I used to boot my Powerbook G4 just fine with USB CD drive. The only problem was to find a correct device path in the OF device tree.
Otherwise, you should be able to netboot easily -- the setup is quite well documented on the web. On 3/22/09, Ross Gohlke <develo...@grinz.com> wrote: > Greetings, > > I have tried and failed to install Debian on my powerbook. Please review > my procedure and suggest revisions. > > SPECIFICATIONS > powerbook6,8 - 1.5 GHz PowerPC 12" > Mac OS 10.4 > Dead SuperDrive > No USB Boot (Open Firmware doesn't recognize external disks) > Internal 150GB drive formatted with Disk Utility years ago into 2 drives > -- 1 UFS, 1 case-sensitive HFS+. Disk Utility also created an 8MB > Apple_Boot partition for each of these partitions, for a total of 4 > partitions. > Open Firmware only recognizes Apple_Boot partitions. Presumably it does > not see my HFS+ partition because it is case-sensitive. > I cannot rewrite the disk partition map because I cannot run off-disk (no > CD drive, no bootable external drive). > Debian distro: debian-500-powerpc-businesscard-1.iso, downloaded from > http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/ > > SITUATION > The downloaded yaboot assumes the rest of the files are on the same > partition. Open Firmware only sees Apple_Boot partitions, which are too > small to hold vmlinux AND initrd.gz. Modifying yaboot.conf/yaboot requires > ybin, which requires a running Debian, which I don't have. > Manually loading the kernel should work: > http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/inst/yaboot-howto/ch9.en.html#s9.3 I > should be able use root=/dev/hda5 (case-sensitive HFS+ partition). > > PROCEDURE > MAC OS X > Double-click Debian ISO to mount it. > In Terminal, mount first Apple_Boot partition and copy vmlinux to it: % > mkdir /Volumes/apple_boot > % mount -t hfs /dev/disk1s2 /Volumes/apple_boot > % cp -a /Volumes/Debian:PowerPC_lenny/install/powerpc/vmlinux > /Volumes/apple_boot/ > % cp -aR /Volumes/Debian:PowerPC_lenny/install / > Reboot into Open Firmware (cmd-opt-o-f) > 0 > boot hd:2,\vmlinux root=/dev/hda5 initrd=/install/powerpc/initrd.gz > initrdsize=10240 append="--" > > Loading ELF > > Claim failed. > > This happens whether I put initrd.gz on HFS+ or on 2nd Apple_Boot. > > I also looked into netbooting, but documentation is inconsistent and I > could not find netbootable binaries. > > QUESTIONS > Is /dev/hda5 right for root=? > Is HFS+ drive being case-sensitive the reason Open Firmware, vmlinux or > both cannot see it? > Even if I could boot the kernel, would the installer be able to use the > UFS partition? > Am I using the wrong distro? > > Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. > > Here's to dipping into Debian! > Ross > > > > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-powerpc-requ...@lists.debian.org > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact > listmas...@lists.debian.org > > -- Regards, Wartan. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-powerpc-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
