln -s /boot/System.map-2.2.18 /boot/System.map - - - There! You are ready to reboot. Light some candles, remove the boot - disk, and issue the command: - - reboot - - - If everything works out, the system will go down nicely, and (assuming - you compiled in support for the E15 frame buffer) come up again - with Tux, the Linux Penguin Mascot smiling to you while booting. - - - - - - Set up X - - In this chapter we will set up X, if it does not work properly already. - - - To set up X, check that you have installed the following packages: - - XFree86 - XFree86-FBDev - XFree86-100dpi-fonts and/or XFree86-75dpi-fonts - Xconfigurator - Maybe more packages here... - - - Then as root, just run the command: - - Xconfigurator - - And it will set up X for you. The usage of Xconfigurator is beyond - the scope of this document, but it's quite easy. If you need help, - try the Xconfigurator section in the - Red Hat Installation guide. - - - - - - - - Set up sound - - sound - - In this chapter we will fix some sparkling sound from the built-in sound adapter. - - - - Support for the integrated sound adapter - - The 7248 is equipped with an internal Crystal Audio cs4232 sound - adapter. There is support for this adapter in the Linux kernel - source, but this is not compiled into the standard installed - kernel. So, we have to compile a new kernel. If you are a total - beginner on compiling kernels, you should read the excellent - - kernel howto on how to get started. - Download the kernel source from ftp.kernel.org or a mirror. I - tested this with kernel 2.2.10 and 2.2.16. - - - - - Configure and compile the kernel - - You should configure the kernel as you wish. If you did follow - the steps in the last chapter, you have allready done this, and can - skip to the next section. If not, follow the steps as described in - the last chapter . - - - - When configuring the kernel, check that the settings for sound - are correct. They should look like this: - - Sound: Y - OSS sound modules: Y - Generic OPL2/OPL3 FM synthesizer support: - M - Support for Crystal CS4232 based (PnP) cards: - M - - And check N for everything else in the sound - section. - - - - - - Configuring the modules - - Before rebooting we must send some parameters to configure the - modules at boot time. This is done in /etc/conf.modules . Edit - this file, and add the following lines: - - alias sound cs4232 - pre-install sound /sbin/insmod sound dmabuf=1 - alias midi opl3 - options opl3 io=0x388 - options cs4232 io=0x534 irq=5 dma=1 dma2=0 mpuio=0x330 mpuirq=5 - - - - - - - Reboot and pray - - Now, just reboot and pray. If nothing works, you have done - something unwise when configuring the kernel. Boot from a floppy - and try again. If everything works, you should for example be able - to play an mp3 file using the mpg123 player from the console. - (And yes, of course you might have to - install the mpg123 package first.) - - - - Note: I have not been able to get midi (the opl3 module) - working. If anybody has any tips on this, please let me know. - - - - - - - - - Linux-2.4 - - linux-2.4 - - - In this chapter we will see how to install the latest and - greatest (and most unstable) kernel. Linux version 2.4 has been - around for some months, and there is active development also on - the PowerPC branch. To get a working kernel, we'll have to use a - development tree with a lot of patches that hasn't got into - Linus' official source yet. To state this explicitly: You may - NOT use the official Linux 2.4 source tree, at least not without - third party patches. - - - - - Get the 2.4 source - - First we must get the working 2.4 source. To get this, we'll - use the rsync tool, so check that you have it installed. Some - nice people have set up an rsync server of the BitKeeper - Linux/PPC development tree at source.mvista.com. Thanks so - very much to them, remember them in your heart and - prayers. Warning: Don't do this over a low-end link, like a - modem. It'll take forever. So, let's rock and roll. Issue - these commands: - - - - cd /usr/src - mv linux linux.old - mkdir linux-2.4 - ln -s linux-2.4 linux - cd linux - rsync -avz --delete source.mvista.com::linuxppc_2_4_devel . - chown -R root.root . - - - Note that you'll probably have to wait for some minutes to - rsync over all the sources. This is normal. - - - - - - - Compile the 2.4 kernel - - - All right, so we have the source. Now, let's do some - configuring, and then compile a brand new kernel. - - - - make ibmchrp_config - make menuconfig - - - Note that we don't need to apply any pathces as most of the - patches mentioned earlier are merged into this tree. Now - configure the kernel as you like. Most of the stuff mentioned - earlier should work. The very exception is the frame buffer - for the graphics card, so don't expect a graphical workstation - with 2.4, at least not yet, unlesss, though, someone gets a - vanilla graphics card working with the usual XFree86 - drivers. I haven't tested this yet. - - - - All done? Good. Now issue the usual command series to build - the kernel: - - - make dep && make clean && make zImage && make modules && make modules_install - - - - - - - - Install the 2.4 kernel - - To install the 2.4 kernel, we use the same method as with the - 2.2 kernel. Note that the zImage has changed name and - location in the source tree. - - - - cp arch/ppc/boot/images/zImage.prep /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.9 - cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.9 - dd if=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.9 of=/dev/sda1 - - - - Note that these commands are for a 2.4.9 kernel. If your - kernel source is newer, it's good behaviour to use it's - correct version and patchlevel in the name of the kernel - image. You can find the correct kernel version and patchlevel - with the command - - - - head Makefile - - - - Now again: Reboot and pray. If all goes well, you'll be up - running in a few seconds. If it doesn't work, just reboot with - the floppy disk as described earlier. - - - - - - - Resources - - resources - - - In this chapter there is a list of resources which include - enough reading to make us experts in the field in - record-time. - - - - - Other resources on Linux/PPC and 43P boxes - - - - penguinppc.org - our home for Linux on the PowerPC. - - - - Linux/PPC PReP page - - - - Linux/PPC CHRP page - - - - Kernel patches, - utilities and hints for IBM PPC workstations with Carolina - motherboard (like the 7248) by David Monro. (Including frame - buffer support to actually get X up and working!) - - - - PowerPC Linux - project pages at sourceforge.net - - - - - IBM's Linux on PPC project pages - - - - - Hollis Blanchard's page for installing Linux on the - PowerSeries 850. Add this to David's and my pages, and you - should be able to get LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 up on the 850 too :-) - - - - - The Linuxppc-1999 installation instructions for PReP - Simple instructions from the ftp site - - - - - More info about Linux on PReP machines - by Kazunori Aoshima - - - - - A newbie's encounter with - LinuxPPC is a document which describes a newbie user's - results and experiences on installing linuxppc using own - experience and this document. Thanks to Arne C. Jørgensen - for this document. - - - - A very - short view on how to set up LinuxPPC on the 7248 the quick and - easy way. Also by Arne C. Jørgensen. - - - - The linuxppc mailing - lists. Especially interesting is of course the workstation list. - - - - Some kernel - developpment stuff - - - - - IBM Sales Manual for the 7248-133 (Detailed description) - - - - - Description on 7248 microcode from IBM - - - - - Year 2000 info from IBM - - - - - Order documentation for the 7248 from IBM - - - - - Online books for 43P from IBM, not the 7248, unfortunately. - - - - PReP specification from IBM - - - - - Cross Development for Linux/PPC from i386 by Matt Porter - - - - - - - - - Installing other flavours of Linux on the 7248 - - - - - Installation instructions for Debian GNU/Linux on PReP - machines. (Note: The bootdisk included in the Debian distro - does not work on the 7248-133 because of a SCSI driver - bug. You might use the bootdisk described in - instead. It works.) - - - - - Installation instructions for Yellow Dog Linux on RS/6000: - Yellow Dog Linux claims to support some, but not all, - 43Ps. The 7248-133 is not on the list, but some ideas from - this document, including the bootdisk mentioned in does actually work. - - - - - SuSE's ppc pages. SuSE does include support for PowerPC - in their newest version. - - - - NetBSD is working on a - port to PReP PowerPCs. (Yes, I know. NetBSD is not a Linux - flavour, but I thought I might mention it here anyway.) There is a - a - special page for our PReP architecture where the 7248 is - mentioned explicit. - - - - - - - - - - Todo - - todo - - - There are some things that might be added to this document. If you have - comments, things to add or want to help, please send an e-mail to - ingvar@linpro.no - - - - - - Get rid of that annoying freeze at eth0 shutdown. This - should be a part of the networking chapter. If you know - something about this, please let me know. - - - - Dual Boot with AIX. We need some kind of a bootloader. Does - such a thing exist? We know quik does not work on the PReP boxes. - - - - Get midi to work. Is this possible? - - - - - - - - - - - Frequently Asked Questions - - - Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ - - - - In this final chapter I've included som frequently asked - questions. This list should probably be much longer. Please let - me know if you have something to add. - - - - - XF68 or XF86 - - What is right, XF68 or XF86? - - - I have got a lot of questions conserning the name of the - X-server in the installation program. I have called it - "XF68_FBDev". On some CDs the server has got another name, - "XF86_FBDev". The reason for this naming convention and - confusion is purely historical. The Linux Frame Buffer Device - was first developped on m68k Macintoshes, and the XFree86 - server for the device was hence called XF68_FBDev. Later on - the Frame Buffer Device was ported to other platforms like the - x86 clones and PowerPC. What is the right name? The question - is left as an exersice for the reader. - - - - - There is "snow" on my X desktop - How can I configure X so it removes the "snow" on my desktop? - - - The easy answer is: You can't. The kernel frame buffer device - made by David Monro is still in an early stage, though working - very well. Distortions in the picture when moving the mouse - or scrolling a window are perfectly normal at eg - 1024x768@60Hz. If you are a hacker, please fix it and post a - patch to David. We would all love it very much. - - - - - - I can't get my hardware to work - How can I get my new ultra whizbang XYZ card to work? - - - The 7248 is a PC-like box with ISA and PCI interfaces, so one - should think that using "normal" PC hardware made for the x86 - platform should work flawlessly. Sadly to say, it doesn't. The - drivers often have to be ported, and there are not that many - Carolina motherboard kernel hackers out there. In addition, - much hardware made for the x86 platforms uses BIOS calls to - work properly. As the 7248 and its relatives does not have - such a BIOS, it's extremely difficult to get this hardware to - run under Linux. Note: Linux-2.4 has fixed many of these - problems. See below. - - - - That said, there are working hardware for this box that runs - with Linux. For questions about this, please contact the - Workstation list, see . - - - - Update: With the latest versions of the Linux 2.4 bk - development tree (NOT the official Linux 2.4 sources), many of - the problems stated above are fixed, and much more hardware is - supported. For example did I put a standard eepro100 card in - my box, and it worked flawlessly. This means you can use the - 7248 for example as a packet-filtering firewall. I've also - heard rumours on plain standard ISA Soundblaster cards - working. Try and see if your card works. If it's interesting, - send me an email, and I'll put a note here. See for notes on building and installing a - 2.4 kernel. - - - - - - Me wants another distro! - Why do you not support more distributions in your howto? - - There is one easy answer for this: I have not got the time to - do this. I got LinuxPPC-1999 to work on my 7248 a year or so - ago, and have not changed away from LinuxPPC since then. I - plan to install Debian some time in the future, and have tried - both SuSE and Yellow Dog, and have found that much of