Welcome to the World of Linux 2.4! In this directory, you can find Linux-2.4 kernels with support for NuBus Power Macintosh. Warning: Linux-2.4 is in general unstable, and it will take at least several months or more before it can be used reliably on production systems. There are currently two ways to boot Linux on NuBus machines. One is to use Linux/PPC's default booter on older PCI PowerMacs, BootX. Another is to use Apple MkLinux Booter, which may be more familier to some of you. Ideally, BootX will be the only recommended booter in the future since it is a GPL'd program, but, for now, using Apple MkLinux Booter may be the only choice in some configurations. o Files needed to boot Linux 2.4 Method 1 -- Using BootX 0. MkLinux etc. If you have MkLinux installed already, you can use your installation almost as is. You can also use ramdisk if you have one handy, or else, most distributions provide installer/rescue ramdisks of their own which you can try. In order to use ramdisk, you need to specify which one you'd like use via navigating through BootX's interface. See BootX's documentation for details. 1. Ludovic's version of BootX-1.2b1 BootX_1.2b1-ludo-2.sit.hqx contains both BootX App and BootX Extension. Last I checked either one can be used to boot Linux. See its README for the usage. (Note: BenH's version of BootX seems to be incompatible with NuBus Power Macs unfortunately. I would personally like to use miBoot which is a BootX variant, but it seems to die shortly before jumping into kernel code.) 2. Kernel Use MacGzip to decompress vmlinux.gz into vmlinux. Create "Linux Kernels" folder inside your System Folder, then put vmlinux in. Method 2 -- Using Apple MkLinux Booter 0. MkLinux etc. As is the case for using BootX, you can use your current installation of MkLinux if you have one installed already. Else, you can use any ramdisk, provided that you have a kernel with ramdisk image compiled in. 1. Apple MkLinux Booter Apple_MkLinux_Booter.sit.hqx contains three folders. The contents of each folder should go to their respective places inside System Folder. 2. Kernel Not_Mach_Kernel.gz is necessary. After decompressing it with MacGzip, rename it to "Mach Kernel" and place the file "Mach Kernel" into Extensions folder in your System Folder. o Note on BootX There is a problem with BootX in that it doesn't give correct memory information to kernel in some configurations. I have put a new command line option "nubus_simm=" to workaround this issue for now. The command line option can be specified in "More kernel arguments:" field of BootX as following: If bank1 and bank2 each have 8MB SIMM and Bank3 and Bank4 each have 16MB SIMM installed, and SIMMs at Bank2 and Bank3 are not recognized, try nubus_simm=b2:8m,b3:16m to let kernel know of the correct sizes. [Figuring out the correct bank information is tricky. There is a small utility called "mem_cmd_reporter" in the same ftp directory as other binaries reside. This is a fake Mach Kernel to help some people figure out the correct "nubus_simm" option, though it doesn't work if Apple booter booting has this problem. To use it, follow the instruction for booting method using Apple MkLinux Booter since it's just another fake Mach Kernel.] [If you have two 32MB SIMMs on 6100, I'm told "nubus_simm=b0:72m" works. YMMV] o Note on Apple MkLinux Booter When Apple MkLinux Booter is used, all Linux command line options need to be specified in lilo.conf file in Preferences folder in your System Folder. "rootdev=" specifies root device and the rest of options should follow "mach_options=". Here is a copy of my lilo.conf: rootdev=/dev/sda7 #mach_options= video=nbpmacfb video=ariel2fb:vmode:13,cmode:8 ["mach_options=" is commented out since I don't need it.] o Note on Using Various Installers Installers distributed on nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net site are all ramdisk based. So, when those are used, one needs to specify the root and options as such for proper booting. I.e., in lilo.conf: # use ramdisk as its root rootdev=/dev/ram # specify ramdisk size mach_options= ramdisk_size=8192 o Supported machines The development is done on Power Macintosh 7100/80 with 40MB, so the kernel works on this class of machine. There seems to be some troubles with G3/G4 upgrade cards. Other than that, all 6100/7100/8100 and compatibles should work in some degree. PowerBook 5300 support is there as well. o Supported devices Supported: 53c94 SCSI Host Adapter [SEAGATE ST52160N 2GB HD problem has been fixed!] Z85C30 Serial (DMA support is only for Rx side) Ariel II Video (Video chip on PDM's motherboard) MACE Ethernet Adapter AWACS Sound Controller Various video card (OFfb-like minimal support only) 5380 SCSI on PowerBook IDE on PowerBook Unsupported: SWIM III Floppy Drive Controller Bart 4 or 20 NuBus Controller PowerBook's media bay PCMCIA o (Personal) Plans I would really like to see it working on G3-equipped machines. However, I don't have one, and it's been very difficult adding support for the configurations without access to the G3/G4 cards. Well, I hope to start working on Performa next month (Feb. 2001), now that PowerBook is in somewhat of working order. o Credits Early testings/helpful advices: Kaoru Fukui Michael Blakeley Tom Vier Janne Lampila Hardware donations: Sriranga Veeraraghavan Joseph Garcia and Peter Liethen A lot of people have already contributed testing this port. Thank you! Takashi Oe toe@users.sourceforge.net Updated on February 2, 2001 First appeared on June 25, 2000