Install Files Missing
Most of the install files for Debian PowerPC (PowerMac) listed on http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/inst/pmac are 404. These are: http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/resc1440.bin http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/drv14-1.bin http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/root1440.bin http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/common/base2_2.tgz http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/BootX_1.1.3.sit Have these moved or been updated? If so, could someone please tell me what the current links are? -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Partitioning--Advice?
I'm going to be installing Debian on a 1GB internal SCSI drive, and I'd like some advice on partitioning. I have a version of drive setup that can make A/UX partitions, or I can boot into the setup from BootX and use the partitioner there. I know I need a swap partition (~64MB, right, since I have 64MB of RAM?) and at least one "linux native" partition, but I understand it's better to have separate partitions for some, if not all, of the root directories (/home, /var, /etc, etc.), so I'd like advice on how much space to give each partition. Also, using the partition tool from the rescue disk, do I need to use the "C" command or the "c" command to make the partitions? If "C", what type do I specify? I tried "Linux_Swap", and the installer doesn't recognize it. I tried "Linux Swap" and got an error. BTW, I'm not going to be using this installation for anything fancy, like a big server or a firewall, it's just sort of for messing around and learning linux. Thanx! -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Install Probs--Can't Find Install Files From Installer
I've d/l'd base2_2.tgz and placed it in Macintosh HD:debian:dists:potato:main:disks-powerpc:current:, and I've d/l'd driver-1.bin, rescue.bin, and root.bin and placed them in Macintosh HD:debian:dists:potato:main:disks-powerpc:current:powermac:images-1.44:; Macintosh HD is dev/hda5. I'm installing Debian on dev/sda5. I've successfully partitioned the disk, initialized and mounted a swap partition, and initialized and mounted a root filesystem, but I'm stuck at installing the kernel and modules. When I select harddisk, it asks me to select a drive, and I select dev/hda5 HFS; it then asks me to find the Linux Archive directory, giving a default of /installmnt. I then either select "..." or hit OK, but when it asks me to find rescue.bin, it gives me a linux-like partition list to search through, despite the fact that all these files are on an HFS partition. I can't find any of them. What am I doing wrong? TIA! -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Re: YAIE: Debian on a PowerTower Pro
"C.M. Connelly" wrote: > Once you've chosen a partition to create (using the last > number listed, which is likely to be 4 on a Mac disk), pdisk > wants you to enter the starting block number, followed by > the number of blocks in the partition. An inexperienced > person isn't going to have any idea how big a ``block'' is, > or where a partition should start. In order to figure out > how to get a, say, 2 GB partition, you're going to need a > calculator or a scratch pad. Good luck if you're creating > lots of partitions. I've used partitioning tools for Linux > that are much more user-friendly. They allow you to specify > the size of partitions in ``real'' units (megabytes or > gigabytes), and can handle at least some of the details > related to start points. While I agree with most of your points, just for the record, this partitioner *does* allow you to enter partition sizes in K, M, or G. Just say 64M, 2GB, etc. Of course, the only reason I knew to try this is that the last *nix I tried installing was mklinux, and their version of pdisk has decent documentation. -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Another Poor Documentation Rant
I've gotten over hurdle mentioned in my last (almost ingnored) help request by copying the install data files to a ZIP disk. This, incidentally, is the kind of thing that needs to be on the powermac install page in big red text with a lot of tags: RESCUE DISK CANNOT READ HFS+! Also, is anyone planning on updating the file links anytime soon? Once I finally figured out how to point the installer to rescue.bin, it told me I was missing drivers.tgz. I'm currently downloading that file (from a link I had to ask someone for because all the posted ones were dead), but I'm probably going to have to come back for more. Is the lack of documentation a result of an expectation that everyone has LAN hookups and can d/l all the files directly from the installer? If so, wake up and smell the coffee. Even comp. eng. students like me use modems in the summer! Oh, and the install process needs better error recovery. Do you know how annoying it is to try several different directories ! and have to do the entire kernel install process everytime, picking the volume and everything? When it fails to find a file, it should display an error message and return to the exact same dialog it was at when you hit OK, *not* return the main install menu. One more thing, I get some error about cylinders or tracks when accessing my IDE ZIP too, sounds like what someone else described with a floppy. It continues fine, but you might want to pass that on to whoever wrote the zip drive for the installer. -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Re: Another Poor Documentation Rant
Daniel Jacobowitz wrote: > > OK, let's try this again. > > !!!RANTS DO NO GOOD!!! > > Patches are fine. Suggestions are welcome, although it's more than a > little bit late for them. Rants do no one any good, and get > short-tempered replies like this one is shaping up to be. The problem is that I'm not a hacker trying this linux distro because I've got a spare Mac lying around, I'm a mac user who's completely new to linux! I *can't* write patches, and I barely know enough to make suggestions! > The lack of documentation is a result of no one having time to write > any! > > There is no 'zip driver for the installer', it's using the kernel disk > driver. Check linuxppc-dev. > > And please get a mail client that wraps lines at some sane length? Oops, I'd turned that off for a posting to alt.ascii-art. Sorry! -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
