Re: ExpressPCIProUL3D SCSI & dual G4 install


Subject: Re: ExpressPCIProUL3D SCSI & dual G4 install
From: Hollis R Blanchard (hollis+@andrew.cmu.edu)
Date: Tue Nov 07 2000 - 18:21:34 MST


On Tue, 7 Nov 2000, Stephen R. Anderson wrote:

> I just got YDL CS 1.2.1 to install on my 500 MHz dual-G4 with SCSI
> disks and a cinema display. Unfortunately, I'm finding that this is
> nowhere near as simple as when I installed various forms of MkLinux
> and LinuxPPC on 604 and G3 hardware....
>
> First, the boot disk won't boot. After setting up the disk with HD
> Setup (2 5G HFS partitions, and the remaining 25G for linux), trying
> to start up with "c" just gets me to a black screen.

Sigh... that's too bad.

> I found that I could get further by booting into OF, and then doing
> boot cd:,\\:tbxi
> That gets me to the bootscript.

Ok... good to know.

> If I then just choose "install" at
> that point, I get the back screen again, but if I choose
> "install-novideo" I get (after a couple of messages about "wrong
> partition 1 signature") a penguin, and the kernel boots. It took me a
> few tries to get past the startup screen, but I finally found a
> combination of USB connections that would let me use the keyboard. A
> couple of screens later, though, it goes to set up the disk...and
> complains that I don't have any disks, and should set up a scsi
> controller. But of course it won't let me do that, since even in the
> menu, it claims it has already finished that step.

Yeah... that part is left over from the Red Hat installer (where you would
choose some SCSI modules to load according to the SCSI card you have). Of
course in PPC (distribution) kernels SCSI is almost always built in.

> OK, the problem seems to be that I have the newer ATTO card,
> ExpressPCIProUL3D, and that doesn't work (according to the list
> archive). So perhaps if I use a later kernel?

I don't think so... I haven't heard a thing about it. The last guy with
this problem offered to loan the card out to a kernel hacker to make
things happen, but no one ever took him up on it.

> I have the patched
> 2.2.18pre(something) kernel that Eric Lowe made available for dual-G4
> machines, but I can't figure out how to use it. The installer stuff is
> all on the CD, right, including vmlinux? I tried copying everything
> from the Install folder on the CD into my Mac system folder, and
> replacing the original vmlinux with this more recent one, but I can't
> figure out how to boot from that stuff via Open Firmware.

It is possible (try hd:,\\yaboot) but it can be a pain... and in this case
not worth it (at least not until that SCSI card is supported).

> And of course I also don't know if that kernel supports this card.

It won't I'm afraid...

-Hollis



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