Install on a second drive

[Derick Centeno]

I just spent a bit of time on this so my memory should be reliable.  
We'll see...
You should be able to use the Partition function within Apple's Disk 
Utility which came with your system.  Remember that within it's view 
the best way to prepare a Linux disk partition is to select one of the 
partitions to be Free. Not Unix nor anything else.  Then YDL can read 
it when it boots from the to actually install YDL stuff.

There is a problem here, which I'll get to in a moment.  But BEFORE you 
even get to this point you should back up everything on the Mac OS X 
side as ALL partitions will be affected and changed as a result of 
using Apple's Disk Utility.  This is not a problem really if you know 
how to create tar balls (compressed tar files of your entire system, 
but remember tar doesn't recognize Apple data or resource forks), or 
perhaps you know how to use disk images properly... it may be best if 
you just get Dantz's Retrospect and you'll then have a reliable back up 
system.  In short, back up your Mac OS X side first (if you are using 
Classic still, that partition also has to be backed up as well with a 
different version of Dantz's program for Classic).  When all that is 
done, remember that the backup is a fail-safe strategy.

EVEN if you manage to find a program which promises you that you can do 
partitions live in real time and on the fly ... before you use that 
program, do a complete back up of what you have first.

AFTER all that is done, and you have then created a Free partition.  Oh 
before I forget.... even if you already use a separate partition as 
small as 4G for an eDrive created with Micromat's Techtool Pro, even 
that partition will be destroyed and have to be rebuilt by Apple's Disk 
Utility.  Apple's utility warns you before you do anything anyway, but 
still one
should be aware that some can think that Apple somehow is joking.  So 
as a rule when partitioning any one drive, consider that all the other 
partitions on that drive will be affected as a rule, and just be 
prepared.  A bit of serious preparation is better than wishing one had.

Ok.  That's done.  The Free partition exists.  And you have also 
created a Journaled HFS partition for Mac OS X.  Fine.
You can either restore your Mac stuff or just move right into loading 
YDL.  Just stick the first YDL install disk into the CD/DVD drive press 
the c key to invoke yaboot and you should be on your way.

Remember that the Free partition will not be visible from the MacOS 
side, unless you know which unix tools to use.  In any case, after it 
is partitioned as I have described it isn't necessary for you to see it 
as long as YDL see's it when it is installing.

It appears you have a second drive for YDL; great!  You of course can 
physically know and see the drive but again the Mac OS X won't see it 
(the Free partition) or register it without certain things happening 
first, none of which is necessary to get YDL running anyway.  So don't 
worry about that, focus on getting YDL to complete the installation 
process so that you can boot from and directly into YDL.  After that is 
done, you may prefer to work and live entirely within YDL, anyway and 
forget the other OS which is abandoning the PowerPC.... Boo Hiss

If you have a plan and are skilled enough in creating Linux partitions 
so that you want YDL to boot from a specific partition such as the 
"first partition of the second drive" you will have to forgo using the 
automatic installer which comes with YDL and manually create the mount 
point at that location first and then proceed with the rest of the YDL 
installation process.

Best wishes....

On Jul 9, 2005, at 7:57 PM, Marvin Weide wrote:

> I have a Macintosh G5 with a second 300 gb drive partioned. The second 
> drive
> does not show up in the system preferences under the startup disc.
>
> How do I boot the Yellow dog install disc so it installs onto the first
> partition of the second drive?
>
> Marvin Weide
> weide at amug.org
>
>
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