Semi-newbie problems with beige G3: XF4, Ethernet


Subject: Semi-newbie problems with beige G3: XF4, Ethernet
From: Nathan A. McQuillen (nm@steaky.dhs.org)
Date: Mon Oct 15 2001 - 18:39:21 MDT


Hey folks. I'm back to the list after a year or so of fairly happy, if
X-less, use of my beige G3-based CS 1.2 system (128MB/60GB), and I'm
hoping I can get a bit of help with some absolutely maddening problems:

1. I haven't been able to get XFree86 to run on this machine. Ever. I
finally managed to get the server itself to run (e.g., the server doesn't
give me a "crapping out" message), but I had to manually change the mouse
device to /dev/input/mice, I can't switch window managers away from
whatever the pretty much useless default is, I have to use xfbdev instead
of ati acceleration ('cause the atimisc module doesn't find any valid
screens...?) and I can't switch back to console without killing X.

This wouldn't even be a big deal (other than the absurdity of it all)
except that I /really/ need printtool and some other stuff to set up an
appletalk-ghostscript RIP for a Color Stylewriter 6500 and some other
printers, and AFAIK there's not much out there that'll save me much time
in doing this that isn't also X-based. <sigh...>

If anybody happens to have an XF 4.1 config file that will actually get
XF4 /running/ on a beige G3 -- ATI Mach 64 (Rage Pro) (rev 92), reported
as 6MB by the otherwise useless Xconfigurator -- PLEASE send it to me, and
I'd really appreciate some sort of help in general getting a useable
install out of this thing. I tried the installation on the YDL 2.0 CD but
that didn't work, so I decided to try the XF4.1 off the XFree86 website --
with only marginally better success. I never thought I'd miss my old 2MB
video card so much... :)

(BTW, I haven't performed a "clean" install of YDL. My initial system was
LinuxPPC Q4, I upgraded various packages along the way until I had close
to 100% YDL CS 1.2, and I've been installing 2.0 RPMS from the Pomona ISO
mounted as a loop device. I tried burning a disc today and booting from
the ramdisk, and other than the joy involved in resuscitating my machine
after the installer summarily killed my /etc/fstab and /etc/passwd, it
didn't do much for me.) AFAIK installing all the new RPMS and new kernel
/should/ be the same as a "clean" install but w/o the random
important-file-munching, shouldn't it?

2. I have a Farallon EtherExpress (?) 10/100 card which worked fine with
my old kernel (2.2.17pre<something>) but won't give me a link under the
2.2.19-1k kernel. The module the kernel selects seems to run, I can ifup
eth1, but the card never actually gives me a link -- like, dead lights on
card and hub. I can boot with the old kernel and it's fine again. Help!

3. I can't find any decent PPC Linux information online anymore, period.
The Faq-O-Matics are dead and many of the searchable lists have, i swear,
much poorer interfaces than they did a couple years ago when i did this
the first time -- anybody care to point me to some /working/ PPC Linux
resources? Can I /host/ some of them, when my machine is more functional?

Thanks for everything,

Nathan M.



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