Where'd My Linux Go? (longish)

[William Klee]

--Apple-Mail-2-685931463
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I bought a copy of YDL 3.0 on eBay last month, and got just the CD's.  
Of course, for $5, I'm not complaining. I fiddled with it for the  
better half of a week before I found the "how to install" guide  
on-line, and it worked fine, up until I tried to use MOL, whereupon the  
system hosed itself so badly I had to repartition and reinstall.  
However, that's a different topic.

My current problem is this: I just re-installed YDL for the 3rd time  
(roached the drive again messing w/MOL) and I can't find my Linux.

OK, the first two times, after installation, I'd see the yaboot menu on  
startup, I'd pick "l" or "x" depending on what I was doing, and  
everything was fine. Now, however, no yaboot. The PB automatically  
boots into either OS9 or OSX, depending on what's set in Startup Disk.  
I looked at the "what to do if you've lost yaboot" page  
(http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/support/solutions/ydl_general/ 
boot_functions.shtml) and followed the instructions there, to no great  
joy.

Tech specs:
500 MHz Pismo PowerBook
1 GB RAM
30 GM HD
	2 GB partition for OS9 (NineLand)
	10 GB partition for OSX (XoomXoom)
	balance for YDL (unallocated, as per the install guide)

My partition layout is thus:
hda9	Apple Bootstrap
hda10	NineLand
hda11	XoomXoom
hda12	swap
hda13	linux partition

There are 4 different solutions shown:
if the boot partition is *ahead* of the OS partition(s)
1: zap the PRAM

if the boot partition is *after* the OS partition(s)
1: re-run ybin
2: reset the firmware
3: Use Option to select boot partition at startup

Thus, if I'm reading the instructions correctly, my boot partition is  
before either the OS9 or OSX partitions, and the indicated correction  
is to zap the PRAM. Did so, no joy.

Just for giggles, I also tried the instructions given for when the boot  
partition is *after* the OS partition(s).


The "re-run ybin" procedure says to boot from the cd, then at the boot  
run this command:

cd-linux root=/dev/<linux root partition> [ENTER]

in my case, the root partition is hda13, so I enter

cd-linux root=/dev/hda13, and get this response:

please wait, loading kernel...
cd-linux:2,/vmlinux: Unable to open file, Invalid device

Just for the hell of it, I also tried it w/hda9 (the bootstrap  
partition), no difference.

So, that procedure doesn't provide any joy either.

Oddly enough, while I get the same failure if I enter  
'root=/dev/hda13', if I enter 'linux root=/dev/hda13' it boots fine.  
The next time I start up, though, it's back to OS9. Obvious temporary  
solution: don't shutdown. However, this is the powerbook I take to  
school w/me to take notes on, and I'm uncertain about it's ability to  
sleep when closed. Seems spotty at times.


The third procedure is to reset the firmware. Reboot the computer &  
hold down cmd + opt + f + o. At the prompt, enter:

printenv		which produces a list of various settings; the one I'm  
interested in showed up as:
boot-device	hd:,\\tbxi	hd:,\\:tbxi	(this is apparently the default  
value after zapping the PRAM)
BTW, there are two columns of entries and the 'setenv' command only  
seems to affect the left-hand value.

the next command given is:

setenv boot-device hd:x,\\:tbxi (where 'hd' is an IDE drive and 'x' is  
the partition number where yaboot is located.)

This is where I start to get confused. Is it 'hd' or 'hda'? Is 'x'  
supposed to be 9 or hda9? Since I have the time, I decided to  
methodical and try all four possible combinations of hd/hda and 9/hda9,  
with the following results: (the ">" lines are the results I got when I  
entered "boot" as directed)

Then it says to enter printenv again, to make sure it took. It did,  
every time.

Then enter 'boot' and it *should* reboot and show the yaboot menu.  
Failed every time, so I entered 'shut-down' and restarted after  
shutdown. Rebooted into OS9 every time.

setenv boot-device hd:9,\\:tbxi
 > boot can't OPEN: hd:9,\\:tbxi
boots into OS9

setenv boot-device hd:hda9,\\:tbxi
 >boot DISK-LABEL: invalid partition # can't OPEN: hd:hda9,\\:tbxi
boots into OS9

setenv boot-device hda:9,\\:tbxi
 >boot can't OPEN: hda:9,\\:tbxi
boots into OS9

setenv boot-device hda:hda9,\\:tbxi
 >boot can't OPEN: hda:hda9,\\:tbxi
boots into OS9


The final solution shown is to boot the computer & hold down the Option  
key. No joy here, as all I get is the choice of OS9, OSX or the install  
CD, if it's in the drive.


If I boot off the CD, then hit TAB at the boot prompt, I have the  
choice of install, install-save and linux. In theory, if I enter  
"linux" it should boot from the installed Linux, but it doesn't -- it  
gets a kernel panic and reboots after 180 seconds. However, like I  
mentioned above, if I enter "linux root=/dev/hda13" it boots and runs  
fine. Looks to me like it doesn't know where the correct root partition  
is unless I tell it. So, actually, I've got two problems: bootloader  
not loading and root device not set.


