Installing on a 9500 MP installation questions and answers

[Harold Shanafield]

You are the first person I've heard of using bootx and
getting smp.  Everything I've seen on this list and
read says bootx turns off the second processor before
linux can get a hold of it.  When I've tried it with
the smp kernel, the second processor never comes up. 
Do you have some sort of bios upgrade?  Is there
anybody else using bootx and getting smp to work?

Thanks,
Harold



Message: 7
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 09:47:26 -0400
Subject: Re: Installing on a 9500 MP installation
questions and answers
From: "nathan r. hruby" <nathan@drama.uga.edu>
To: yellowdog-general@lists.terrasoftsolutions.com
Reply-To:
yellowdog-general@lists.terrasoftsolutions.com


On Sunday, September 22, 2002, at 10:51 PM, Harold
Shanafield wrote:
> Also, I'd like to take advantage of the dual
> processors and from what I've gathered, I need to
> ditch bootx and use miboot.  Is it possible to
convert
> from bootx to miboot?  Can anyone point me to a
howto?

No, you can use BootX for an SMP system.  i am doing
it currently

[nathan@athe1 nathan]$ uname -a
Linux xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 2.4.19-4asmp #1 SMP Wed Jun 5
00:59:38 EDT 2002 
ppc unknown
[nathan@athe1 nathan]$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor       : 0
cpu             : 604r
clock           : 200MHz
revision        : 18.3 (pvr 0009 1203)
bogomips        : 398.95

processor       : 1
cpu             : 604r
clock           : 200MHz
revision        : 18.3 (pvr 0009 1203)
bogomips        : 398.95

total bogomips  : 797.90
machine         : Power Macintosh
motherboard     : AAPL,9500 MacRISC
detected as     : 16 (PowerMac 9500/9600)
pmac flags      : 00000000
L2 cache        : 512K unified
memory          : 256MB
pmac-generation : OldWorld
[nathan@athe1 nathan]$

Here's the easy way -
- apt-get install kernel-smp-2.4.19-4a (It will
download and install a 
bunch of stuff...)
- Copy the vmlinux-2.4.19-4asmp kernel from /boot to
your MacOS's 
System 
Folder:Linux Kernels folder.*
- Reboot
- Hit tab when BootX appears in order to stop it from
auto-booting
- Select the new smp kernel from the drop down
- Append any flags you need in the flag box
- Hit Save Preferences
- Hit the linux button and your machine will boot, and
continue to boot 
this kernel until you tell it otherwise

* I formatted my 1GB MacOS partition HFS (not HFS+ aka
HFS Extended) so 
i can mount it under linux.  Thus copying my kernel is
as easy as cp 
/boot/vmlinux-2.4.19-4asmp "/mnt/macos/System
Folder/Linux Kernels"

So far I haven't had any problems with this system.  I
encountered 
similar install problems as you, but that's my fault
for not reading 
the 
manual :)  After the first self boot everything has
been rock solid.

HTH

-n
--
......
nathan hruby - nhruby@arches.uga.edu
computer services specialist
uga drama
http://www.drama.uga.edu/
......

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