the - steps are quite equal. The most troublesome part is to get the - machine to boot the installation program. From there, each - installer should do the job more or less itself. Getting X and - sound to work should be more or less similar for all - distributions, so just read the steps in this howto and try to - make it work on your own. Feedback for this document is very - welcome. - - - - - Boot floppies on other distributions - Can I use the floppies mentioned in this howto for other distributions - - - The bootfloppy mentioned in this howto should have support for - all the hardware in the 7248, so you should be able to boot - any distribution which uses the same floppy based - installation scheme, that is, with the installation program on a - ramdisk on one or more floppy disks. This means you should be - able to boot LinuxPPC, SuSE, Yellow Dog and Debian with the - bootimage. You have to have each distributions own installer - ramdisk floppies, though. - - - - - The PReP boot partition? - - PReP boot partition - - Where should I mount the PReP boot partition? - - - To be able to understand the answer for this question, it's - important that the reader understands how the 7248 boots into - Linux. This is a three step procedure. First, the Firmware - (which behaves in the same way as a PC BIOS) looks for - something to boot. Usually, it should check the floppy drive, - the CD drive, and then the first SCSI disk. On the SCSI disk - it will look for a special partition called a PReP boot - partition. On this partition, it will read the first program - it can find there. If this is a Linux kernel bootloader, it - will read and run this, and then the bootloader boots - Linux. From here, Linux is in charge. - - - - Many have asked where they should mount the PReP boot - partition (the type 41 partition). This is a common - misunderstanding. The PReP boot partition, usually located on - /dev/sda1, should NOT be mounted anywhere. The files on this - partition, usually only a single Linux kernel with a static - linked kernel loader, are only used by the firmware when - booting. The operating system does not use these files after - the kernel has booted, so there is no need for mounting that - partition. - - - - Some people mix the meaning of the /boot directory and the PReP - boot partition. Both use to contain kernels, but their use are - different. /boot is used for storing kernels for later use, - and for bookholding system info. The /boot directory is NOT - read by the Firmware at boot time, so changing the contents of - this directory does not change the way the Firmware loads - Linux. - - - - To be able to load a new kernel, you have to replace the - existing kernel on the PReP partition. This is done with the - dd command, see for details. - - - - - - RAM - - It won't boot at all. Could it be bad RAM? - - The machine won't boot at all. I suspect the RAM could be the - problem. What kind of RAM should I use for this box? - - - - The 7248 and it's cousines with Carolina motherboard do use - special RAM, more specifically, they use only parity - RAM. David Monro states that is is possible to make them work - with other types of RAM if you remove the cache. Look at for details. - - - - - - - - - - Appendix: Using cfdisk to partition your harddisk - - - partitioningcfdisk - - - - - Hardisk names - - - SCSI harddisks are named with sdx, where x is a hardisk - letter. The disk with the lowest SCSI ID on the first - controller will become sda, the next lower sdb, an so on. - - - - If you have IDE harddisks, they are called hda, hdb, hdc, and - so on instead, where hda is the master disk on the first - controller, hdb is the slave disk on the first controller, hdc - is the master disk on the second controller, and so on. - - - - - - Harddisk partitions - - - GNU/Linux systems usually use a partition scheme where a harddisk can - have up to four primary partitions. If you want more, you have - to make one of these an extended partition where you can make - several logical partitions. The partitions are named with the - disk they belong to, and a number. The first primary partition - on the first SCSI disk is therefore sda1, the second primary - partition is sda2, and so on. The first and second logical - partition on an extended partition on the first SCSI disk is - sda5 and sda6, and so on. If this makes absolutely no sense to - you at all, try to read . - - - - - - Starting cfdisk - - you start cfdisk from the command line with the command - - cfdisk /dev/sdx - - where x is the SCSI hardisk letter, like a, b, c, d, etc. So if I - want to partition the first harddisk on the SCSI controller, I'll - enter the command - - cfdisk /dev/sda - - - - - - - Using cfdisk - - - The user interface - - After you have started cfdisk you'll get an interface where - the current partition table is listed with the names and - some data about each partition, and some command buttons on - the bottom of the screen. To change between partitions, use - the up and down arrow keys. To change between commands, use - the left and right arrow keys. - - - - - Deleting a partition - - To delete an existing partition, highlight it with the up and down - keys, select the Delete command with the left and right arrow - keys, and press Enter. - - - - - Making a new partition - - To make a new partition, select the New - command with the left and right arrow keys, and press - enter. You'll get the choice between a primary and a logical - partition. If you want a logical partition, the program will - automatically make an extended partition for you. Then you - must choose the size of the partition (in MB). If you can't - enter a value in MB, return to the main screen with the Esc - key, and select MB with the Units - command. - - - - - Set the type of a partition - - To set the type of a partition, for bootable PReP, Linux - swap or Linux ext2, highlight the actual partition, and - select the Type command. You'll get a - list over different types. Press space, and you'll get even - more. Find what type you need, and enter the number at the - prompt. - - - - - Make a partition bootable - - To be able to boot from a primary partition, you need to - make it bootable. Highlight the actual partition and select - the Bootable command. - - - - - Write the result to disk and quit - - When you are content with the layout of the disk, select the - Write command. The partition table will - be written to disk. Remember that this will - destroy all data on partitions you have deleted - or changed. You should therefore be very sure that you want - to do this before actually press the Return key. - - - - To exit the program, select the Quit command. - - - - - - - - - Appendix: More on partitioning - - After several questions on what partitioning - really is, I'll just quote an answer I gave in - a mail once. - - - - Okay, here goes: - - - - In an operating system you need several different filesystems - for several different applications. For example, you need a - swap filesystem because your main memory can't hold all - information the operating system needs, so some of it has to be - temporary written to disk. You may also need some special - filesystem from which the machine reads the operating system - when you switch it on. Finally, you need of course one or more - filesystems to store the operating system program files and your - user files. It may be a good idea to put these in different - places (ie. on different filesystems) in case you have to - reinstall the operating system, but don't want to scratch all - your work. - - - - The best thing is maybe to have all these filesystems on - different disks. But one has seldom more than one or two disks - in a computer. So what we do is to slice up the disk(s) in - several slices (partitions) and use the slices for several - filesystems. Then the operating system mounts the filesystems - together to one single file tree, so it is easy to access the - files. - - - - (Other operating systems, like MS-DOS and NT use - some other technology: They do not bind the slices - together to one file tree, but keeps them separate - as "stations". What is the best scheme? You figure!) - - - - Here a thought example with one 2GB disk on a 7248: - The mount point shows where in the file tree a - filesystem is mounted. - - - - - Partition Size Type Mountpoint Bootable - ---------------------------------------------------------------- - /dev/sda1 10MB 41 (PReP Boot) (Not mounted) yes - /dev/sda2 150MB 82 (Linux Swap) (Not mounted) - - /dev/sda3 1840MB 83 (Linux ext2) / (Root partition) - - - This would give a bootprompt command like this: - - root=/dev/sda3 - - - - - If you want, you could add own partitions for important - directories like /home, /boot, /var, /usr/local and - so on. Here is an other example with two disks, - actually my own configuration with two disks: - - Partition Size Type Mountpoint Bootable - ---------------------------------------------------------------- - /dev/sda1 20MB 43 (PReP Boot) (Not mounted) yes - /dev/sda2 133MB 82 (Linux Swap) (Not mounted) - - /dev/sda5 930MB 83 (Linux ext2) / (Root partition) - - /dev/sdb1 315MB 83 (Linux ext2) /home - - /dev/sdb2 770MB 83 (Linux ext2) /usr/local - - - This would give a bootprompt command like this: - - root=/dev/sda5 - - Before you ask: - - - - ext2 is Linux' standard filesystem - - - - Linux uses the old partition scheme from MSDOS. This means - that if there are more than 3 partitions on one disk, one uses - an extended partition (sda3) that may hold several logical - partitions (sda5, sda6, sda7, ...) - - - - Yes, my partition scheme is a bad one. My root partition was - filled up in a couple of weeks or so. Don't use it. It is an - example only. - - - - - - - Hope this clears up some things. - - - - - - -&aindex; - - -
- - - - - - - + +]> + + + +
+ + + Installing GNU/Linux on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 HOWTO + + + Ingvar + Hagelund + +
+ ingvar@linpro.no +
+ + + + + + 2.0 + 2003-06-02 + ih + + 2.0 is out. + + + + 1.64 + 2003-06-01 + ih + + YellowDog 3.0 (Sirius) is availble through dist-upgrade + + + + 1.63 + 2003-05-26 + ih + + Main parts of Suse, Yellowdog and Debian and Mandrake done. + + + + + 1.62 + 2003-02-26 + ih + + Working on complete new version with several distributions. + + + + + 1.6 + 2002-12-19 + ih + + Change from LinuxPPC to other distributions, first sketch + + + + + 1.52 + 2001-08-29 + ih + + Added a chapter on Linux 2.4. + Fixed some dead and wrong links. + Fixed a lot of typos. + + + + + 1.51 + 2001-04-06 + ih + Download site for LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 cd images + + + + 1.50 + 2001-02-06 + ih + Now supports LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 + + + + 1.40 + 2000-12-14 + ih + Translated to SGML. This is the initial release for LDP + + + + + + + + abstract + + + + This document describes the installation of several Linux + distributions on the IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248 series. + + + + + + + + + + + Introduction + + + introduction + + + + This document describes how to install GNU/Linux on the IBM + RS/6000 43P 7248 series, that is, the 43P-100, 43P-120 and + 43P-133. It describes quite in detail anything to get one of + these boxes from a non working stage to a networked workstation + with a nice graphical user interfase. This relase covers several + Linux distributions. Earlier, this document described the + installation of several Linux distributions. Earlier, it only + covered the LinuxPPC distribution, which is now obsolete. If + you, for any particular reason, should be interested in versions + of LinuxPPC, please have a look at my homepage + . + + + + Some years ago I got a couple of old 7248s for free and I did + not have any OS to run on them. So I gathered some bits and + pieces from the net, and got it to install LinuxPPC-1999. Later, + I found that a lot of other people may have the same problems + that I had, so I wrote this document to help. Later I rewrote it + in SGML and it is now a part of the LDP. + + + + + + + Copyright Information and Legal stuff + + + copyright + + + + This document is copyrighted (C) 2003 Ingvar Hagelund and is + distributed under the terms of the Linux Documentation Project + (LDP) licence, stated below. + + + + Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted + by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be + reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium + physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is + retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed + and encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified + of any such distributions. + + + + All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works + incorporating any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under + this copyright notice. That is, you may not produce a + derivative work from a HOWTO and impose additional + restrictions on its distribution. Exceptions to these rules + may be granted under certain conditions; please contact the + Linux HOWTO coordinator at the address given below. + + + + In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information + through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to + retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be + notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs. + + + + If you have any questions, please contact + linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu + + + + "Linux" is a registrated trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. "IBM" and + "RS/6000" are trademarks owned by IBM Corporation. "MS-DOS" is a + trademark owned by Microsoft Corporation. + + + + Updated: June 1, 2003. + + + + + + + + Disclaimer and scope + + + disclaimer + + + + This document is made after own experiences on a 43P + 7248-132. The things I did might or might not work for + you. You are on your own. I take no responsibility whatsoever + for any damage, loss or expenses because of something you + might have done because this document said so. If you want to + give me feedback on errors, typos, or anything that can make + this document better, please feel free to contact me by + sending an e-mail to ingvar@linpro.no + + + + No liability for the contents of this documents can be + accepted. Use the concepts, examples and other content at + your own risk. As this is a new edition of this document, + there may be errors and inaccuracies, that may of course be + damaging to your system. Proceed with caution, and although + this is highly unlikely, I do not take any responsibility for + that. + + + + This document is about installing GNU/Linux on the IBM RS/6000 + 43P, model 7248. The methods described in this document may or + may not work on other machines or models. They may or may not + work on other Linux distributions than described. Please don't + ask me about this, as I have not tested others. Look in the + for other resources on this. If you + find that these instructions work on other models or + distributions, please let me know, and I'll add that info + here. + + + + All copyrights are held by their by their respective owners, + unless specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in this + document should not be regarded as affecting the validity of + any trademark or service mark. + + + + Naming of particular products or brands should not be seen + as endorsements. + + + + You are strongly recommended to take a backup of your system + before major installation and backups at regular intervals. + + + + Note that the 7248-132 and the 43P-133 are two terms for the + same model, and the same goes for 7248-133 which I've also + seen referenced from time to time. These three terms describes + the exactly same model. You can safly assume that they are all + the same machine. + + + + If you feel that this document makes your life better, makes you + glad and happy, or if you just are in a good mood, and have + nothing to do, feel free to donate hardware, money, pizzas, + e-mailed thankyous, postcards or anything to me. I can be + reached at: +
+ e-mail: ingvar@linpro.no + snail-mail: Ingvar Hagelund, Asperudlia 15, NO-1258 OSLO, NORWAY. +
+ + + + + + + + New versions + + + versions + + + + Version 2.0 + + 2.0 is finally out. + Lots of updates. Now supports Debian, Mandrake, SuSE and YellowDog. + + + + + Version 1.64 + + YellowDog 3.0 (Sirius) is availble through a + dist-upgrade + Heading for 2.0. + + + + + Version 1.63 + + Most parts of Mandrake, YellowDog, SuSE and Debian + are done + Heading for 2.0. + + + + + Version 1.62 + + Working on complete new version with several + distributions + Heading for 2.0. + + + + + Version 1.61 + + Added an appendix on making SMS and firmware images from Linux + + + + + Version 1.60 + + First sketch for other distributions + + + + + Version 1.52 + + Added a chapter on Linux-2.4 + Fixed some wrong links and typos + + + + + Version 1.51 + + Download site for LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 cd images + + + + + Version 1.50 + + Updated to cover LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 + + + + + Version 1.41: + + Made some small changes to the kernel chapter. + + + + + Version 1.40: + + Added a FAQ section. + Reformatted howto to SGML. + New copyright notices. + Ready for bundling with the LPD. + + + + + If you are reading an offline version of this document, please + note that an up to date HTML version can be found at + + http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p. + + + + + + + + Credits + + + credits + + + + A lot of people have given me suggestions and help on these + pages. I might have forgotten some of them, and if so, I + apologize. Please send me a note to me at + ingvar@linpro.no, and I'll list you here. Thanks to + all of you, I could not have done this without you. + + + + Ingvar + + + + Here is list of people that have been helpful, in a completely + unordered fashion :-) + + + Ingvar Hagelund + James Rooker + Mike McCammant + Alberto Varesio + Rolf Brudeseth + Ian Dale + Hollis R Blanchard + Linar Yusupov + Cort Dougan + Roger Bonussen + Rolf Zimmerli + Philippe Senot + John Roebuck + Jacopo Silva + Martin Espenschied + Dan Burcaw + www.linuxppc.com + Tor Arne Rein + Chien-Yu Chen + Wadamori Naoki + Arne Chr. Jørgensen + Doc Shipley + Thomas M. Nymand + Alberto Varesio + Pat Berge + Kazunori Aoshima + David Monro + Matt Porter + Olaf Hering + Xavier Piednoir + Steve Cornett + Greg Ferguson + Nader Salasshahri + Thomas Junker + + + + + + + Feedback + + + feedback + + + + Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Without + your submissions and input, this document wouldn't exist. Please + send your additions, comments and criticisms to the following + e-mail address : ingvar@linpro.no. + + + + + + + Translations + + + translations + + + + This document exists in English only. If you want to translate + this document into an other language, please do so, just give me a + note, and read the copyright notices above. + + + + + + + + + + + Overview + + + overview + + + + + The IBM RS6000 43P 7248-132 + + + 7248 7248-132 + + + + This chapter contains a short overview over the 7248-133 and Linux + for PowerPC. The data for the other 7248 models should not be too + different from this. + + + + The IBM RS/6000 43P model 7248-133 is a not extremely new PReP + based PowerPC workstation which was produced from 1995 through + 1997. The 43P series includes a lot of machines, both CHRP + and PReP based. Our model has among other things this to offer: + + + + + PReP architecture + Carolina type motherboard + 133MHz PowerPC model 604 processor + 512K synchronous L2 cache + Max 192MB RAM (?) + Integrated ncr53c810 SCSI-2 controller + Integrated IDE controller + Integrated AMD PCnet32 PCI ethernet adapter + Integrated IBM E15 2MB graphics adapter + based on the S3 Vision864 chip + Integrated Crystal Audio cs4232 sound adapter + 1.44MB Floppy disk drive + IBM 8X SCSI CD-ROM drive + Usually equipped with one 1.2GB IBM DPES 31080 + SCSI hardisk + + + + + You can find more information at IBM's sales manual for this + machine, found at + http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com/. (click "United States", + "SalesManual", "Continue", and search for the product number + "7248" at the bottom) + + + + Linux has a native port to the PowerPC processor, and all + official code is maintained in the main kernel tree. + The main part of the port was done by Gary Thomas. The story of + the port + can be found here. For more information on running Linux on + the PowerPC processor, check out the + Linux/PPC homepage/. + + + + + + + What's the matter, why not use the original installation procedure? + + + Most Linux distributions for PowerPC computers are aimed for + the Apple PowerMac computer series. Those who support other + hardware seems (naturally enough) to aim at quite modern + hardware. The IBM 7248 series are not Macintosh computers nor + very modern (although neither very old). This means that the + standard kernels, the standard installation routines, and the + standard system configurations do not fit our precious 7248 + computers. + + + + You should absolutely make no worries about this at all. We'll + make a few hacks, some manual configuration, and make it work + anyway. Don't despair, this document will lead you through + it, step by step. + + + + + + + What distributions are supported + + + The term "supported" here is maybe too strong, as few + distributions actually support the 7248. I will however in + this document try to describe how to install the following + Linux distributions on the 7248: + + + + + Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 ("Woody") + SuSE 7.3 + YellowDog Linux 2.3/3.0 ("Dayton"/"Sirius") + Mandrake 9.1 ("Bamboo") + + + + + Some may ask where RedHat Linux is. RedHat does simply not + support 32 bits PowerPC processors at all, so end of + story. (Though there did exist a version of RedHat 7.2 for + some special IBM PowerPC based hardware. It was never a + success.) Those who are familiar with RedHat Linux should be + quite content with YellowDog anyway, as it is based on RedHat, + and feels very similar in use. + + + + You should be able to build a Gentoo or Linux From Scrath + installation on the 7248. See the respective + Gentoo and LFS web sites for + more information. You should probably be able to use some of + the information given in this document, but I have personally + never buildt a Gentoo or LFS installation, and probably never + will, so no details on those will be given in this document. + + + + + + + An overview on what to do + + + Here is what we are going to do: + + Set up the hardware properly ("BIOS settings") with + IBM's System Management Services (SMS) + Get installation files from CD or FTP + Make boot floppies + Get the machine to boot and start the installation program + Partition the hard drives + Install the system + Boot the system + Update the kernel + Set up X + + + + + + + + + + + + Setting up the hardware with SMS + + + SMS + + + + This chapter describes how to configure the system's Firmware + to use the hardware properly. To do this we are going to use a + software tool from IBM called System Management Services, SMS. + + + + + Where is the BIOS? + + + bios + + + + Lots of Linux users are familiar with the x86 platform, and + immidiatly ask "What key may I press to access the + BIOS". Well, on the 7248 it's not that easy, but it's not + very difficult either. This is a real UNIX machine, and real + UNIX machines don't have a BIOS. They have some sort of + Firmware instead. There is not much to yell about, 'cause to + the users, it's almost the same thing. Firmware often seem to + have lots of bugs in them, just like the BIOSes in the PC + world. They often are more selective on what kind of hardware + they support too. For hardware system management on our 7248, + IBM has a software program to be booted from floppy disk, + called "SMS" - "System Management Services". With this you can + access the Firmware. You can get images for SMS and for + updated firmware + here. You should select MS-DOS images from the menu. + They are actually zip-files in disguise, so you should be able + to make those disks from a Linux box as well, using unzip and + mtools. (If you feel totally lost on this, I wrote a quick + help, look in ) + + + + + + + + How to use the SMS + + + To boot the SMS, turn off the machine, insert the SMS floppy, + push the power button and press the F4 key while the system + check icons pop up in the bottom of the screen. (If you prefer a + text based interface, try F2 instead.) Basic usage is outside + the scope of this document, but it's not very difficult. + + + + + + What settings to use + + + You should have a little look over your system to see whats + actually there. Then you should check the boot sequence, as it's + quite important to make your system boot right. The sequence + should be: (You guessed it) Floppy disk -> CD-player -> first + SCSI harddisk -> second SCSI harddisk -> etc. + + + + + + More info about the hardware + + + hardware + + + + You might find good references in IBM's sales