PPC: 7.0: Installing SuSE 7.0 on a "New" iBook

Support knowledgebase (leah_ppc_70_new_ibook)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Version PPC
This article refers to an older version of SuSE Linux. Therefore some of the informations given in this article may be outdated or the article may contain stale links.

SuSE Linux PowerPC: Version 7.0

Request:

You have an iBook, and are thoroughly dismayed to discover that it freezes when you try to install SuSE on it. This happens after booting off of the CD. You will see the 2.2.16 kernel begin to boot, and then it will freeze after the following line:

  CONSOLE: Colour dummy device 80x25

This generally happens on "new" iBooks such as the indigo, key-lime, and graphite models. These machines are not officially supported by SuSE 7.0 PPC, however it is possible to do an installation on them. A few things to keep in mind:

  1. The internal speakers do not work with this model.
  2. The installation process on these machines is not a "walk in the park", so don't be surprised when it it is a bit tricky.

Procedure:

Partition the iBook first, using Drive Setup, by booting from the MacOS installation CD. In most circumstances, you will be making 4 partitions. This type of setup will be described in this article, if you are doing something else, it is expected that you can make the necessary adjustments. Make one partition for MacOS (Good to have in case of emergency). This partition can be either HFS (MacOS Standard) or HFS+ (MacOS Extended). Make a 32MB partition in HFS (MacOS Standard) format for your linuxboot partition. Then, make a 128MB (or somewhere around 2x your memory) swap partition. It is a good idea to format this as A/UX Swap, so it is easy to remember that it is swap later. Last, make a big partition for your linux root partition. This can be designated "Linux Home" or "Linux Opt".

Purpose Size Recommendation Filesystem Type
MacOS Partition Any Size > 400MB HFS or HFS+
linuxboot Partition Approximately 32MB HFS ONLY! (aka: MacOS Standard)
Swap Partition Approximately 128MB (Can be more or less) A/UX Swap or Unallocated
Root Partition Any Size > 1 GB Linux Home, Linux Opt, or Unallocated

After you have finished partitioning the machine, name the 2 disks that show up on the desktop. The 32MB one should be named "linuxboot" (it can be named something else if you like, of course) and the other partition should be named something like "Macintosh HD". Because the machine is still running off of the MacOS CD at this point, it is a good time to install MacOS to the Macintosh HD disk. After the installation of MacOS, reboot and finish setup of MacOS.

The next step is to put the 1st SuSE 7.0 PPC CD in the drive. You will see a folder named suseboot on this CD. Drag the suseboot folder into the linuxboot disk on your desktop. Go into this folder, after it is copied, and open up the yaboot.conf file. It will look like this:


default = install
timeout = 50

image = vmlinux
     label = install
     append = "ramdisk_size=64000 load_ramdisk=1"
     initrd = ramdisk.image.gz
     root = /dev/fd0


# your own kernel on the linux side, could look like this
#image = ultra0:11,/boot/vmlinux
image = vmlinux
     label = linux
# add  ide0=noautotune  to the append line if your IDE drive doesn't 
# work
# for valid vmodes look at the manual page of nvvideo  `man nvvideo`
#    append = "video=aty128fb:vmode:13,cmode:16"
# you want to set the valid root device for your system
#     root = /dev/hda11

You only need to change the append line at the top. The necessary resulting file should look like this:


default = install
timeout = 50

image = vmlinux
     label = install
     append = "ramdisk_size=64000 load_ramdisk=1 video=aty128fb:vmode:10"
     # If you have problems with this try the above line with
     # video=ofonly, instead
     initrd = ramdisk.image.gz
     root = /dev/fd0

Basically, just the video=aty128fb:vmode:10 or video=ofonly parameter needs to be set.

After doing this, it is necessary to replace the default installation kernel with a newer one that works correctly with the new iBook. Go into the SuSE 7.0 PPC CD1/suse/images directory. You will see a file named vmlinux.benh.gz there. Drag this file to your desktop. (Humor me here.) Double click on the vmlinux.benh.gz file that is on your desktop. The program MacGzip will then be able to unzip this file so that you should have a vmlinux-benh file on your desktop. Rename the vmlinux-benh file to vmlinux. Then, drag the vmlinux on your desktop into the linuxboot/suseboot folder. It will ask if you want to overwrite the existing vmlinux file. This is what you want to do.

NOTE: If you have access to the Internet, it is best to grab the updated 2.2.18 kernel from SuSE's FTP server, rather than use the one on the installation CD. This can be obtained from the following site: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/kernel/2.2.18/vmlinux-2.2.18-0.gz. Follow the above directions to extract and copy this kernel into the linuxboot/suse/boot folder.

Next, go into the linuxboot/suseboot/tools folder. Double click on the mark yaboot bootable script. Mark Yaboot bootable, and change the startup disk on the Mac to linuxboot.

