YDL on Xserve?

[Andreas Pack]

> Hello everybody,

>         Is it possible to install Yellow Dog Linux on a Xserve Dual 1GHz? (The 
> first Xserve released?)

>         I've downloaded the version 2.3 - December 2003 available on 
> <http://stage.terraplex.com/updates/apple/xserve/isos/> but I didn't 
> have success.

>         What I did:

>         1. Formated the disks using Mac OS X disk (xserve can't boot using 
> OS9) and choose 1 partition - Format Free (NO Mac OS 9 driver!)
>         2. I've installed YDL without problems
        
>         The problem:
>         3. During the reboot after configure YDL without problems the mac 
> reboots and then boots showing Jaguar's screen (The Apple logo in the 
> middle of the screen with the spinning circle…Believe-me: Jaguar wasn't 
> installed!) then the system goes to a OSX Kernel Panic. Then I've reset 
> the Open Firmware and PRAM and no system is detected… (blinking '?' 
> over the folder - strange…)

>         Information:
>         - Xserve Dual 1GHz
>         - Standard Configuration:
>                 No memory added
>                 No card added
>                 No disk added
>                 Nothing added at All
>                 System WITHOUT Mac OS X - YDL Only!

>         I didn't seen much information on this… Except that I need to download
> the xserve_iso image (the one that I'm using…)…

>         I'll try to install Mac OS X and YDL on the same Xserve but I'm not 
> very optimistic… Any tips?

Yes, it is possible! - What you explained was exactly my problem too.
I ask this mailing list but nobody was able to help me. One user told
me that he was able to install YDL with the Xserve-ISO without
problems. He left the OS X installation on the first disk and then he
installed YDL. After that he got the Yaboot-Screen, where you can
choose the system you want to boot. He also was able to see the two
installed systems when he pressed the "Alt"-Key during boot. So I
tried exactly his installation method but only OS X boots. I really
don't know why I was not able to get such a running YDL installation.

So I decided to find my own way to install YDL on my Xserve. No OS X
system is needed for this solution:

- Install YDL with the ISO-Image as you have already done
- delete all partitions in the partition-editor
- create a bootstrap partition with exactly 800k as first partition
- then create /boot, /home, / -partitions as you like
- at bootloader configuration say: "no Mac OS is on my system" and
  choose "install yaboot now"
- reboot your system, leave the install-cd in the Xserve and press "c"
- if you see "boot:" type the following:
  cd:,/install/vmlinux root=/dev/hdeX
  (where X is the number of the root partition)
- now your installed system should boot
- log in as root and download the newest yaboot binaries from
  http://penguinppc.org/projects/yaboot/ with lynx or wget
- extract the files wherever you want (you may want to replace the old
  binaries with the new). Now run this command:
  > ofpath /dev/hde2 (this is your bootstrap partition)
- enter the openfirmware path in the yaboot.conf like this:

  # ybin options
  ofboot=/pci@f2000000/AppleKiwi@15/@0/disk@0:2
  boot=/dev/hde2

  (only the first line must be added)
- now run mkofboot (this will initialise the bootstrap partition an
  install ybin on it)
- after this you should be able to reboot and boot YDL with yaboot

So the solution is the newest yaboot because only this version can
handle the new OpenFirmware paths of the Xserve.
If you are not shure what partition has which number, try "pdisk"

Hope it helps!

Best regards, Andi

PS:
> 3. During the reboot after configure YDL without problems the mac
> reboots and then boots showing Jaguar's screen (The Apple logo in
> the  middle of the screen with the spinning circle…Believe-me:
> Jaguar wasn't  installed!) then the system goes to a OSX Kernel
> Panic. Then I've reset  the Open Firmware and PRAM and no system is
> detected… (blinking '?'  over the folder - strange…)

I think this is the "Auto-Installer" for Mac OS X Server. It starts
the first time you turn on the Xserve. I don't know exactly where, but
there must be partition on one of the disk, where the installer is on.