Getting started with Linux/mac68k

Step 1: Determine if your Mac is supported

Step 1a: Check the list of supported machines

Before you do anything, you should check to see if Linux supports your system. Check the machine status page for the current list of Macs known to run Linux. 68000-based Macs (128k/512k, Plus, SE, Classic, Portable, PowerBook 100) cannot and may never run Linux. If you have one of these, you're pretty much out of luck. Sorry.

Step 1b: Ignore the list of supported machines

So you checked the list of supported machines, and it said that your Mac wouldn't work. Well, don't let that stop you! Remember that most of the information we have is based on user reports. Your mileage may vary. Just because it didn't work for someone else doesn't mean that it won't work for you. Give it a shot!

Step 2: Perform a test boot

Step 2a: Download the necessary components

You need three things to test Linux on your system: a kernel, a Penguin booter, and a ramdisk. You have some choices for some of these. So fire up your favorite FTP client...

The easy way:

Download a kernel, Penguin booter, and a ramdisk.

The custom way:

Kernel: The Linux 2.2 kernels are the most stable and widely used on m68k Macs. There are a few different places to get kernel 2.2 images. Additionally, some systems run better with 2.6 kernels, or the (somewhat unstable) 2.4 kernels, or the old 2.0 series. Here are your options:

• Get the latest 2.2 kernel from the download page.
• Download the 2.2 Debian kernel. This is stable on many machines.
• If you have a PowerBook, you'll want to try a 2.4 or 2.6 series kernel to get support for ADB. You can get one from the download page or the Linux/mac68k FTP site.

Penguin booter: Penguin is the MacOS program used to boot Linux. Penguin 19 is the current version, although Penguin 18 and Penguin 17 also work for many people.

Ramdisk: You need a ramdisk image to be able to test your Linux system. If you just want a command prompt with a few simple commands, try one of these.

Despite all the choices, this isn't very complicated. Which Penguin or ramdisk you choose should not affect your results. And as long as you download some 2.2 kernel, you should get a pretty good idea whether Linux will run on your system. Hardware support in 2.6 kernels is still catching up with 2.2...

Step 2b: Launch Penguin

At this point, you should have a kernel, a ramdisk, and the Penguin booter downloaded and unstuffed somewhere on your hard drive. You're ready to try booting Linux! In the Memory control panel, turn 32-bit addressing on and virtual memory off. Also make sure that RAM Doubler is not running on your system. If you can, set your monitor to 256 colors.

Open Penguin and choose "Settings" from the File menu. If you're using Penguin 18, click on the "Kernel" tab. Click the button next to "Kernel:" and select the kernel you downloaded. Check the box next to "Ramdisk:" and choose the ramdisk image you downloaded. If you're using Penguin 18, click on the "Options" tab. In the command line, enter "root=/dev/ram". The row of check boxes (Auto boot, Color by Penguin, etc) below the command line should all be unchecked.

Click OK. Select "Boot Now" from the File menu. Penguin will load the kernel and boot you into Linux.

Step 2c: Hope it works

After a short time, the cursor will stop moving and the screen will turn black (or white, depending on your system) with a black-and-white penguin in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. A few seconds later, the console will come up and you will see the normal Linux messages scrolling across your screen. This is accompanied by a color Penguin in the upper-left-hand corner (unless you are using kernel 2.0).

A few more seconds into the process, and a line like "VFS: mounted root" should show up. If you are using the Debian ramdisk, this should be followed by a window with some information about Debian in it. Otherwise, you might just get a "login:" message or a command prompt. If you get this far, and the keyboard works, then Linux will probably work for you!

Step 3: What to do next

Step 3a: Installing Debian

If you were able to successfully boot Linux, the next step is to install Debian on your system. This document is not a guide to installing Debian. You'll want to look at the install guides for instructions on installing Debian.

Step 3b: Aaargh, it didn't work!

Don't give up! Not everybody gets it to work on the first try. Try booting with a different kernel, from the list above. Try a different Penguin booter. If you have any non-standard hardware (video boards, ethernet cards, accelerator cards, etc), remove them and try again. Some ethernet cards refuse to work unless the network is physically unplugged before booting. Also, try booting with extensions off to remove any software conflicts. If you have a II, IIx, IIcx, or SE/30, you will need "Mode32" to make 32-bit addressing work properly. See the FAQ for details.

Nearly every Mac (with the exception of the 68000 Macs) boots Linux in its stock configuration. The trick is to get your machine down to the absolute basics, and then Linux should work for you. Then gradually add your hardware and software until you find the problem.

If you continue to have problems, you can always search the mailing list archives to see if anyone has had the same problem as you.

Good luck!