Hello,
After going through the emails from the PPC list, I've put together a
collection of some of the most frequently asked questions with answers.
If anyone has suggestions, I'd be happy to add/remove/change anything.
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Mandrake Linux 8.0 PowerPC Beta
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What machines are supported?
2) What are the system requirements?
3) What documentation is available?
4) Where can I get the files?
5) How do I install the PPC version?
6) How do I create CDs from ISO images?
7) Does the Mac's hard drive need to be partitioned?
8) What's the recommended way to partition a hard drive for Mandrake Linux?
9) What's the difference between "NewWorld" and "OldWorld" Macs?
10) I have a NewWorld machine, but it won't boot from the CD.
11) What's the best way to perform the installation?
12) What if something goes wrong?
--
1) What machines are supported?
The targeted platform for Mandrake PPC are "NewWorld" Apple machines. Many
people have requested support for "OldWorld" Macs and IBM machines, so we are
adapting the installer to accommodate their needs. But without many of these
machines in-house to test, your feedback is needed.
2) What are the system requirements?
At least 96MB of RAM is recommended with 2GB of *free* (unallocated) disk
space.
3) What documentation is available?
Official documentation is located in the "/doc" directory of the first
CD-ROM. Some preliminary instructions for installing the PPC beta are
available online at http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/demos/PPC/Install/
4) Where can I get the files?
Pre-made ISO images can be downloaded from any of the mirrors listed at
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/ftp.php3#ppc.
(ISO images are files made specifically for burning to CD).
Or, all the individual files can be downloaded from those same mirrors, but
look for the "/cooker/ppc" directory.
5) How do I install the PPC version?
There are three recommended ways to install Linux-Mandrake PPC:
A) The easiest way is to download the two ISO images and use them to create
CDs.
B) Burn your own CDs after downloading all the individual files. Instructions
are located in the "/doc" directory.
C) Create a bootable CD from the pre-made ISO (PPC-install.iso) located in
the "/misc" directory, then perform a network installation.
6) How do I create CDs from ISO images?
The ISO images are already designed to be bootable, so all you need to know
is how your specific CD-burning application creates CDs from ISO images.
Adaptec's Easy CD Creator offers something like "Create CD from disk image";
Eroaster for Linux uses "ISO Image -> Select CD Image -> Burn CD; Jeff
submitted these instructions for Toast 4:
1. Download the image as a binary (not as text)
2. Open Toast 4 app.
3. Select "Disc Image" as the type of CD to burn. You can make this
selection from the Format menu, or in the Toast panel itself.
4. Click the "Data" button in the Toast panel.
5. Find the ISO image using the finder window that appears and "Open" it.
6. Click "Write CD". That's it.
7) Does the Mac's hard drive need to be partitioned?
If the Mac OS is using the entire hard drive and you want Linux to share that
same drive, the drive will need to be partitioned. There aren't any tools on
the Linux side that can be used to safely "shrink" a Mac partition to make
room for Linux -- they all require the hard drive be erased while creating
partitions to free up space.
8) What's the recommended way to partition a hard drive for Mandrake Linux?
The easiest way is to erase the drive using Apple's "Disk Setup" utility;
then make a HFS+ partition for your Mac stuff while leaving the rest of the
drive as blank/unformatted/extra space. An example can be seen here:
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/demos/PPC/Install/pages/
Then reinstall the MacOS, run the Mandrake installer, and let the installer
use the free space to create Linux partitions for you.
9) What's the difference between "NewWorld" and "OldWorld" Macs?
All Macs fall into one of two categories: NewWorld or OldWorld. NewWorld Macs
include G4s, iMacs, B&W G3s, Cubes, and late-model PowerBooks. OldWorld Macs
are any machines not listed above, including beige G3s, 8500s, etc.
Yaboot is the bootloader that must be used for NewWorld Macs; BootX is
required for OldWorld machines.
10) I have a NewWorld machine, but it won't boot from the CD.
NewWorld Macs can be forced to boot from the CD by using a command in Open
Firmware. To boot into Open Firmware: restart the Mac while holding down the
Cmd-Opt-O-F keys; then enter the command "boot cd:\\yaboot" (or cd:2,\\:tbxi
or cd:2,\\yaboot); then press return. This is what it looks like:
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/demos/PPC/Install/pages/install6.html
11) What's the best way to perform the installation?
Choose the "Recommended" installation option which will make most of the
decisions for you. Experienced users may want to use the "Expert" option as
it allows more customized answers.
12) What if something goes wrong?
This is a "beta" so bugs are present in the Installer and in the
applications. As a beta tester, please report your observations and any bugs
to the Mandrake Cooker PPC mailing list.
Subscribe to the list by sending an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the words "SUB cooker-ppc" in the body of your message. But before reporting
a problem, please make sure it hasn't already been reported by checking the
mailing list archive at
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=mandrake-cooker-ppc&r=1&w=2
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Bye,
Phil Lavigna
