Any m68k experts?

[theos911]

I'm trying to get a linux (debian specifically) running on my duo 270c. Following instructions here I've made some progress.

For woody I am using these files:

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-m68k/current/mac/linux.bin

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-m68k/current/mac/root.bin

Found here:

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-m68k/current/mac/

For sarge I am using these files:

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-m68k/current/images/kernels/vmlinuz-2.2.25-mac

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-m68k/current/images/netboot/initrd22.gz

Found here:

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-m68k/current/images/ in /kernels and /netboot respectively

Both of them boot just fine. The problem is after some scrolling barely-legible pink over white boot-up lingo they both drop to an equally pain-in-aft to read language selection screen. I can see different languages, but I have no keyboard input to select one. Neither the duo's keyboard or the one connected through the netdock will work.

Any ideas?

 

[ChristTrekker]

From what I remember, m68k laptops present some unique challenges. I've never tried to install *nix to one. Sorry.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

That advice mostly went for the LC040-based lappies. The 270c is a 030/68882, so it *should* work, assuming the video hardware isn't too weird.

 

[theos911]

The thing is: It does work, more or less (mainly less), just the keyboard won't work.

 

[theos911]

Some in-depth research has led me to believe it isn't keyboard drivers that are bad, but the whole adb bus. From what I can gleam, you need a 2.6.10+ kernel to have any adb support. I'm assuming both my 3.0 and 3.1 kernels are on the 2.2 line. I'll see what I can find in the etch-m68k department and report back.



EDIT:

Using:

http://people.debian.org/~smarenka/d-i/m68k/images/20090814-01:14/kernels/vmlinuz-2.6.29-2-mac

And all 3 of these initrds:

http://people.debian.org/~smarenka/d-i/m68k/images/20090814-01:14/cdrom/initrd.gz

http://people.debian.org/~smarenka/d-i/m68k/images/20090814-01:14/hd-media/initrd.gz

http://people.debian.org/~smarenka/d-i/m68k/images/20090814-01:14/nativehd/initrd.gz

After like 4 minutes it appears to have booted the kernel from the cd initrd! I can't see the whole log, but it did detect the two adb keyboards and the 2 mice. It appears to have stalled at the scsi, something about bus error and switching to slow handshake.

I guess the key is waiting...and waiting.....

 

[theos911]

ADB is now working in 2.6.29, Keyboards YAY!

However the scsi controller is all messed up.... Anyone know the parameters to disable it? I tried the "what-would-make-sense answer" of mac5380=0,0,0,0,0 . All that does is make the screen go blank shortly after it switches to "color-penguin" mode. I don't know why an scsi arguement would mess up the screen. So, I went back to mac5380=-1,-1,-1,-1,0 which is needed or else it hangs at "Bus error in macscsi_pread" .

Apparently m68k doesn't support the NCR5380 at all, at least in the sense that the page lists it as broken.

Ideas?

 

[theos911]

Progress.. sorta...

I found some more SCSI arguments I would like to try, but now it won't stay lit at all. Shortly after the kernel initiates, the backlight/screen goes out. I've tried with and without the scsi arguments and with penguin 17 and 19 and with the no-interrupt-option in 17. None of them work... Ideas?

 

[johnklos]

Various Debian people are getting the latest Debian up and running on m68k. Since you're no stranger to trying lots of different things, it might be worthwhile to try what they have already.

 

[theos911]

Of this I was not aware. A searching I shall go! (But if you have any leads/links that would be helpful)

 

[johnklos]

It's odd, but the m68k list isn't on the public list of Debian mailing lists. However, you can access archives here:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-68k/

If I had more time I'd probably try to bootstrap a system using what they've already created, but I'll just wait for someone to collect the pieces and to document it (hint, hint).

 

[theos911]

That much I did find. What I didn't manage to find was the new system to bootstrap. It is probably somewhere obvious and I'm just missing it.(Which sometimes happens when I switch from complex to simple tasks)

 

[johnklos]

Someone (maybe it was me; my memory sucks) asked about getting all the new bits into one place a while back. Because of all the discussion and because some bits still needed to be finished, that never happened, but maybe it's time to ask again.

There's an open offer to host whatever bits are put together on mac68k.org (ftp/http)...

 

[theos911]

I'll search through the current repos. Do you know if it is a port of 5 or 6?

 

[johnklos]

It'd be the latest, I believe. They wanted to get everything up to date so they could restart building like they do for all the other architectures.

 

[theos911]

Well, I looked through the entire main ftp site. I went through every directory with a search for m68k. There was nothing there. The archive was last updated Dec 2010, so it isn't there. It must be hiding in someone's(or multiple someones') people.debian account.

 

[johnklos]

Yes, it's not in any official Debian location yet. That's why someone needs to collect all the info in the mailing list from the last few months and make a HOW-TO. It's more time than I have at the moment.

 

[theos911]

Well, while I download OSx86 iso's I might as well throttle the torrent a pinch and see what the list has to offer...

EDIT- That is: as soon as macbuntu decides to play nice with 11.4

 

[theos911]

Well, this is what I deemed helpful/useful/entertaining:

http://people.debian.org/~tg/f/m68k/

http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian/pool-m68k/main/l/linux-2.6/

http://lists.debian.org/debian-68k/2011/02/msg00000.html

http://mich431.net/m68k.html 1*

http://lists.debian.org/debian-68k/2011/02/msg00014.html

http://lists.debian.org/debian-68k/2011/05/msg00021.html

1* Duo 270c: Couldn't get it to work. First got a kernel panic, then an scsi error. I added arguments to fix the scsi error and then it just halted with no kernel panic notice.