[archppc-user] Unable to properly install Arch PPC on eMac

[bkadoctaj]

Hi everyone,

I made a post in the Arch forums awhile ago and have since tried
reinstalling Arch on the same eMac (USB 2.0 with ATI graphics). The
post is here: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=96431. After
making it through the installation process (using the automatic
partition tool, installing the yaboot bootloader, etc.) and rebooting,
I am automatically taken to the second stage boot screen (I don't even
get to see the first stage boot screen) where I am told:

I used the Arch PPC Live CD to mount the partitions of my hard disk
(there are five - this is a single-boot system with only Arch on it -
well, ostensibly anyway...), particularly /dev/hda3, my root
partition, and /dev/hda5, my /home partition. Note that I had to
insert entries into the CD's /etc/fstab to do this. After mounting /
dev/hda3, I ran ls and all that was in there was /home and /lost
+found. Then, after mounting /dev/hda5, I ran ls again and all that
was there was /lost+found. So apparently Arch PPC did not install to
the hard drive whatsoever.

And what's worse is that when I turn on the eMac and I hold down O+F
to load OpenFirmware, my request is ignored and I am taken to the
yaboot second-stage screen. I tried P+R at boot to reset PRAM as
well, but as far as I can tell that request seemed to be ignored too.
I know I'm fairly new at all this, but I sincerely want to set Arch
PPC up on this computer as Arch is the best distribution I've worked
with yet. Please, could someone guide me in the right direction?

Thank you,
Jason

[bkadoctaj]

I forgot to post the result of trying to boot from the second stage
screen:
boot: Linux
Please wait, loading kernel...
hd:3,/vmlinux: No such file or directory

[JJDaNiMoTh]

On Tuesday 11 May 2010 19:49:56 bkadoctaj wrote:
> I forgot to post the result of trying to boot from the second stage
> screen:
> boot: Linux
> Please wait, loading kernel...
> hd:3,/vmlinux: No such file or directory

Booting a PPC machine was, is and will be a pain :)

Now, you could do this:
- Login with the ARCHPPC live CD
mount /dev/yourroot /mnt
mount --bind /dev/ /mnt/dev
mount -vt proc proc /mnt/proc
chroot /mnt

Now, if everything goes fine, you have your system.
If not, so is the installer which haven't do its job well, let us know (and
skip the rest).

From here, edit /etc/yaboot.conf properly (the comments here are very
helpful). For example, this is my:

boot=/dev/hda2
device=/pci@f4000000/ata-6@d/disk@0:
image=/boot/vmlinux26
label=Linux
root=/dev/hda6
initrd=/boot/kernel26.img
read-only
partition=6

I have my / under hda6, and my boot partition in hda2.
Note that partition system under PPC are much much complex than Intel's. For
example, this is my partition table (you can read it with mac-fdisk)

# type name length base (
size ) system
/dev/hda1 Apple_partition_map Apple 63 @ 1 (
31.5k) Partition map
/dev/hda2 Apple_Bootstrap bootstrap 1600 @ 64
(800.0k) NewWorld bootblock
/dev/hda3 Apple_UNIX_SVR2 swap 2357696 @ 1664 (
1.1G) Linux swap
/dev/hda4 Apple_Free 262144 @ 2359360
(128.0M) Free space
/dev/hda5 Apple_HFS Apple_HFS_Untitled_2 136891600 @ 2621504 (
65.3G) HFS
/dev/hda6 Apple_Bootstrap Linux 16788384 @ 139513104 (
8.0G) NewWorld bootblock

For sure, I need more space for Linux :)

[Jason Goldfine-Middleton]

Hmm, I tried those commands and all seemed to go successfully, but upon reboot I still got the same error message:

boot: Linux
Please wait, loading kernel...
hd:3,/vmlinux: No such file or directory

What in the world could be going wrong?  My yaboot.conf file appears fine...

