Short howto to install Debian on a G4 400 from the internet without floppy. With much help from the pages from Adam Sjogren (http://www.koldfront.dk/staff/asjo/text/debian-ibook.html)
I'll tel how I did install Debian potato on a G4 400. 1. partition the harddisk. I made 4 partitions. 1 - 32 MB for bootstrap (apple disktool couldn't create smaller) (hd:9) 2 - 6 GB for MacOs (hd:10) 3 - 1.5 GB for Data (hd:11) 4 - 1.5 GB for Linux (hd:12) 2. Install the MacOs (9.0 in my case) 3. Get yaboot from http://ppclinux.apple.com/~benh/ Get vmlinux from http://ppclinux.apple.com/~benh/ 4. unstuff these files and put them in the root of the data disk 5. Get ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/base2_2.tgz and put it in a folder debian -> dists -> potato -> main -> disks-powerpc -> current Get ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/ramdisk.image.gz and put it in the root of the data disk. Get ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/powermac/images-1.44/rescue.bin , root.bin and driver-1.bin and put it in a folder debian -> dists -> potato -> main -> disks-powerpc -> current -> powermac -> images-1.44 Now you've got all the files in the right places. Probably there are other options, but these files in these locations worked for me. 6. make a new textfile in the root of gegevens called yaboot.conf: delay=20 image=hd:11,vmlinux-2.2.17pre13-ben1 # the vmlinux you've unstuffed label=vmlinux inird=hd:11,ramdisk.image.gz initrd-size=8192 novideo 7. make a new textfile in the root of gegevens called bootinfo.txt <CHRP-BOOT> <COMPATIBLE> iMac,1 PowerMac1,1 PowerBook1,1 PowerMac2,1 PowerMac3,1 PowerBook2,1 </COMPATIBLE> <DESCRIPTION> GNU/Linux-PPC Yaboot bootloader </DESCRIPTION> <BOOT-SCRIPT> " get-key-map" " keyboard" open-dev $call-method dup 20 dump 5 + c@ 08 = if " Booting MacOS ..." cr " boot hd:10,\\:tbxi" eval else " Booting Yaboot ..." cr " boot hd:11,yaboot" eval then </BOOT-SCRIPT> </CHRP-BOOT> 8. It's time to reboot... Restart and hold option-apple-o-f to start in OpenFirmware. 9. type the next on the commandline setenv boot-command boot setenv boot-file hd:11,\\bootinfo.txt setenv boot-device hd:11,\\bootinfo.txt boot 10. In my case the debian installer started and I was able to install debian. 11. Some catcha's - in the partition menu: delete partition 12 (the partition supposed to hold linux) and create a new swap partition called swap. Then create a new partition called Linux. Your rootpartion will be /dev/hda13 delete the partition /dev/hda9. Create a new partition with C. Call it Bootstrap and the type is : Apple_Bootstrap - After installing edit /etc/yaboot.conf so it looks like: boot=/dev/hda9 device=hd: timeout=20 install=/boot/yaboot magicboot=/boot/ofboot.b image=/vmlinux label=Linux root=/dev/hda13 read-only partition=13 Run: mkofboot -b /dev/hda9 to install yaboot on the bootstrap partition - Reboot and hold option-apple-p-r to reset the changes in Open Firmware. When you boot Linux will be loaded. When you boot with the space holded MacOs will be loaded. - for the mouse I used type 'imps2' for gpm and IMPS/2 for XF86Config. I hope it will work for you. Width kind regards, Micha Kersloot ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
