G5 Linux issues

[LarBob]

I have a G5 that works fine with OS X, but I can't get Linux to work. I've tried Debian 8.7.0, Debian 8.8.0, and Debian 7.11.0. None of them will work properly. This happens when it tries to boot:

https://youtu.be/d2ca9H1ehls

It just says loading second stage bootstrap and then just shows an offcolor blinking question mark folder until it does it again. It just keeps looping. What's wrong here? Something wrong with how yaboot is configured or what?

 

[galgot]

Strange...

Remember that I couldn't install any Debian on my iMac G5, it would only take a Ubuntu, that was 14.04 i think.

Problem with Linux PPC on a G5 is that G5 use SMU instead of PMU for sleep management, and at the time any Linux PPC wouldn't know what SMU was. So sleep was broken. Which is a bugger cause a not sleeping G5 is noisy...

Don't know if it's been fixed since then.

 

[rsolberg]

Is this happening when you attempt to boot the installer, or is it post installation trying to boot from hard disk? If we're talking about booting from hard disk, it could be an issue with an incompatible partition map, or with Yaboot being installed to a location that isn't fully accessible from Open Firmware.

 

[LarBob]

Is this happening when you attempt to boot the installer, or is it post installation trying to boot from hard disk? If we're talking about booting from hard disk, it could be an issue with an incompatible partition map, or with Yaboot being installed to a location that isn't fully accessible from Open Firmware.

It's post installation.

 

[rsolberg]

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1718724

This thread will likely help get you in the right direction.

 

[LarBob]

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1718724

This thread will likely help get you in the right direction.

Do you have to do it from the live CD? Because if so, debian's not a livecd. :-/

edit: okay, I can chroot into the install on the HD through the rescue disk. 

I tried following those steps and still have the problem (yes, the partition number is the same as what he had)

 

[galgot]

If it can help.

Here a good Debian PPC installation guide :

http://ppcluddite.blogspot.fr/2012/03/installing-debian-linux-on-ppc-part-i.html

Yaboot configuring guide , same site :

http://ppcluddite.blogspot.fr/2012/03/installing-debian-linux-on-ppc-part-iv.html#yaboot

 

[johnklos]

GNU/Linux distros are all about making money and are no longer about doing cool, interesting things. Big endian PowerPC support only exists because of IBM support and has been cancelled by Debian for reasons that have very little to do with technical problems. Unfortunately, distro support is only going to get worse.

I've been trying to work on 64 bit PowerPC (big endian) support in NetBSD because architectures don't get removed from NetBSD unless there's a very good reason. We still support m68k and VAX, amongst others, whereas GNU/Linux distros are dropping platforms regularly.

It's sad that there's so little coherent GNU/Linux community that surrounds non-political, non-moneymaking distros. Devuan might be an exception:

https://devuan.org

I wonder if it'd be worthwhile to work on Devuan...

 

[LarBob]

GNU/Linux distros are all about making money and are no longer about doing cool, interesting things. Big endian PowerPC support only exists because of IBM support and has been cancelled by Debian for reasons that have very little to do with technical problems. Unfortunately, distro support is only going to get worse.

I've been trying to work on 64 bit PowerPC (big endian) support in NetBSD because architectures don't get removed from NetBSD unless there's a very good reason. We still support m68k and VAX, amongst others, whereas GNU/Linux distros are dropping platforms regularly.

It's sad that there's so little coherent GNU/Linux community that surrounds non-political, non-moneymaking distros. Devuan might be an exception:

https://devuan.org

I wonder if it'd be worthwhile to work on Devuan...

I mean, the current release of Debian still supports it, it's just yaboot is getting configured wrong for whatever reason.

 

[rsolberg]

Just to narrow things down a bit: Do you have more than one disk installed in your G5? If so, are both your Debian root partition and Yaboot installed on the first disk? Do you have Mac OS X partitions/installations on the same disk? If you post a copy or screenshot of your yaboot.conf, I'll take a look to see if the installer misconfigured something.

 

[LarBob]

Just to narrow things down a bit: Do you have more than one disk installed in your G5? If so, are both your Debian root partition and Yaboot installed on the first disk? Do you have Mac OS X partitions/installations on the same disk? If you post a copy or screenshot of your yaboot.conf, I'll take a look to see if the installer misconfigured something.

I just have the one disk in the machine right now. Nothing besides Linux.

 

[rsolberg]

I'm a little stumped for specific solutions here. I'm trying to find time to get a New World PPC machine powered up and running the installer to look at what partitions the installer makes by default and to see if I can replicate the issue.

 

[LarBob]

I'm a little stumped for specific solutions here. I'm trying to find time to get a New World PPC machine powered up and running the installer to look at what partitions the installer makes by default and to see if I can replicate the issue.

This has only happened on my G5, not any other PPC machine that I've tried. Could it have something to do with the hard drive being in the bottom bay? I wouldn't  think it would matter so much and I can't easily put it up top as I don't have the proper rails

 

[galgot]

Have you used "Guided partitioning" in the debian installer, or "manual partitioning" ?

Maybe better running "Manual.." and doing your partitions from scratch ?

 

[rsolberg]

Have you tried booting into an Open Firmware prompt and checking the device tree to make sure the path listed in your yaboot.conf matches?

 

[LarBob]

Have you used "Guided partitioning" in the debian installer, or "manual partitioning" ?

Maybe better running "Manual.." and doing your partitions from scratch ?

I tried partitioning the drive manually and it does the same thing - I know I didn't partition it incorrectly as I've done it on other machines and it's been fine.

Have you tried booting into an Open Firmware prompt and checking the device tree to make sure the path listed in your yaboot.conf matches?

No, I haven't, but I don't see why it would be different. I will now.

edit: everything seems fine as far as I can tell.. I'm not exactly an OF wizard though.

 

[galgot]

Also remember now... My iMacG5 wanted an "Alternate" installs, a usual "live install CD" wouldn't work. But a "alternate install CD" would. That was Ubuntu. Even though I could boot from the live CD, the install would fail.

How about booting from a live cd , and check your HD with Gparted ...

 

[LarBob]

Also remember now... My iMacG5 wanted an "Alternate" installs, a usual "live install CD" wouldn't work. But a "alternate install CD" would. That was Ubuntu. Even though I could boot from the live CD, the install would fail.

How about booting from a live cd , and check your HD with Gparted ...

The partitioning and HD seem fine. I don't think there's a live CD for debian for PPC otherwise I'd try to install that way (though the HD looks fine through an Ubuntu live disk). I'd prefer to use debian.

 

[johnklos]

I've tried all the latest GNU/Linux images that are supposed to work (Debian, Suse, Red Hat, Ubuntu) on a Power Mac G5 (tried both a PCI-X dual processor and on a quad G5), and also tried all of them on an IBM Model 9110-510 (POWER 5+), and only Red Hat's and Debian's installers would boot, and none would boot after the initial install.

I'd be interested to learn of a solution, if anyone discovers one.