"Kernel Panic: No init found" After Install
I've finished the basic install off the ramdisk, so I rebooted, turned off the ramdisk in the BootX dialog, and hit linux. Then I got "Kernerl Panic: no init found. Try passing init= to the kernel". What option do I need to use here? -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Kernel Panic: no init found
I've completed the basic installation from the rescue floppy ramdisk, but when I turn the ramdisk off and tell BootX to boot with /dev/sda5 (my Linux native partition) as root, I get the following error message: Kernel panic: no init found. Try passing init= option to kernel. Rebooting in 180 seconds.. What does this mean and what can I do about it? -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Re: Kernel Panic: no init found
Adam C Powell IV wrote: > > Aaron Davies wrote: > > > Adam C Powell IV wrote: > > > > > > When you boot, does the "Partition check" for that drive list your > > > partition? > > > Later, does it say something like "Mounting root partition read-only"? > > > Does it > > > add the swap partition successfully? > > > > OK, I don't know how to pause the boot process, so I can only give you > > the last screen before the crash. It looks at my IDE devices, the > > floppy, and the SCSI bus, then this follows: > > > > Partition check: > > sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 sda5 sda6 (root on 5) > > hda: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 > > VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly. > > Freeing unused kernel memory: 180k init 32k prep > > Kernel panic: no init found. Try passing init= option to kernel. > > Rebooting in 180 seconds.. > > Looks good to me. > > > I don't see anything about adding the swap partition. > > Okay, that must be done after init is started. (Silly me to think it came > before.) > > > > When you boot with the ramdisk, you should be able to mount your existing > > > Linux > > > partition(s). Then you can use alt-F2 to switch to a different console > > > and open > > > a shell (and switch back to the install console with alt-F1). "df" will > > > verify > > > that the partitions are where you say they are (your installed root > > > partition > > > should be mounted as /target/). > > > > This works fine, /dev/sda5 is /target. > > > > > Then do "ls target/sbin" and you should see init. It shouldn't be > > > necessary to > > > pass an "init=" parameter. > > > > This works too, /target/sbin/init is there. > > Hmm... AFAIK, the installed kernel is the same as the one on the rescue > floppy, so > if the rescue floppy sees /dev/sda5 then the installed kernel should too. > > The only other thing I can think of is a missing or incorrect /dev entry, but > this > should give an error earlier, while trying to mount root readonly. Just to > make > sure, it might be worth booting in the rescue floppy, mounting existing > partition(s), > and doing "ls -l /target/dev/sda5". Please report the result to the list, I > don't > know what the major/minor numbers should be (I'm away from my mac for a > couple of > weeks). OK, I get the following: brw-rw1 root 8, 5 Jul 20 01:06 /target/dev/sda5 > What model powermac is this again? Beige G3/300. -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
Re: Kernel Panic: no init found
Aaron Davies wrote: > > Adam C Powell IV wrote: > > > > Aaron Davies wrote: > > > > > Adam C Powell IV wrote: > > > > > > > > When you boot, does the "Partition check" for that drive list your > > > > partition? > > > > Later, does it say something like "Mounting root partition read-only"? > > > > Does it > > > > add the swap partition successfully? > > > > > > OK, I don't know how to pause the boot process, so I can only give you > > > the last screen before the crash. It looks at my IDE devices, the > > > floppy, and the SCSI bus, then this follows: > > > > > > Partition check: > > > sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 sda5 sda6 (root on 5) > > > hda: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 > > > VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly. > > > Freeing unused kernel memory: 180k init 32k prep > > > Kernel panic: no init found. Try passing init= option to kernel. > > > Rebooting in 180 seconds.. > > > > Looks good to me. > > > > > I don't see anything about adding the swap partition. > > > > Okay, that must be done after init is started. (Silly me to think it came > > before.) > > > > > > When you boot with the ramdisk, you should be able to mount your > > > > existing Linux > > > > partition(s). Then you can use alt-F2 to switch to a different console > > > > and open > > > > a shell (and switch back to the install console with alt-F1). "df" > > > > will verify > > > > that the partitions are where you say they are (your installed root > > > > partition > > > > should be mounted as /target/). > > > > > > This works fine, /dev/sda5 is /target. > > > > > > > Then do "ls target/sbin" and you should see init. It shouldn't be > > > > necessary to > > > > pass an "init=" parameter. > > > > > > This works too, /target/sbin/init is there. > > > > Hmm... AFAIK, the installed kernel is the same as the one on the rescue > > floppy, so > > if the rescue floppy sees /dev/sda5 then the installed kernel should too. > > > > The only other thing I can think of is a missing or incorrect /dev entry, > > but this > > should give an error earlier, while trying to mount root readonly. Just to > > make > > sure, it might be worth booting in the rescue floppy, mounting existing > > partition(s), > > and doing "ls -l /target/dev/sda5". Please report the result to the list, > > I don't > > know what the major/minor numbers should be (I'm away from my mac for a > > couple of > > weeks). > > OK, I get the following: > > brw-rw1 root 8, 5 Jul 20 01:06 /target/dev/sda5 > > > What model powermac is this again? > > Beige G3/300. Hello? Anybody else have any idea what's wrong? I'm still waiting here. -- ____ / ) / ) /--/ __. __ / / __. , __o _ _ / (_(_/|_/ (_(_) / / <_ /__/_(_/|_\/ <__