After this, you should be able to reboot the machine and start the installation. If the machine does not boot into the installation, try hitting enter. (You will not be able to see the initial yaboot screen when the machine boots.) If this does not work, reboot holding down the APPLE(open)+option+o+f keys. This will take you into the firmware. Issue the command mac-boot. This should result in a rather garbled screen. Simply hitting enter is the best idea at this point. This should bring you into the installation. If this method does not work, something has been done wrong, and you should start over, carefully following the steps discussed so far in this article.

NOTE: If you need the initial yaboot screen to not be garbled for some reason, instead of issuing the mac-boot command, issue the command cd boot. If you find, later on, that you always need to boot from the firmware this way, it is possible to set the machine to always boot from the firmware by issuing the following firmware command: setenv auto-boot? false. This will cause the machine to always boot into the firmware first. Please note that the "?" is necessary.

The installation process needs little explanation, there is nothing special you need to do here. Please remember to go into the "Custom Partitioning" section and make sure that both the swap partition and the root partition are formatted and have the correct mount points. (Swap for swap, and "/" for root.) NOTE: 1.) Sometimes you will run into problems if you switch out of the framebuffer to the console and try to switch back. 2.) Even though the installation will detect the sound card correctly, you will not hear any sound when you try to test it.

After the Installation

Do not reboot the machine yet, you still have work to do. First, the correct kernel needs to be installed on the system. Make sure the first CD is in the drive. Then, Log in as root, and issue the following commands in a terminal or at the console:

   mount /cdrom
   cd /cdrom/suse/images
   rpm -Uvh k_benh.rpm
   cp /boot/vmlinux /boot/vmlinux.2.2.16
   cp /boot/vmlinux-benh-.. /boot/vmlinux

NOTE: It is best, if possible, to gain access to the Internet, either by setting up networking, or the Internal modem (simply use YaST1 or 2 to set up the modem). Then, download the most up-to-date 2.2.18 kernel from SuSE's famous FTP server: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/kernel/2.2.18/k_pmac-2.2.18-0.ppc.rpm. To install this kernel:

   rpm -Uvh k_pmac-2.2.18-0.ppc.rpm

If you are planning on booting only linux, and not MacOS, you will need to download the most recent version of lilo, in order to set up the boot loader correctly. Thus, you should set up the network first. The network adaptor support for this machine is compiled into the kernel, so all you should need to do is set up the DHCP or IP information for it in YaST2, if you have not already done so. The modem should work as well, but this has not yet been tested. Once connected to the internet, download the new lilo.rpm package from:

ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/powerpc/lilo/lilo.rpm

From the directory you downloaded lilo to, issue the following command as root to install lilo:

   rpm -Uvh lilo.rpm

Regardless of whether you are downloading the new lilo or not, (It is recommended to do this regardless of situation, to get the most current stable version of Lilo.) you should follow the next steps to set up the bootloader:

For booting only Linux
Edit your /etc/lilo.conf file so that it looks something like this:


   boot=/dev/hda10 # Number of the linuxboot partition
   default=linux
   timeout=100
   activate

   bootfolder=suseboot

   image = /boot/vmlinux
      root = /dev/hda12 # Number of the root partition
      label = linux
      append = "video=aty128fb:vmode:10"

For dual-booting Linux and MacOS
Edit your /etc/lilo.conf file so that it looks something like this:


   boot=/dev/hda10 # Number of the linuxboot partition
   default=linux
   timeout=100
   activate

   bootfolder=suseboot

   image = /boot/vmlinux
      root = /dev/hda12 # Number of root partition
      label = linux
      append = "video=aty128fb:vmode:10"
   
   other = /dev/hda9 # Number of MacOS Partition
      label = macos

NOTE: If you are not sure on the partition numbers, you can check this in the pdisk program. This can be run by typing pdisk /dev/hda, then entering the letter "p" to print the partition table. To exit the program, type "q". When dual-booting, to boot into MacOS hold down the Option/Alt key while booting the machine. You will then be presented with a choice between MacOS and Linux.

After setting up the /etc/lilo.conf file, type lilo to run the lilo program. Now your system should be safe to reboot, if needed.

Configuring X11

Although this has not yet been officially tested, it has been reported that some people have been able to set up the accelerated graphics on the iBook with little problems, using SaX2. If this does not work, it is recommended to try the following: Please check this article in the future for other useful information about the new iBook, as more information will be added with additional testing.
See also:
o PPC: 7.0: lilo doesnt boot after installation
o PPC: Mouse button emulation
o PPC: Configuring the Apple airport card

Keywords: PPC, POWERPC, MAC, APPLE, IBOOK, BOOT, MACINTOSH

Categories: Power Macintosh

SDB-leah_ppc_70_new_ibook, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 05. Dez 2000
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 29. Mai 2001 by leah (sdb_gen 1.40.0)