Suggestions? Advice? If I can't get this worked out by, say, the end of  
next weekend, I'll probably scrub the whole thing and install nothing  
but YDL. Of course, then I'll have to deal w/my piece of **** CD which  
wants to *eject* every time I boot w/the "C" key held down...
--Apple-Mail-2-685931463
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/enriched;
	charset=US-ASCII

I bought a copy of YDL 3.0 on eBay last month, and got just the CD's.
Of course, for $5, I'm not complaining. I fiddled with it for the
better half of a week before I found the "how to install" guide
on-line, and it worked fine, up until I tried to use MOL, whereupon
the system hosed itself so badly I had to repartition and reinstall.
However, that's a different topic.


My current problem is this: I just re-installed YDL for the 3rd time
(roached the drive again messing w/MOL) and I can't find my Linux.


OK, the first two times, after installation, I'd see the yaboot menu
on startup, I'd pick "l" or "x" depending on what I was doing, and
everything was fine. Now, however, no yaboot. The PB automatically
boots into either OS9 or OSX, depending on what's set in Startup Disk.
I looked at the "what to do if you've lost yaboot" page
(<underline><color><param>1998,1998,FFFE</param>http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/support/solutions/ydl_general/boot_functions.shtml</color></underline>)
and followed the instructions there, to no great joy.


Tech specs:

500 MHz Pismo PowerBook

1 GB RAM

30 GM HD

	2 GB partition for OS9 (NineLand)

	10 GB partition for OSX (XoomXoom)

	balance for YDL (unallocated, as per the install guide)


My partition layout is thus:

hda9	Apple Bootstrap

hda10	NineLand

hda11	XoomXoom

hda12	swap

hda13	linux partition


There are 4 different solutions shown:

if the boot partition is *ahead* of the OS partition(s)

1: zap the PRAM


if the boot partition is *after* the OS partition(s)

1: re-run ybin

2: reset the firmware

3: Use Option to select boot partition at startup


Thus, if I'm reading the instructions correctly, my boot partition is
before either the OS9 or OSX partitions, and the indicated correction
is to zap the PRAM. Did so, no joy.


Just for giggles, I also tried the instructions given for when the
boot partition is *after* the OS partition(s).



The "re-run ybin" procedure says to boot from the cd, then at the boot
run this command:


<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger><bigger>cd-linux
root=/dev/<<linux root partition> [ENTER] 


in my case, the root partition is hda13, so I enter


cd-linux root=/dev/hda13, and get this response:


please wait, loading kernel...

cd-linux:2,/vmlinux: Unable to open file, Invalid device


Just for the hell of it, I also tried it w/hda9 (the bootstrap
partition), no difference.


So, that procedure doesn't provide any joy either.


Oddly enough, while I get the same failure if I enter
'root=/dev/hda13', if I enter 'linux root=/dev/hda13' it boots fine.
The next time I start up, though, it's back to OS9. Obvious temporary
solution: don't shutdown. However, this is the powerbook I take to
school w/me to take notes on, and I'm uncertain about it's ability to
sleep when closed. Seems spotty at times.



The third procedure is to reset the firmware. Reboot the computer &
hold down cmd + opt + f + o. At the prompt, enter:


printenv		which produces a list of various settings; the one I'm
interested in showed up as:

boot-device	hd:,\\tbxi	hd:,\\:tbxi	(this is apparently the default
value after zapping the PRAM)

BTW, there are two columns of entries and the 'setenv' command only
seems to affect the left-hand value.


the next command given is:


setenv boot-device hd:x,\\:tbxi (where 'hd' is an IDE drive and 'x' is
the partition number where yaboot is located.)


This is where I start to get confused. Is it 'hd' or 'hda'? Is 'x'
supposed to be 9 or hda9? Since I have the time, I decided to
methodical and try all four possible combinations of hd/hda and
9/hda9, with the following results: (the ">" lines are the results I
got when I entered "boot" as directed)


Then it says to enter printenv again, to make sure it took. It did,
every time.


Then enter 'boot' and it *should* reboot and show the yaboot menu.
Failed every time, so I entered 'shut-down' and restarted after
shutdown. Rebooted into OS9 every time.


setenv boot-device hd:9,\\:tbxi

> boot can't OPEN: hd:9,\\:tbxi

boots into OS9


setenv boot-device hd:hda9,\\:tbxi

>boot DISK-LABEL: invalid partition # can't OPEN: hd:hda9,\\:tbxi

boots into OS9


setenv boot-device hda:9,\\:tbxi

>boot can't OPEN: hda:9,\\:tbxi

boots into OS9


setenv boot-device hda:hda9,\\:tbxi

>boot can't OPEN: hda:hda9,\\:tbxi

boots into OS9



</bigger></bigger></fontfamily>The final solution shown is to boot the
computer & hold down the Option key. No joy here, as all I get is the
choice of OS9, OSX or the install CD, if it's in the drive.



If I boot off the CD, then hit TAB at the boot prompt, I have the
choice of install, install-save and linux. In theory, if I enter
"linux" it should boot from the installed Linux, but it doesn't -- it
gets a kernel panic and reboots after 180 seconds. However, like I
mentioned above, if I enter "linux root=/dev/hda13" it boots and runs
fine. Looks to me like it doesn't know where the correct root
partition is unless I tell it. So, actually, I've got two problems:
bootloader not loading and root device not set.



Suggestions? Advice? If I can't get this worked out by, say, the end
of next weekend, I'll probably scrub the whole thing and install
nothing but YDL. Of course, then I'll have to deal w/my piece of ****
CD which wants to *eject* every time I boot w/the "C" key held down...
--Apple-Mail-2-685931463--