manual, some + clicking and searching from here. + + + + There are also some + reference manuals in pdf format for free download from + the IBM RS/6000 + pages that might come handy. + + + + + + + + + + + Get the installation files + + installation files + + + This chapter describes how to get your hands on a copy of one or + several Linux distributions able to run on the 7248. + + + + + Buying a CD + + + CD + + + + + Debian GNU/Linux + + Buying Debian CDs for PPC might be a tricky one. You + should scan this + list for availble local (or shipping) resellers + of Debian CDs, and ask them for a PPC + distribution. You may be lucky. + + + + SuSE + + You should be able to find a local reseller, or buy + directly off the net, + try this link. + + + + + YellowDog Linux + + You should be able to find a local reseller, or buy + directly off the net, + try this link + + + + Mandrake + + You should be able to find a local reseller, or buy + directly off the net. Try this link: + http://www.mandrakesoft.com + + + + + + + + Download CD images over FTP or HTTP + + + FTP + + + + The other way around is to download preformatted CD images, + and burn them out yourself. + + + + Before downloading installation images or doing a network + installation, please consider buying boxed set, or services + from the respective parties. Companies and organizations + building Free Software needs support and money to survive. + + + + + + + Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 "Woody" + Find download sites for Debian GNU/Linux ISO images + + here. Please use a local mirror. Remember to pick + the right platform, "powerpc". + + + + + SuSE 7.3 + Download the SuSE installer cd here. + + + + + YellowDog Linux 2.3 "Dayton" + + ISO images for YellowDog Linux 2.3 are availble for + download from + YellowDog's FTP site or from + linuxiso.org. Only the first CD of the CD set is + availble, but that's all you will need to install. + Afterwards, you may want to upgrade the system over the + net. You may also dist-upgrade to version 3.0 + ("Sirius"). This is described in . + + + + + + Mandrake Linux 9.1 ("Bamboo") + + ISO images for Mandrake Linux 9.1 for PPC are availble + for download at Mandrake's + download page, please use a local mirror. You + can also download from + linuxiso.org + + + + + + + To make a CD, you need some CD burning software package. This + is outside the scope of this document, allthough any decent CD + burning software on any platform should be able to do it. + + + + + + + + Network installation + + + Network-install + + + + All distributions mentioned in this document are able to do a + network installation except for YellowDog. For the other + distributions, both installation from CD and over the network + will be described. The Mandrake installation is special, + because it needs a local mirror, made from a complete ftp site + mirror or from the CDs, see below. + + + + All installation methods described in this document will be + initiated with a floppy disk boot image. The 7248 is also + capable of booting over the net (via tftp), and of course, by + cdrom. This will not be covered in the following. + + + + Before downloading installation images or doing a network + installation, please consider buying boxed set, or services + from the respective parties. Companies and organizations + building Free Software needs support and money to survive. + + + + + + + + + + Make boot floppies + + + floppies + + + + Both installing via net or CD needs bootstrapping with floppy + disks. In this chapter we will learn where to get floppy images, + and how to make useable boot floppies from them. + + + + + + What floppies to make + + + First we need a boot floppy. This will be a custom compiled + Linux kernel image able to boot on the 7248. Then we need one + or more ramdisk images. + + Debian Woody + + For Debian, we need a boot floppy and one ramdisk + floppy. You can download necessary files from + http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/Debian/ + . The files are called + debian-7248-boot.img and + debian-7248-ramdisk.img . (The + ramdisk image is the root.bin from Debian boot-floppies) + + + + Yellow Dog Dayton + + For Yellow Dog we need a boot floppy, and no less than + three ramdisk floppies, because of the size of the + installer. I have built custom ramdisk images for the + 7248. The files are called + ydl-7248-boot.img, + ydl-7248-ramdisk-1.img, + ydl-7248-ramdisk-2.img and + ydl-7248-ramdisk-3.img, and are + available from + http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/YellowDog/. + You will need all the ramdisk files. + + + + SuSE 7.3 + + + For SuSE, we need a boot floppy and one ramdisk + floppy. You can download necessary files from + http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/SuSE/ + . The files are called + suse-7248-boot.img and + suse-7248-ramdisk.img. (The latter + is copied from ftp.suse.com) + + + + Mandrake Bamboo + + For Mandrake, we need a boot floppy and one ramdisk + floppy. You can download necessary files from + http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/Mandrake/ + . The files are called + mdk-7248-boot.img and + mdk-7248-ramdisk.img. (The latter + is a copy of the all-r6sk.gz from the Mandrake cd) + + + + + + + If you use Netscape or another web browser to download the + files, you should check that the sizes of the downloaded files + are correct. Some versions of Netscape tend to uncompress + compressed files, and we want to keep them compressed. If + strange things things happen at boot time, try using another + program for downloading the files, like wget or lynx. + + + + + + + How to make the boot floppies + + + Use always errorfree 1.44MB floppies for these images. The + commands shown here is for a working Linux system. They + might work on other UNIX systems as well. On some systems + you may have to be root to write directly to the floppy drive. + In those cases, so du a 'su root' before issuing the commands. + + + + MS-DOS users may use the rawrite utility. You can download + rawrite from several places, for example a RedHat mirror as + + ftp://ftp.uninett.no/. More information on how to use + rawrite here. + + + + To make the boot floppy, insert a floppy in the drive, cd to + the directory containing the boot floppy image and issue the + following command, substitute "debian" to your distributon prefix if + necessary. + + +dd if=debian-7248-boot.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b + + Label the disk "Boot floppy" or whatever you like. + + + + To make a ramdisk floppy, insert a floppy in the drive, cd to + the directory containing the ramdisk image, and issue the + following command. Substitute the filename with an image for + your distribution of choice, like "ydl-7248-ramdisk-2.img" for + the second YellowDog ramdisk floppy image. + +dd if=debian-7248-ramdisk.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=36b + + Label the disk "Ramdisk floppy #1" or whatever you like. + Remember that Debian and SuSE has one ramdisk floppy. For + Yellow Dog, you need three. + + + + + + + + + + + Boot the machine and start the installation program + + + installation program + + + + In this chapter we will find out how to get the installation + program up and running. + + + + A note on partitions + + Below we will be asked about what partitions to make. We + should have at least these partitions: + + + A PReP partition. It should be the first primary partition + on one of the SCSI drives, preferably the first (this + naming the partition to sda1). It must have type PReP boot + (type 41), and must be large enough to + hold a compressed Linux kernel image (zImage). Something like + 5-10MB should do. + + + A swap partition. It can be either a primary or a logical + partition on any drive. Any size will do, but a guide may + be twice the size of you physical RAM. I have 64MB RAM, so + I have a swap partition on 128MB. + + + A system root partition. It can be either a primary or a + logical partition, and it should be big enough to hold the + main parts of the installation. You should write down the + device (disk and partition number, like sda5, for example) + for your system's root partition. You will need it later. + The easy way is just to use the rest of the harddisk space + for this. If you have several harddisks, big drives or + special requirements on safety and other things, you + should consider to make own partitions for /home, /usr, + /usr/local, and other parts of the system. Details on this + is outside the scope of this document, but there is a + good discussion on this in the Linux Partition HOWTO. + + + + + + + You may of course add as many other partitions to your + system as you may wish, but this is the very minimum. + + + + It is a VERY good tip to find a piece + of paper and write down which partitions you have made, what + you want to use them to, and where you want to mount + them. You will need this information later. + + + + For Debian and SuSE, we will use the + cfdisk program for partitioning. For + those unfamiliar with cfdisk and partitioning in general, I + have made two small appendices on this, just because I am a + very kind person. See . + + + + + + Boot the machine and start the installer + + + boot + + + + To boot the 7248, just insert the boot floppy and turn the + machine on. If it won't boot off the floppy drive, check SMS settings + (), and try to force a floppy boot + by pressing F5 (or F6) at the bootscreen while the check icons pop + up in the bottom of the screen. After a while, the screen blanks + out, and Linux will boot. At this point, you can shout a little + "hooray" for yourself, if there are not too many in the room, + and Tux, the Linux Penguin will show up in the upper left corner + of the screen. Insert the ramdisk floppies when prompted. + + + + + + + The Debian installer + debian installer + + + You should just walk through the Debian installer like you + would on any Debian installation. More information on how to + use the installer can be found at your favourite Debian mirror, + a good reference should be + this document. + You would maybe + start here + as you already have been walked through the preliminary steps. + There are a few thing to remember though: + + + + + Not all keyboard layouts are availble in the + installer. Pick one you are able to use. We will have + more to choose from once the system is installed. + + + At the "Partition a Hard Disk" step, our + partition program will be cfdisk. At this step we have to + add the PReP partition as mentioned above, a swap + partition and a root partition. Remember to write down + on a piece of paper what partition to use for the root + filesystem. Unless you have a really good memory, of + course. + + + + The steps "Install Kernel and Driver Modules", "Configure + Device Driver modules", "Configure PCMCIA Support", and + "Install Foreign Modules" can be skipped, as all necessary + driver are compiled into the boot floppy kernel. + + + + When installing the base system, we can choose either + network or cdrom. Both should work. (I have even installed + by floppy once, but this is something we really don't want + to do.) + + + + Skip the steps "Make System bootable" and "Make a Boot + Floppy" - they won't work. See the later chapter on how to + make the system boot from the harddisk. + + + + No bootloader will be installed, as there are no + availble bootloader for the PReP PPC platform (except + the one that's piggybacked onto the kernel). After the + installation is done, you will therefore have to boot + again from a floppy. See the next chapter for details. + + + + + + When you are finished installing the base system, reinsert + the boot floppy and choose "Reboot the system". + + + + + + + The SuSE installer + suse installer + + + The SuSE installer should work without any hassle at all. + Prelimenary, I've only done ftp install, but any installation + method should do, provided you have access to the media. I + have not been able to find an online version of the + installation instructions, but it should be quite + strightforward. If you have bought the boxed set, you have + probably got a printed manual on dead trees. A few things to + look up for anyhow: + + + + + When partition the hard disks, remember to make a PReP + boot partition as described above. As a general rule, + use /dev/sda1 for this. + + + + + If we're doing a ftp install, use the following path + from a SuSE mirror root: suse/ppc/current/. An European + mirror is available at 194.71.11.20 + (ftp.sunet.se) in + /pub/Linux/distributions/suse/suse/ppc/current/ . An + American mirror is availble at + 140.221.9.138 (mirror.mcs.anl.gov) + in /pub/ftp.suse.com/ppc/current/ . There is a list of other mirrors here + + + + + The download progress bar is broken on slow links, so + we don't care about it unless we're connected to a fat + pipe. Have patience. + + + + + When the installation is finished, we may get a blank + screen with nothing but a blinking cursor. Ensure that the + installation is done (check for availble shells or status + screens at VT2, 3 and 4. by pressing Alt+F2,F3,F4,F1, + there should be none). Reinsert the boot + floppy and power-cycle the box. + + + + No bootloader will be installed, as there are no + availble bootloader for the PReP PPC platform (except + the one that's piggybacked onto the kernel). After the + installation is done, you will therefore have to boot + again from a floppy. See the next chapter for details. + + + + + + + + + + + The Yellow Dog installer + yellow dog installer + + + Just before the installer starts, I have added a small + pre-installation routine. Please follow the on-screen + instrucions. For someone who has done some sysadmin earlier, + the steps should be quite easy. For the beginner, it should + not be to difficult. Hop to a virtual terminal by hitting + Alt+F2. Type + +cfdisk /dev/sda + + to partition your first scsi harddisk. Change to sdb for your + second, and so on. If you think this is a little difficult, + I've written a small appendix on this . When done partitioning, run + for example + +mke2fs /dev/sda3 + + to make an ext2 filesystem on your third partition on your + first hard disk. When you are finished, hop back to the main + screen by hitting Alt+F1, and press enter to continue + + + + You should walk through the installer as you would walk + through any Yellow Dog installation (though only text-based + interface is availble). I have not found any comprehensive + online installation manual, but there is + some info here. If you have bought a boxed set, you should + open the box and Read The Fine Manual if you have questions not + answered here. + + + + There are a few things to look out + for, though: + + + + At the "Installing Profile Selection" screen (one of the first + screens), choose "Custom". + + + + + + At the "Installation Setup" screen, only "Local CD/DVD" is + availble, so we'll have to choose ... well, you guessed it. + + + + + + At the "Partition Disks" screen, we "Edit" each disk, but just + choose "Save" in the subscreens. "Add" and "Delete" won't + work. And besides, we already have done this, haven't we? + + + + + + At the "Package Selection" screen, choose "Base Install", + unless you have a full CD set. The downloadable CD image + has only the base install packages. + + + + + + At the "Sound Setup" screen, we'll get an error message + saying we are not one of those lucky bastards owning a Power + Macintosh computer. As this is something we should be + ashamed of. Ignore, sniff, and select "Ok". We'll fix + sound later. + + + + + + At the "PReP Bootloader Installation" screen, the + installer yells that it can't find a PReP partition. A + little strange, as we just made one. (We did, remember + to do that, didn't we?). This installer just can't get + it, so continue to ignore it. Select "Ok". + + + + + + The "X11 Configuration" screen just flips by, so I + guess that part was painless. Yeah, right. + + + + + + No bootloader will be installed, as there are no + availble bootloader for the PReP PPC platform (except + the one that's piggybacked onto the kernel). After the + installation is done, you will therefore have to boot + again from a floppy. See the next chapter for details. + + + + + + + + + + + The Mandrake installer + mandrake installer + + + For the Mandrake installer, there are a few quite extensive + prerequisites necessary. For a CD install, we need to replace + the installer program on the first CD before burning out the CD + ISO image. For a network install, we need a complete local ftp + or http mirror, made from the Mandrake Bamboo ppc ftp + directory, or the three CDs. Actually, we only need to replace + one single file, but because the installer is unable to + change package source during the installation (this is one + reason why Debian is a wonderful distribution), we need + local copies of all the files. + + + + If we don't like to hazzle around and tune things, we'll stick + to the CD installation. It's the easiest. + + + + CD installation + + Mandrake CD installation + + + First we have to download the three Mandrake ISO images from + your favourite mirror. There exist ppc ISO images at least + at a Sweedish mirror at + ftp://ftp.chello.se/pub/linux/Mandrake-iso/ppc/. + + + + Then we must change the first image by replacing the + installer inside it. This could be done on any operating + system able to mount a CD ISO image. The instructions below + are made for running on RedHat Linux. We presume the images are + all put in /var/tmp. + + + + First we mount the image by the loopback interface + +mount -o loop=/dev/loop0 /var/tmp/MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD1.ppc.iso /mnt/cdrom + + Then copy all files in the image to somewhere with plenty of + space, eg. /var/tmp, and unmount the image again: + +mkdir /var/tmp/bamboo1 +cp -va /mnt/cdrom/* /var/tmp/bamboo1 +umount /mnt/cdrom + + Now replace the installer image: + +cd /var/tmp/bamboo1/Mandrake/base +rm mdkinst_stage2.bz2 +wget http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/Mandrake/mdkinst_stage2.bz2 + + Finally rebuild the installer image and, if you want, remove + the local copy of the cd contents: + +cd /var/tmp +mkisofs -r -o MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD1.ppc.iso bamboo1/ +rm -rf bamboo1 + + There. You now have a set of three working ISO images for + the 7248. Burn them out on CDs. Then insert the boot floppy + into the 7248 and turn the computer on. Disk-Jockey the + ramdisk floppy when prompted. Just do a normal CD + installation. See the installer notes below for details. + + + + Network installation + + Mandrake network installation + + + First you need a local http or ftp mirror with a patched + installer. This means that you need access to another + computer able to run a web or ftp server. Any Linux + distribution can do. A modern Windows or UNIX server should + also be able to do the job. The trick is to download all + necessary files, and change the installer file + Mandrake/base/mdkinst_stage2.bz with a patched one. Below + the the steps to get this done with the Apache web server on + a RedHat Linux installtion, and with the CD iso image files, + is described. (A complete download of the ppc archive from a + Mandrake ftp mirror should work allright too, but I prefer + to have the iso images availble.) + + + + Unless already done, install and start the Apache web server + on the system. This is described in the RedHat + documentation. Then download the three Mandrake CD images + from your favourite mirror. There exist ppc iso images at + least at a Sweedish mirror at + ftp://ftp.chello.se/pub/linux/Mandrake-iso/ppc/. + + +cd /somwhere/with/plenty/space +wget ftp://your.favourite.mirror/path/to/MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD1.ppc.iso +wget ftp://your.favourite.mirror/path/to/MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD2.ppc.iso +wget ftp://your.favourite.mirror/path/to/MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD3.ppc.iso + + + Mount the images via the loopback interface: + + +mkdir /mnt/bamboo1 /mnt/bamboo2 /mnt/bamboo3 /var/www/html/bamboo +mount -o loop=/dev/loop1 MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD1.ppc.iso /mnt/bamboo1 +mount -o loop=/dev/loop2 MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD2.ppc.iso /mnt/bamboo2 +mount -o loop=/dev/loop3 MandrakeLinux-9.1-CD3.ppc.iso /mnt/bamboo3 +cd - + + + Copy the base files, and symlink the package + directories, to a directory availble for the web server: + + +for i in base mdkinst share; do +cp -va /mnt/bamboo1/Mandrake/$i /var/www/html/bamboo/Mandrake; done +ln -s /mnt/bamboo1/Mandrake/RPMS1 /var/www/html/bamboo/Mandrake +ln -s /mnt/bamboo2/Mandrake/RPMS2 /var/www/html/bamboo/Mandrake +ln -s /mnt/bamboo3/Mandrake/RPMS3 /var/www/html/bamboo/Mandrake + + + Finally add my patched version of the installer image. + + +cd /var/www/html/bamboo/Mandrake/base +mv mdkinst_stage2.bz2 mdkinst_stage2.orig.bz2 +wget http://users.linpro.no/ingvar/43p/images/Mandrake/mdkinst_stage2.bz2 +cd - + + + You should now have a working local http mirror of the + Mandrake installation files. Now boot with the boot floppy, + and insert the ramdisk floppy when prompted. From the + installation menus, select network install, select http and + then give the address of the server where you just downloaded the + files. The http directory from the example above is "/bamboo" + + + + + + + Installer notes + + Mandrake installer notes + + + You will get an error when probing for a network and scsi + drivers. The driver module files don't exist. We don't + worry, as all necessary drivers are compiled into the running + kernel. + + + + If all package files necessary are availble, the installer should + run without further errors. + + + + The installer won't recognize the sound card, so sound won't + work. Don't worry about this. We'll fix it in a jiffy. Same + goes for XFree86, so we won't automagically get a working + graphical user interface either. + + + + No bootloader will be installed, as there are no availble + bootloader for the PReP PPC platform (except the one that's + piggybacked onto the kernel). After the installation is + done, you will therefore have to boot again from a + floppy disk. See the next chapter for details. + + + + + + + + + + + + + Post installation configuration + + post installation configuration + + + + In this chapter we will boot our fresh installed system for the + first time, and learn how to finnish the post-installation + configuration of the various systems. + + + + The Boot Prompt + boot prompt + + + If everything worked, you should now be able to reboot you're + system, and start your freshly installed Linux system for the + first time. Reinsert the boot floppy disk in the floppy drive, + and switch the machine on again. If it won't boot, try to hit + F5 at the splash screen while the system check icons pop up in + the bottom of the screen. At the boot prompt, ("Linux/PPC + load:") you must add a boot parameter to make the system find + your root partition. (That's usually the main system + partition.) Press backspace to remove what's already there, and + add something like this: + +root=/dev/sda3 + + I use sda3 as sda3 is where I have installed my root partition, + that is, the partition mounted at "/". You might + have something different, and you should have written it down + when you partitioned you harddisk(s). Luckily we did this, of course. + + + + Note that we have to use this routine every time we boot + machine, until we make our own kernel that suits the + installation we just finished. This is described in + + + + The system should boot up and maybe even doing some post + configuration, see below. + + + + + + + Post installation configuration of Debian + + + The post installation configuration of Debian is described in + detail in the document + ch-init-config-en.html at your favourite Debian + mirror. If you have cleared all previous stages, you get 400 + bonus points, and can skip directly to paragraph 8.3. + + + + By some strange reason, the Debian installer doesn't set up + the network according to the fixes in the installer. If you + want to use apt over a network connection, you should jump to + a virtual screen (Alt+F2), log in as root, and set up + networking. This is done by editing the file + /etc/networking/interfaces , but the syntax of that file is + way out of scope for this document. More information should be + found in the Debian documentationm. Use the command + +man interfaces + + to get the manual page. When you are done, run + +ifup eth0 + + to take the link up. Then jump back to the installer screen by + pressing Alt+F1. + + + + + + + Post configuration of SuSE + + The post installation configuration of SuSE should be quite + painless. Make up a root password and enter it twice. Done. + The rest should run automagically. Nice, eh? + + + + + + + Post configuration of Yellow Dog + + YellowDog Linux does not have any post installation issues at + all, except the expected kernel errors caused by lacking + module directories. What a cool operating system! Look in + for detailed instructions on how to + compile and install a working kernel. + + + + There is some info at this + url if we want to dig into more configuration. But we want + to read the following chapters first. + + + + + Before taking another step you should go to a silent chamber + and think: "I've got Yellow Dog 2.3. YES! But should I be + content with that, now when YellowDog 3.0 is out? Should I + really?" If the answer to that question is "No" then skip to + . If you pass over the start field in + the movement, you'll receive $2000 and a hotel. + + + + + + Post configuration of Mandrake + + + Not much to mention here. The system should work more or less + out of the box. Wow! You will probably get some errors on + lacking kernel files. You will learn how to compile and + install a complete kernel in . You may + want to (re)configure your network. There does exist a tool + called "drakconnect" that should be able to do this, but I + never got it to behave. Configuring the local network is easy + though. Just fire up your favourite editor (at least vi is + installed) and edit the files mentioned below. This example + describes a static ip configuration. Generally, this is the + "RedHat" way to do things, so examples and documentation + should be easy to find. + + + /etc/sysconfig/network + + NETWORKING=YES + HOSTNAME=barky + GATEWAY=192.168.0.1 + + /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 + + DEVICE=eth0 + BOOTPROTO=static + BROADCAST=192.168.0.255 + IPADDR=192.168.0.5 + NETMASK=255.255.255.0 + ONBOOT=YES + + /etc/resolv.conf + + nameserver 192.168.0.2 + + For a DHCP configuration, change BOOTPROTO to "dhcp", and skip + the BROADCAST, IPADDR, NETMASK, GATEWAY and nameserver + options. + + + + I'm no Mandrake Guru. I actually never use Mandrake, and fixed + the installer just for the exercise. By some reason, eth0 + doesn't get active at boot time with the configuration above, + though it does after a 'ifdown eth0; ifup eth0', so I just + put that in my rc.local. Go figure. + + + + + + + Installation: Done! + + + After the post installation configuration, the system should + boot up to a ready state, and greet you with a login + prompt. Congratulations, you have installed GNU/Linux on your + 7248. You are dismissed to have a beer or a cup of tea. Or + even coffee. From here, you have to know how to use + linux. This is absolutely outside the scope of this document, + but if you are a complete newbie, you could for example check + out Introduction + to Linux - A Hands on Guide by Machtelt Garrels. + + + + + + + + + Odds and ends + + + odds and ends + + + + + Network hangs + + + The following only affects 2.2 kernels. + + + + Note that there is a bug somewhere that makes the netcard + freeze the whole system when shutting down eth0. According to + Martin Espenschied, this is a known issue, and can be + fixed. When I know how, I'll put the information here. Till + then, remember to sync your system before + shutting down, and you should not miss any + information. Remember my disclaimer in though. + + + An ugly hack to resolve this might just be to + NOT to shut down eth0 at + shutdown/reboot. This can be done by editing the file + /etc/init.d/network (or similar), and in the stop) case, just + comment away the ifdown command, and add a phoney command, + like this: action "Shutting down interface $i" echo + does_nothing # ./ifdown $i boot Note that this is a + rather ugly hack, that won't actually + solve the problem, it just hides it. The network won't go + properly down until you reboot the machine. I really hope that + somebody have a better fix on this later. Thanks to Doc + Shipley for this tip. + + + + + + + + Compile a kernel + + + kernel + + + + In this chapter we will download the Linux kernel sources, add + a few patches, and compile and install our own custom kernel + on the harddisk. When we have successfully accomplished this + exciting event, we don't have to boot from the installation + boot floppy anymore. + + + + + Why update the kernel + + + The kernel we have used this far is a complete 2.4 (2.2 for + YellowDog) kernel that I have provided. This is a quite stable + and good kernel, but it's not sure that it's what you + want. You should make your own kernel so you know what patches + you need and what modules you can install when you really need + them. Here are links to all sources and patches, and a step by + step guide to compile your new kernel. + + + + As for the installation we just have done, you have to boot + from floppy. Would it not have been nice to be able to boot + directly off the hard disk - and by the way, what about sound + support? Let's set up this together as quickly as + possible. + + + + Before starting downloading files and compiling the kernel, check + that you have these packages installed: + +make +gcc +cpp +glibc-devel +ncurses-devel +kernel-headers + + (This list should probably be longer.) + + + Note that the names of + this packages may change slightly among the distributions. + + + + + + What files to download + + + kernel version kernel patches + + + + We'll use the latest 2.4 kernel sources with a few patches, + among those the IBM-E15 frame buffer patch from David Monro, which + gives us a working frame buffer console able to run XFree86. This + may sound complicated, but believe me, it's not. Follow the steps + below here, and we'll get you up in an hour or so. + + + + We're going to use the standard place for linux kernels, that + is /usr/src/ . When downloading the kernel source and patches, + place all files in /usr/src . + + + + First we must get the working 2.4 source. To get this, we'll + use the rsync tool, so check that you have it installed. Some + nice people have set up an rsync server of the BitKeeper + Linux/PPC development tree at source.mvista.com. Thanks so + very much to them, remember them in your heart and + prayers. + + + + Note: You may use the standard Linux kernel source from any + ftp.kernel.org mirror. A modern kernel like 2.4.21 should work + allright. I've found the devel tree more well functioning on + the 7248, so I stick with it. + + + + Warning: Don't do this over a low-end link, + like a modem. It'll take forever. So, let's rock and + roll. Issue these commands: + +cd /usr/src +mv linux linux.old +mkdir linux-2.4 +ln -s linux-2.4 linux +cd linux +rsync -avz --delete source.mvista.com::linuxppc_2_4_devel . +chown -R root.root . +chmod -R u+w . + + Note that you'll probably have to wait for some minutes to + rsync over all the sources. This is normal. + + + + Then, get David Monro's + IBM E15 frame buffer patch from Leigh Brown's site + page at + http://www.solinno.co.uk/7043-140/files/2.4.19-2/ + + + + + + Patching the source + + The next step is to patch the source files you just + downloaded. First add the IBM E15 patch: + +cd /usr/src/linux +patch -p1 < ../030-e15fb.diff + + If you have more patches, add them the same way. + Now the kernel source is ready for configuring. + + + + + + Configuring the kernel + + The details of configuring the kernel are way outside the + scope of this document. To get more help, try The Kernel + HOWTO. Here, we'll just cover the basics to get a + working kernel. Download + my kernel config file into the top directory of the + kernel tree , /usr/src/linux . + + + + In the top directory (/usr/src/linux) start the + configuration program by issuing the following commands: + +make ibmchrp_config +cp ingvar.config-2.4 .config +make menuconfig + + Inside the kernel configuration system, we check over the + different menus to get to know our possibilities. Don't be + afraid to change anything. We can copy the original back, and + load the configuration system again. There are a few things to + check out before we go on compiling and installing: + + + + Initial kernel command string + + + A thing you really should check, and possibly change, is the + Initial kernel command string, located + in the General setup submenu. This + string is a space-separated list of options which are sent + to the kernel at boot time. This is actually configuring the + bootloader, and the closest we come to LILO, Grub or Yaboot + on the 7248. Change the value of the root device to the + device where your root (/) filesystem is mounted. This is + done with root=device. An example could + be root=/dev/sda3. If unsure, log in on + another terminal and check with the mount + command. + + + + + Support for the integrated sound adapter + + + The 7248 is equipped with a built-in Crystal Audio cs4232 + sound adapter. There is support for this adapter in the + Linux kernel. When configuring the kernel, check that the + settings for sound are correct. They should look like this: + + Sound: Y + + OSS sound modules: Y + + Support for Crystal CS4232 based (PnP) cards: + M + + + And check N for everything else in the sound + section. + + + + + Support for framebuffer graphics + + Some minutes ago we patched in a driver for the IBM E15 + framebuffer driver. This is needed to run X (and to get a + nice, smiling Tux when booting). If you for some reason + don't want (or need) to run X, or you don't prefer a + framebuffer console (it scrolls slower than standard VGA), + remove support for the IBM E15 frame buffer in the + Console drivers submenu. + + + + + Support for other stuff + + Also check your own preferences on filesystems and other stuff + you might have special need for or interest in. The downloaded + config file should have sane values, though. + + + + + Save changes + + + When we have finished configuring, save our new configuration + for later use, (at the bottom in the main menu) and select + exit. Answer Yes to the question about + saving the changes. You are now ready to compile the kernel. + + + + + + + + + Compiling and installing the kernel + + To compile the kernel is quite straightforward. If you're not in + there already, enter the linux directory in the top level of the + kernel tree, and issue this command series: + +cd /usr/src/linux +make dep && make clean && make zImage && make modules && make modules_install + + + Now, go and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee or have a + beer or a bible study for some minutes. This can take some + time. If everything is alright, you'll finally have a kernel + to install when the text stops scrolling after maybe as much + as 20 minutes, depending on your kernel configuration. + + + + Now it's time to install your fresh-baked kernel. On most + Linux-based systems like, we keep kernels and their setupfiles + in the /boot directory. Check what version you run with a look + at the Makefile, and add proper version numbers in the + commands below: + + +head /usr/src/linux/Makefile +cp /usr/src/linux/arch/ppc/boot/images/zImage.prep /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21 +cp /usr/src/linux/System.map /boot/System.map-2.2.18 + + + Assuming that sda1 is your boot device with a PReP Boot + partition, and your kernel has version 2.4.21, install the new + kernel by issuing this command: + + +dd if=/boot/zimage-2.4.21 of=/dev/sda1 + + + We also want the System map link to point to our new + System.map. Issue these commands: + +mv /boot/System.map /boot/System.map.old +ln -s /boot/System.map-2.4.21 /boot/System.map + + + + + Configure modules + + Before rebooting we must send some parameters to configure the + sound modules. On YellowDog, SuSE and Mandrake, this is done + in /etc/modules.conf. In Debian, use + /etc/modutils/sound. Edit this file, and + add the following lines: + +alias sound cs4232 +pre-install sound /sbin/insmod sound dmabuf=1 +options cs4232 io=0x534 irq=5 dma=1 dma2=0 mpuio=0x330 mpuirq=5 + + On Debian, run /sbin/update-modules when + done. + + + + + + Pray and reboot + + There! We are ready to reboot. Light some candles (some people + prefers to sacrifice chickens or even goats), remove the boot + floppy, and issue the command: + +reboot + + If everything worked, the system will go down nicely, and + (assuming you compiled in support for the E15 frame buffer) + come up again with Tux, the Linux Penguin Mascot smiling to + you while booting. + + + + + + + + + Set up X + + In this chapter we will set up X, if it does not work + properly already. + + + + To set up X, check that you have installed the following packages: + + XFree86 + XFree86-100dpi-fonts and/or XFree86-75dpi-fonts + gdm, kdm or xdm + Maybe more packages here... + + + Note that these package names are for rpm-based systems. For + Debian, do an + + +apt-get install xserver-xfree86 xfonts-100dpi xfonts-base xbase-clients xdm + + to get the most important files. + + + Download my + XF86Config-4.3, and copy it