Debian Linux on a PowerMac G4

hardware

Apple PowerMac G4

• version: 2.1
• dual processors: 2x 1.0 Ghz
• bus speed: 133 MHz
• L2 cache: 2x 256K
• L3 2x 2MB
• boot ROM: 4.3.3f2
• memory: SDRAM 512 MB
• 17" Apple Studio Display 1280x1024
• Apple Optical mouse
• Apple Extended USB Keyboard
• Airport
• Ethernet
• video: nVidia Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 440] (rev 162) 64MB DDR
• video: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro with 64MB DDR

build

Debian/GNU Linux for PowerPC

• http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/powerpc/
• http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/

burn first CD image:

• http://carroll.aset.psu.edu/pub/linux/distributions/debian-cd/3.0_r2/powerpc/

insert CD and boot holding C key

alternatively, you can enter the openfirmware by pressing keys command + option + O + F

boot off the CD and at the Linux boot prompt, select install24

boot: install24

the installer will begin

enter your networking info

partitioning

• delete all partition with 'd'
• 'b' to create bootstrap partition as the first partition
• '2p' at begining of free space
• 'c' to create a partition named 'swap' of size 1G
• 'c' to create a partition named 'root' using all free
• 'w' to write
• 'q' to quit

install yaboot to harddisk

reboot and during base-config, edit apt sources by hand from stable to unstable

compile new benh kernel with ATI Radeon framebuffer, SMP, Altivec & DRI

• http://penguinppc.org/~benh/
• http://www.ppckernel.org/

mkdir /usr/src/benh_kernel
ln -s /usr/src/benh_kernel /usr/src/linux
rsync -avz rsync.penguinppc.org::linux-2.4-benh /usr/src/benh_kernel
wtf? tons of defkeymap.c errors

rsync -avz rsync.theorie.physik.uni-muenchen.de::linuxppc-2.4-benh /usr/src/linux

There are also debian packages to build a kernel The Debian Way:

apt-get install kernel-patch-powerpc-2.4.27 kernel-source-2.4.27
cd /usr/src
tar xjvf kernel-source-2.4.27.tar.bz2
ln -s kernel-source-2.4.27 linux
cd linux
PATCH_THE_KERNEL=YES make-kpkg kernel_image
cd ..
dpkg -i kernel-image-2.4.27-blah.deb
ybin

now need XF86Config-4

• boot: video=radeon:dfp with an LCD monitor
• boot: video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 for CRT moitors
• boot: video=ofonly if nothing else works

# desg | less
radeonfb: ref_clk=2700, ref_div=12, xclk=24975 from OF
radeonfb: detected DFP panel size from EDID: 1280x1024
Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 160x64
radeonfb: ATI Radeon 9000 If DDR SGRAM 64 MB
radeonfb: DVI port no monitor connected
radeonfb: CRT port DFP monitor connected

# fbset -x
Mode "1280x1024"
    # D: 108.003 MHz, H: 63.983 kHz, V: 60.021 Hz
    DotClock 108.004
    HTimings 1280 1408 1520 1688
    VTimings 1024 1028 1031 1066
    Flags    "-HSync" "-VSync"    # Warning: XFree86 doesn't support accel
EndMode

need 3D acceleration in XFree86, so add this line to /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://people.debian.org/~daenzer/dri-trunk-unstable/ ./

  
apt-get install xserver-xfree86-dri-trunk
apt-get install drm-trunk-module-src
apt-get install xlibmesa-glu
apt-get install xlibmesa-gl1-dri-trunk

cd /usr/src
tar zxvf drm-trunk.tar.gz
cd modules/drm-trunk/
make -f Makefile.linux TREE=/usr/src/linux/includes/
rmmod radeon
rmmod agpgart                                                 
mkdir -p /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/char/drm/ 
cp /usr/src/modules/drm-trunk/radeon.o /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/char/drm/ 
depmod
modprobe agpgart
modprobe radeon     

enable three button mouse:

echo "1"  > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button_emulation
echo "87" > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button2_keycode # F11
echo "88" > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button3_keycode # F12

enable sound

modprobe dmasound_pmac
echo "dmasound_pmac" >>/etc/modules

add this line to /etc/apt/sources.list for mplayer video:

deb http://honk.physik.uni-konstanz.de/~agx/linux-ppc/debian/ mplayer/

apt-get install mplayer-g4 mencoder-g4 mplayer-fonts mplayer-doc libdvdcss2

StreamingMedia