Gentoo Archives: gentoo-ppc-user

From: Mark Knecht <markknecht@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-ppc-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-ppc-user] Re: New install - Unable to get my ppc Mac Mini to boot the root partition
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:49:05
Message-Id: AANLkTinrqvDLJSGmSjQmX=_Th7h371k=FQRhBuMbXp22@mail.gmail.com
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-ppc-user] Re: New install - Unable to get my ppc Mac Mini to boot the root partition by Enlightened User
1 On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 2:42 PM, Enlightened User <linux@×××××.com> wrote:
2 > http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/inst/yaboot-howto/ch9.en.html
3 > Sections 9.2 and 9.3 show how to boot to the yaboot 'boot:' prompt and start
4 > the kernel with parameters.
5 > Hope that helps you get started.
6 > If you do change the yaboot.conf file don't forget to run ybin to update the
7 > boot partition. I would suggest increasing delay and timeout values (section
8 > 6.6 of the previous web document) so the default image is not automatically
9 > loaded so quickly. You should then be able to enter something like:
10 > hd:4,/vmlinux root=/dev/sda4 ro
11 > at the boot: prompt.
12 > Another thought would be to remove SCSI support from your kernel build,
13 > unless you have a mac mini with an SCSI interface, you should not need SCSI
14 > support. That should not require any changes to the yaboot configuration you
15 > are currently using.
16 > Barry
17 >
18
19 Thanks for the info.
20
21 OK - as a test I'm going a very different direction. As there is a
22 prebuilt Ubuntu PowerPC version I've just written a CD and it boots
23 fine. I'm right now in the process of letting it blow away my
24 non-functional Gentoo install and install Ubuntu. If that boots then I
25 can see what they did and redo Gentoo later with that knowledge.
26
27 As for using Gentoo on this box I'm not sure it's really worth it any
28 more. My main machines now are all x86_64 - as is probably true for
29 most people - but fast ones - an i5-661, i7-920 and an i7-980x where I
30 run 5 copies of Windows 7 at the same time in different VMWare jails.
31 I found I wasn't updating this old Mac Mini because it was too slow
32 and took too much of what I call 'Gentoo effort'. If I can find a
33 prepackaged version of MythTV for this machine then likely I'd be
34 better off just to run Ubuntu. I don't really need performance for a
35 MythTV backend server.
36
37 Anyway, I'll report back more when I know more.
38
39 Thanks!
40
41 Cheers,
42 Mark

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