[bkadoctaj]

Hmm, I tried those commands and all seemed to go successfully, but
upon reboot I still got the same error message:

boot: Linux
Please wait, loading kernel...
hd:3,/vmlinux: No such file or directory

What in the world could be going wrong? My yaboot.conf file appears
fine...

Btw thanks for the prompt assistance. I want Arch on this eMac so
badly... I've been working with it for a week and a half now, all with
poor results.

>  signature.asc
> < 1KViewDownload

[bkadoctaj]

Umm... whoa... so, I tried what you said once more and I made sure to
run ybin from inside the chroot-ed /mnt, which reinstalled yaboot
according to the specifications in my yaboot.conf file... and now I am
shown the first stage bootstrap screen but choosing "l" for Linux just
gives me a folder icon with alternating Macintosh face and question
mark... this is better than before but it's still not booting into
Arch...

[jjDaNiMoTh]

2010/5/12 bkadoctaj <jasonw...@gmail.com>:

> Umm... whoa... so, I tried what you said once more and I made sure to
> run ybin from inside the chroot-ed /mnt, which reinstalled yaboot
> according to the specifications in my yaboot.conf file... and now I am
> shown the first stage bootstrap screen but choosing "l" for Linux just
> gives me a folder icon with alternating Macintosh face and question
> mark... this is better than before but it's still not booting into
> Arch...

It is likely it doesn't recognize /dev/hda3.. At this point you could
try to use 2 instead of 3. Or do some other tries.. The system is
properly installed (because you see the content in your chrooted mnt),
it is only a bootloader problem.

And, of course, sorry for ybin: I completely forgot it, but needs to
be launched after every yaboot.conf configuration.

--
\ /
JJ. DaNiMoTh \ / /
\\\' , / //
Bedroom Coder & Hacker \\\//, _/ //,
jjdan...@gmail.com \_-//' / //<,
KeyId: 9B28A9D2 -- pgp.mit.edu \ /// > \\\`__/_
/,)-~>> _\` \\\
A dead pidgeon is better (/ \\ //\\
than one alive. // // \\\
(( ((

[bkadoctaj]

Wow... okay, so here's what I did. I mounted /dev/hda3 from the CD
again and also mounted /proc as JJDaNiMoTh specified. Next I did a
chroot into /mnt. Then I edited the "device=" line in /etc/
yaboot.conf and removed the long-winded OpenFirmware name and replaced
it with this: "device=hd:". Next, in order to ensure that I had
yaboot installed to the bootloader partition /dev/hda2, I ran mkofboot
-i hd:2 and mkofboot -b /dev/hda2 and similarly ybin -i hd:2 and ybin -
b /dev/hda2, saying "y" every time I was prompted. This may have been
redundant, but this is what I did to ensure it would work. Then I
exited chroot by typing "exit" at the prompt.

I rebooted and then was shown the first stage bootloader screen.
Having added the enableofboot (which enables an OpenFirmware boot from
first stage bootloader), I was able to type "o" at the prompt and get
the OpenFirmware prompt 1>. Now, this is where it gets interesting...

I was looking at this page from Debian, http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/powerpc/ch05s01.html.en
, and under section 5.1.2.2 there is some very useful information. At
the OpenFirmware prompt, to boot from the bootloader partition of the
hard disk, just type at 1> boot hd:x,yaboot where x is the partition
of the bootloader, in my case 2. When I typed this, I booted directly
into Arch!! Overjoyed but still not convinced that this was as
straightforward a booting process as was possible, I followed the
directions under the Booting section on this page: http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnPowerPC.

1> printenv boot-device
------------ Partition: common ---------- Signature: 0x70 ------------
boot-device ultra2:2,\\:tbxi hd:,\\:tbxi
1 > setenv boot-device hd:2,yaboot

Then I rebooted and guess what? Arch boots directly when the eMac is
turned on! I can hardly believe it...

Anyway, I've been working on this issue for a week and a half so
that's why I'm super excited. Thanks for your patience and insight.
I hope I can guide new users like you do. :)