to /etc/X11/XF86Config. You + can now start X with the command startx. On Debian you may + start a graphical login screen with + +/etc/init.d/xdm start + + On YellowDog, SuSE and Mandrake, just hop to runlevel 5, and + it will start a display manager for you. + +/sbin/init 5 + + + + + + + + Resources + + resources + + + In this chapter there is a list of resources which include + enough reading to make us experts in the field in + record-time. + + + + + Other resources on Linux/PPC and 43P boxes + + + + penguinppc.org + our home for Linux on the PowerPC. + + + + Linux/PPC PReP page + + + + Linux/PPC CHRP page + + + + Kernel patches, + utilities and hints for IBM PPC workstations with Carolina + motherboard (like the 7248) by David Monro. (Including frame + buffer support to actually get X up and working!) + + + + + Linux on the RS/6000 7043-140 another old but + still popular IBM PReP Workstation. Page by Leigh Brown. + This page also has E15 frame buffer patches for Linux-2.4. + + + + + Hollis Blanchard's page for installing Linux on the + PowerSeries 850. Add this to David's and my pages, and you + should be able to get LinuxPPC-2000 Q4 up on the 850 too :-) + + + + The linuxppc mailing + lists. Especially interesting is of course the workstation list. + + + + PowerPC Linux + project pages at sourceforge.net + + + + + IBM's Linux on PPC project pages + + + + + More info about Linux on PReP machines + by Kazunori Aoshima + + + + + IBM Sales Manual for the 7248-133 (Detailed description) + + + + + PReP specification documents from IBM + + + + + CHRP specification documents from IBM + + + + + Cross Development for Linux/PPC from i386 by Matt Porter + + + + + + + + + Installing other operating systems on the 7248 + + + Of course, AIX should work like a dream... + + Rumors have been spread that once up in a + time, even Window NT and Sun Solaris could run on this + machine. Oh, well. Don't. + + + NetBSD does of course + work on PReP PowerPCs. It probably also works on your + Remington typewriter from the early 50s. There is a + a + special page for our PReP architecture where the 7248 is + mentioned explicit. + + + + + + + + + + Todo + + todo + + + There are some things that might be added to this document. If you have + comments, things to add or want to help, please send an e-mail to + ingvar@linpro.no + + + + + + Get rid of that annoying freeze at eth0 shutdown in 2.2 kernels. + If you know something about this, please let me know. Another + solution is of course to stop using 2.2. + + + + Dual Boot with AIX. We need some kind of a bootloader. Does + such a thing exist? Rumors says that Leigh Brown has something + in the brewing. + + + + Get midi to work. Is this possible? + + + + + + + + + + + Frequently Asked Questions + + + Frequently Asked Questions + FAQ + + + + In this final chapter I've included som frequently asked + questions. This list should probably be much longer. Please let + me know if you have something to add. + + + + + XF68 or XF86 + + What is right, XF68 or XF86? + + + I have got a lot of questions conserning the name of the + X-server in the installation program mentioned in older + versions of this document. I have called it "XF68_FBDev". On + some CDs the server has got another name, "XF86_FBDev". The + reason for this naming convention and confusion is purely + historical. The Linux Frame Buffer Device was first developped + on m68k Macintoshes, and the XFree86 server for the device was + hence called XF68_FBDev. Later on the Frame Buffer Device was + ported to other platforms like the x86 clones and + PowerPC. What is the right name? The question is left as an + exercise for the reader. + + + + + There is "snow" on my X desktop + How can I configure X so it removes the "snow" on my desktop? + + + The easy answer is: You can't. The kernel frame buffer device + made by David Monro is still in an early stage, though working + very well. Distortions in the picture when moving the mouse + or scrolling a window are perfectly normal at eg + 1024x768@60Hz. If you are a hacker, please fix it and post a + patch to David or Leigh. We would all love it very much. note that + lower resolutions like 800x600 og even 640x480 works great. + And no, there are only 8bit colors availble. + + + + + + I can't get my hardware to work + How can I get my new ultra whizbang XYZ card to work? + + + + The 7248 is a PC-like box with ISA and PCI interfaces, so one + should think that using "normal" PC hardware made for the x86 + platform should work flawlessly. Sadly to say, it doesn't + always do. The drivers often have to be ported, and there are + not that many Carolina motherboard kernel hackers out + there. In addition, much hardware made for the x86 platforms + uses BIOS calls to work properly. As the 7248 and its + relatives does not have such a BIOS, it's extremely difficult + to get this hardware to run under Linux. + + + + That said, there are working hardware for this box that runs + with Linux. For questions about this, please contact the + Workstation list, see . + + + + Update: With the latest versions of the Linux 2.4 bk + development tree (NOT the official Linux 2.4 sources), many of + the problems stated above are fixed, and much more hardware is + supported. For example did I put a standard eepro100 card in + my box, and it worked flawlessly. This means you can use the + 7248 for example as a packet-filtering firewall. I've also + heard rumours on plain standard ISA Soundblaster cards + working. Try and see if your card works. If it's interesting, + send me an email, and I'll put a note here. See for notes on building and installing a + 2.4 kernel. + + + + + + The PReP boot partition? + + PReP boot partition + + Where should I mount the PReP boot partition? + + + To be able to understand the answer for this question, it's + important that the reader understands how the 7248 boots into + Linux. This is a three step procedure. First, the Firmware + (which behaves in the same way as a PC BIOS) looks for + something to boot. Usually, it should check the floppy drive, + the CD drive, and then the first SCSI disk. On the SCSI disk + it will look for a special partition called a PReP boot + partition. On this partition, it will read the first program + it can find there. If this is a Linux kernel bootloader, it + will read and run this, and then the bootloader boots + Linux. From here, Linux is in charge. + + + + Many have asked where they should mount the PReP boot + partition (the type 41 partition). This is a common + misunderstanding. The PReP boot partition, usually located on + /dev/sda1, should NOT be mounted anywhere. The files on this + partition, usually only a single Linux kernel with a static + linked kernel bootloader, are only used by the firmware when + booting. The operating system does not use these files after + the kernel has booted, so there is no need for mounting that + partition. + + + + Some people mix the meaning of the /boot directory and the PReP + boot partition. Both use to contain kernels, but their use are + different. /boot is used for storing kernels for later use, + and for bookholding system info. The /boot directory is NOT + read by the Firmware at boot time, so changing the contents of + this directory does not change the way the Firmware loads + Linux. + + + + To be able to load a new kernel, you have to replace the + existing kernel on the PReP partition. This is done with the + dd command, see for details. + + + + + + RAM + + It won't boot at all. Could it be bad RAM? + + The machine won't boot at all. I suspect the RAM could be the + problem. What kind of RAM should I use for this box? + + + + The 7248 and it's cousines with Carolina motherboard do use + special RAM, more specifically, they use only parity RAM. The + spesifications are as follows: 72-pin SIMM, 5 Volt, Fast Page + Memory with Parity, 70 ns. David Monro states that is is + possible to make Carolinas work with other types of RAM if you + remove the cache. Look at for + details. + + + + + + parity + + Kernel boots, but stops at "Parity checking" + + And now I thought it would work, but it stops at "Parity + checking". I can't get a step further. Can you help me, + please? Has this something to do with bad RAM chips? Or is it + something wrong with my scsi devices? + + + + You use a 2.2 kernel, don't you? + + + + This message comes from the SCSI subsystem, so it has nothing + to do with your RAM. Sometimes, by uknown reason, the Linux + NCR driver in the 2.2-series caused the scsi controller to + hang in some uninterruptible state, which endured, even + bypassing reboot. The solution then was to boot AIX or even + Windows NT for PPC (yes, such a beast exists, but you really + don't want it), which resat the controller in proper + condition. Alternatively, switch off the machine, pull out the + battery inside, let it stay out for a couple of weeks or so, + and fit things back together. The 2.4 driver fixed this + problem. + + + + Boot a 2.4 kernel, and you should be allright. + + + + This could of course also be a real SCSI parity problem. If a + 2.4 kernel doesn't help, check your SCSI devices for wireing + and termination problems. + + + + + + + + + + + Appendix: Updating from YellowDog 2.3 (Dayton) to 3.0 (Sirius) + + + Sirius + dist-upgrade + YellowDog 3.0 + + + + Here's how to update Yellow Dog Linux from 2.3 (Dayton) to 3.0 + (Sirius). This assumes being done just after finishing the base + install (ie: very few packages installed) + + + + If we are running X (the following is based on the "base" install, so + we probably aren't), switch to text mode (/sbin/init 3). We assume + we have some network access, the fatter the better. We are going to + download some packages manually, so check that you're able to do + that. Some console-based download tool like ncftp (ftp) or lynx (http) + might come handy. + + + + Note for the following: If you get errors from rpm that are not noted + here, you can always do an + +rm -f /var/lib/rpm/__* ; rpm --rebuilddb + + This repairs the rpm database in most cases. + + + + First, ensure that we are running latest versions of all + software. This may not be necessary, but whatever. + + +apt-get update; apt-get dist-upgrade + + + Now we change /etc/apt/sources.list to include repositories for 3.0 + Note that there are only three repositories for 3.0: base, main, + update. Fire up your favourite editor (at least vi should be + installed) and update the file. A working sources.list may look like + like this: + + +rpm ftp://ftp.uninett.no/linux/yellowdog/apt 3.0 base main update +rpm-src ftp://ftp.uninett.no/linux/yellowdog/apt 3.0 base main update + + + Now let's update the package list and check how far-fetched a + complete dist-upgrade is: + + +apt-get update +apt-get -s dist-upgrade + + + Woha! Lots of errors there. Let's resolve the worst of them. Start + with removing lots of packages. Note that after this, we can't read + man pages. + + +rpm -e kudzu kernel-pcmcia-cs rpm-python yup yi pspell aspell groff man + + + What's status now? + + +apt-get -s dist-upgrade again + + + Still errors, and quite unresolvable. We have to take some more + low-level action. The really pain is to get a new version of rpm + installed, so let's start with that. Manually download the following + packages: + + + glibc-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm + glibc-common-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm + libelf-0.8.2-2.ppc.rpm + popt-1.7-9d.ppc.rpm + rpm-4.1-9d.ppc.rpm + librpm404-4.0.4-8x.27.ppc.rpm + apt-0.5.5cnc4.1-1b.ppc.rpm + libgcc-3.2.2-2a.ppc.rpm + libstdc++-3.2.2-2a.ppc.rpm + expat-1.95.4-1.ppc.rpm + fontconfig-2.1-3.ppc.rpm + freetype-2.1.3-4.ppc.rpm + XFree86-libs-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm + XFree86-libs-data-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm + XFree86-Mesa-libGL-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm + + + We don't have use for apt for a while, so let's just remove it: + + +rpm -e apt + + + So far, so good. Now, let's upgrade glibc and rpm. This is the most + critical part. If we succeed in this, the rest is simple. If we get + this wrong, a reinstall may be the only solution. rpm has some + dependencies, so we have to include them now. + + +rpm -Uvh glibc-common-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm \ + glibc-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm \ + libelf-0.8.2-2.ppc.rpm \ + popt-1.7-9d.ppc.rpm \ + rpm-4.1-9d.ppc.rpm \ + librpm404-4.0.4-8x.27.ppc.rpm + + + If your setup is like mine, we're stuck with the following + unresolvable error: + + +rpmlib(PartialHardlinkSets) <= 4.0.4-1 is needed by glibc-common-2.3.1-51a + + + This seems to be a problem overseen by the packagers of YellowDog (and + to be honest, I think they inherited this error from RedHat), so we + just ignore it, use some force, and hope this won't bite us later. + + +rpm -Uvh --nodeps --force glibc-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm \ + glibc-common-2.3.1-51a.ppc.rpm \ + libelf-0.8.2-2.ppc.rpm \ + popt-1.7-9d.ppc.rpm \ + rpm-4.1-9d.ppc.rpm \ + librpm404-4.0.4-8x.27.ppc.rpm + + + Uh-oh. Ugly errors from rpm. Let's check if the rpm database still works. + + +rpm -qa + + + Well, looks like we've really done it. Now what? Sorry to say, but + I've tricked you into ruining your computer installation. Get out + and get a life instead of looking on these old dust-collectors. Just + kidding. Luckily, rpm is able to rebuild it's databases, so we just + remove the old one and build a new. + + +rm -f /var/lib/rpm/__* +rpm --rebuilddb + + + Now the database should work again, right? + + +rpm -qa + + + If this works, we collect 250 bonus points and two silver stars, and + can continue our quest for 3.0. Find the dagger and throw it at the + dragon. + + + + If we don't have any special parameters for nsswitch and + gconv-modules, we'll use the new ones (if existing): + + +mv -f /etc/nsswitch.conf.rpmnew /etc/nsswitch.conf +mv -f /usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules.rpmnew /usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules + + + Now let's reinstall apt. Is also have a lot of dependencies that have + to be fixed: + + +rpm -Uvh apt-0.5.5cnc4.1-1b.ppc.rpm \ + expat-1.95.4-1.ppc.rpm \ + freetype-2.1.3-4.ppc.rpm \ + fontconfig-2.1-3.ppc.rpm \ + libgcc-3.2.2-2a.ppc.rpm \ + libstdc++-3.2.2-2a.ppc.rpm \ + XFree86-libs-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm \ + XFree86-libs-data-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm \ + XFree86-Mesa-libGL-4.3.0-2.1c.ppc.rpm \ + + + I've sometimes got rpm to hang at this place. It's a known bug in + rpm and can hit you anytime. If you experience this, get another + terminal (Alt+F2 if you're on the main console) , kill rpm, and + remove and rebuild the database. Then do the wanted rpm command + again. + + +killall -9 rpm +rm -f /var/lib/rpm/__* +rpm --rebuilddb + + + Now; the installation of apt may have changed our sources.list, so + check it out, and copy back the original if you want to. + + +mv /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.3.0.orig +mv -f /etc/apt/sources.list.rpmsave /etc/apt/sources.list + + + We should now probably resync the local apt database and check the + status + + +apt-get update && apt-get -s dist-upgrade + + + Still some unresolved dependencies, but we're getting there. With + apt installed, the rest is like chewing boiled fish. Nothing to care + about. Ouch! a bone. + + +apt-get install pam + + + Drags in the following packages: + chkconfig cyrus-sasl cyrus-sasl-gssapi cyrus-sasl-md5 cyrus-sasl-plain db4 + hesiod openldap openssh openssh-clients openssh-server openssl perl + perl-Filter python sendmail + + + + Unless you have done some special pam configuration, use the new values for + system authetication. Then go on updating. + + +mv -f /etc/pam.d/system-auth.rpmnew /etc/pam.d/system-auth + +apt-get install passwd + + + Drags in the following packages: + glib2 libuser + + +apt-get install kbd + + + Drags in the following packages: + initscripts util-linux + + +apt-get install compat-db compat-pwdb + + + Drags in the following packages: + compat-libstdc++ + + +apt-get -s dist-upgrade + + + If no errors, we're with all the difficult parts. Good! Now the + final hurdle: A full dist-upgrade. Do an + + +apt-get -y dist-upgrade + + + and enjoy getting to the end of this quest. You get all the + points. Just kiss the frog and you'll get the princess too. You may + want to reboot, just to check that everything comes up like you + wish. + + + + You may want to reinstall some packages again. For example "man" may + become handy. + + +apt-get install kudzu rpm-python pspell aspell groff man + + + That's all there is to it. It wasn't that difficult, was it? + + + + + + + + Appendix: Using cfdisk to partition your harddisk + + + partitioningcfdisk + + + + + Hard disk names + + + SCSI harddisks are named with sdx, where x is a hardisk + letter. The disk with the lowest SCSI ID on the first + controller will become sda, the next lower sdb, an so on. + + + + If you have IDE harddisks, they are called hda, hdb, hdc, and + so on instead, where hda is the master disk on the first + controller, hdb is the slave disk on the first controller, hdc + is the master disk on the second controller, and so on. + + + + + + Harddisk partitions + + + GNU/Linux systems often uses a partition scheme inherited from + MS-DOS. With this, a harddisk can have up to four primary + partitions. If you want more, you have to make one of these an + extended partition where you can make several logical + partitions. The partitions are named with the disk they belong + to, and a number. The first primary partition on the first + SCSI disk is therefore sda1, the second primary partition is + sda2, and so on. The first and second logical partition on an + extended partition on the first SCSI disk is sda5 and sda6, + and so on. If this makes absolutely no sense to you at all, + try to read . + + + + + Starting cfdisk + + you start cfdisk from the command line with the command + + cfdisk /dev/sdx + + where x is the SCSI hardisk letter, like a, b, c, d, etc. So if I + want to partition the first harddisk on the SCSI controller, I'll + enter the command + + cfdisk /dev/sda + + + + + + + Using cfdisk + + + The user interface + + After you have started cfdisk you'll get an interface where + the current partition table is listed with the names and + some data about each partition, and some command buttons on + the bottom of the screen. To change between partitions, use + the up and down arrow keys. To change between commands, use + the left and right arrow keys. + + + + + Deleting a partition + + To delete an existing partition, highlight it with the up and down + keys, select the Delete command with the left and right arrow + keys, and press Enter. + + + + + Making a new partition + + To make a new partition, select the New + command with the left and right arrow keys, and press + enter. You'll get the choice between a primary and a logical + partition. If you want a logical partition, the program will + automatically make an extended partition for you. Then you + must choose the size of the partition (in MB). If you can't + enter a value in MB, return to the main screen with the Esc + key, and select MB with the Units + command. + + + + + Set the type of a partition + + To set the type of a partition, for bootable PReP, Linux + swap or Linux ext2, highlight the actual partition, and + select the Type command. You'll get a + list over different types. Press space, and you'll get even + more. Find what type you need, and enter the number at the + prompt. + + + + + Make a partition bootable + + To be able to boot from a primary partition, you need to + make it bootable. Highlight the actual partition and select + the Bootable command. + + + + + Write the result to disk and quit + + When you are content with the layout of the disk, select the + Write command. The partition table will + be written to disk. Remember that this will + destroy all data on partitions you have deleted + or changed. You should therefore be very sure that you want + to do this before actually press the Return key. + + + + To exit the program, select the Quit command. + + + + + + + + + Appendix: More on partitioning + + After several questions on what partitioning + really is, I'll just quote an answer I gave in + a mail once. + + + + Okay, here goes: + + + + In an operating system you need several different filesystems + for several different applications. For example, you need a + swap filesystem because your main memory can't hold all + information the operating system needs, so some of it has to be + temporary written to disk. You may also need some special + filesystem from which the machine reads the operating system + when you switch it on. Finally, you need of course one or more + filesystems to store the operating system program files and your + user files. It may be a good idea to put these in different + places (ie. on different filesystems) in case you have to + reinstall the operating system, but don't want to scratch all + your work. + + + + The best thing is maybe to have all these filesystems on + different disks. But one has seldom more than one or two disks + in a computer. So what we do is to slice up the disk(s) in + several slices (partitions) and use the slices for several + filesystems. Then the operating system mounts the filesystems + together to one single file tree, so it is easy to access the + files. + + + + (Other operating systems, like MS-DOS and NT use + some other technology: They do not bind the slices + together to one file tree, but keeps them separate + as "stations". What is the best scheme? You figure!) + + + + Here a thought example with one 2GB disk on a 7248: + The mount point shows where in the file tree a + filesystem is mounted. + + + + + Partition Size Type Mountpoint Bootable + ---------------------------------------------------------------- + /dev/sda1 10MB 41 (PReP Boot) (Not mounted) yes + /dev/sda2 150MB 82 (Linux Swap) (Not mounted) - + /dev/sda3 1840MB 83 (Linux ext2) / (Root partition) - + + This would give a bootprompt command like this: + + root=/dev/sda3 + + + + + If you want, you could add own partitions for important + directories like /home, /boot, /var, /usr/local and + so on. Here is an other example with two disks, + actually my own configuration with two disks: + + Partition Size Type Mountpoint Bootable + ---------------------------------------------------------------- + /dev/sda1 20MB 43 (PReP Boot) (Not mounted) yes + /dev/sda2 133MB 82 (Linux Swap) (Not mounted) - + /dev/sda5 930MB 83 (Linux ext2) / (Root partition) - + /dev/sdb1 315MB 83 (Linux ext2) /home - + /dev/sdb2 770MB 83 (Linux ext2) /usr/local - + + This would give a bootprompt command like this: + + root=/dev/sda5 + + Before you ask: + + + + ext2 is Linux' standard filesystem + + + + GNU/Linux often uses the old partition scheme from MS-DOS. This means + that if there are more than 4 partitions on one disk, one uses + an extended partition (sda4) that may hold several logical + partitions (sda5, sda6, sda7, ...) + + + + Yes, my partition scheme is a bad one. My root partition was + filled up in a couple of weeks or so. Don't use it. It is an + example only. + + + + + + + Hope this clears up some things. + + + + + + + + Appendix: Make SMS and firmware floppies from Linux + + + This appendix will show how to make SMS and firmware floppies from + Linux or another UNIX-like operating system + + + + Why? + + + Some people, like myself, seldom have access to boxes running + AIX or MS-DOS, so I thought it could be handy to show how to + make these utility floppies from a system running Linux (or any + other UNIX like box). + + + + + + How? + + + To do this, you need the mtools package and the unzip program. + Any reasonable Linux distribution should include these tools. + I also use wget for downloading. + + + + You will have to download the last version of SMS and firmware + from IBM. If you want more information on the files, look + here. + + + + You also have to get a password to access the files. To obtain + this, you have to + agree to this EULA. + + + + The downloaded file is nothing but a ZIP-archive in + disguise. Download it to a suitable directory, and unzip ip like + this: + + +mkdir ibmdownload; cd ibmdownload +wget http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/server/mdownload2/7248100.exe +unzip 7248100.exe + + + You will have to enter the mentioned password when prompted. + + + + In the contents of the archive, there's among the files another + ZIP archive, containg the SMS software. Put the contents of this + into a subdirectory like this: + + +mkdir sms; cd sms +unzip ../sms107.exe + + + Now label a floppy disk "SMS", and put it into your floppy + drive. Then format the floppy and copy the SMS files to it like + this: + + +mformat a: +mcopy *.* a: +cd .. + + + Remove the floppy, insert another labeled "Firmware", and continue + with the firmware files: + + +mformat a: +mcopy *.6xe a: +mcopy p93h4940.im* a: +cd .. + + + Woho! You're done. Now that wasn't difficult, was it? + + + + + + + +&aindex; + +
+