Debian Sarge 3.1 on Macintosh Performa 5200 (Nubus)

 

Sources for this project

Resources for this project

System's configuration files

  

INTRODUCTION

  • You will find here detailed stages of the Debian Sarge 3.1r8 installation (including X-Window) on a (nubus) Apple Macintosh Performa 5200, in a dual boot mode (Mac OS/Debian).
  • Why dual boot? It's not a choice: indeed, on nubus-macs (like 51xx, 52xx, 61xx, 62xx, 63xx, except 6360 which has a PCI-bus architecture), the system architecture and bios prevent other OSes except Mac OS from booting. So, Mac OS (7.x or 8.x) must be present and correctly installed on your hard disk (bootable). Mac OS 9.x should work with this installation, but was not tested within this project.
  • Two installations were made on two different IDE hard drives (Disks were changed in the computer which has only ONE IDE port for HD), one with Mac OS 7.5F booter (HD 4GB), the other with Mac OS 8.1F booter (HD 8.5GB) (F means French).
  • i've not tested Debian sarge installation using a "Miboot" ISO (see this link). This procedure permits a "mono" boot system, with a CD as first stage boot and the debian hard drive as second stage, so no Mac OS is needed. Can you use other CDROM ? Must you leave boot-CDROM in CD-drive without unmounting possibility ? I don't know.

1. About the material used for this project

    Performa 5200 (you find specs here, at lowend mac)

    It'a "pre-G3" "all-in-one" mac powered by a powerpc

    -Apple OS: System 7.5.1 through 9.1
    -CPU: 75 MHz PPC 603
    -RAM: 64 MB (maximum)
    -VRAM: 1 MB, not expandable
    -Video: thousands of colors at 640 x 480, 256 at 800 x 600 and 832 x 624
    -ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
    -DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer (modem port disabled when comm slot modem present; printer port disabled when comm slot ethernet card present)
    -SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
    -Hard drive interface:IDE

    Other Nubus PowerPC machines include:

    • Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, 8100
    • Performa 5200, 6200, 6300 (6360 has a PCI-architecture)
    • Powerbook 1400, 2300, and 5300
    • Workgroup Server 6150, 8150, 9150

    You should have an external Iomega ZIP SCSI which is a always a great bridge between the two Worlds Apple and MS Windows. Most of needed files are bigger than 1,5 MB and don't fit on a floppy (you can split them, however, but then you have to split files in MS Windows and put them together in Mac OS, and i wonder if such a software exists ???). You will need one 100MB -Zip disk FAT16 (FAT) formatted within windows (2000 or XP). Performa mac have no USB, no PCI slots for an USB Card, but may have an ethernet connection for LAN and/or Internet.

    You could also burn CDs with needed files, but be aware that Performa 5200's CD drive:

    • - doesn't read CDRW CD-ROM (neither DVDRW!)
    • - is a 2X (300 kb/s) or 4X (600 kb/s) CDROM

    You should use a new hard disk for this installation. For example, 4 GB IDE is a good idea. Changing hard-disk drive is so easy in this particular mac (it's on a tray, and you have just to unscrew 2 times (plastic cache and hard drive)! A new Mac OS 7.5 installation (on CD) takes five to ten minutes. Here you'll find how to extract/put a new disk-drive.

    You should also have access to a PC with Linux or Windows for downloading files (especially if your Mac has no Ethernet network device). This workstation will put required files, for example on a iomega-zip, in a mac-recognized format (sit or zip).


2. Sources for this project

This web-page was heavily inspired from:

3. Obtain Software

    3.1 Software needed from the Mac Side

    • MacOS 7.5.3, free from Apple, legally downloadable
      ATTENTION: this link links to the french Mac OS, was it really what you expected? If not, simply go up into file directories, till you find your language version of Mac OS 7.5.x
      Third-party softwares:
    • stuffit expander 5.1.2(1,1MB)
    • Diskcopy 6.3.2(1MB) or Diskcopy 6.3.3(753Kb)
    • pdisk from Alsoft(46,7Kb)
    • One of these two softwares are useful if you own a iomega ZIP SCSI (Mac-side) and a ZIP IDE (PC-side) to transfer files from pc to mac:
    • Encapsulated files (in archive or disk-images) are always easier to transfer from one operating system to another (Mac to Microsoft or Linux, or reverse). Zip format is "more" universal (and maybe openformat) than "rar" or "sit" and can be shared between microsoft, mac and linux systems.
    • Mac Linuxian booter and kernels
    • Access to linux ext2fs from mac classic with MountX
      Optional, experimental software, works if your Mac OS >= 8, MountX has freezed my Mac OS 8.1F several times, just after desktop displaying (with the alias of the debian root file system)...Try it if you want to see how...And remove it if you're afraid, with a safe booting : "shift" key pressed during startup process, to boot Mac OS with extensions OFF. Then, you have to put the MountX extension from extensions folder to the trash (or elsewhere) and reboot.

    3.2 Software needed from the Debian-side

    • Debian Sarge 3.1 r8 CDs downloadable at cdimage.debian.org
      Why 3.1r8? Simply because it's the last version of 3.1 !
    • you need (only) the first two CD (14 CD for the full debian):
      debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-1.iso -640MB
      debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-2.iso -636MB
      Theses two CDROMs are really enough for installation of debian with X-window

    3.3 Software needed from the PC-side
    if a PC is used to download and transfer files from internet to a target shared media (iomega ZIP for me)

4. Format A Hard Drive: 1 HFS and 1 'Free' partition

  • Screen captures by freeware Snap'n clip, download it here. It's a 'fkey' (function key) that you drop in your system folder, and it operates from the very beginning of the boot process. 11,4 Kb compressed and 52 Kb uncompressed. You can ''mouse-select'' a rectangular area of your screen.
  • These screenshots are taken within a Mac OS 8.1F (French) installation on my Performa 5200, on a bigger hard drive (8GB). I managed and succeeded Debian Sarge install with a precedent HD with only 4GB.
  • The system MAC OS 8.1F was loaded from a SCSI external maxoptix DVD-RAM (550MB), so the IDE-SATA hard disk (precedently NTFS formatted) was immediatly recognized and proposed for an initialisation (sort of primary formatting). I clicked "OK", and then HD was operationnal for writing and reading data.
  • But, it's not enough: you have to manage a correct partitionning system for dual boot with Linux/Debian Sarge, here are the detailed stages:


Select Disk Tool, initialize, then customize ("personnaliser")>

Select 2 partitions, the first must be HFS standard and not HFS extended (HFS+)


The second partition can be unallocated, ie with no format


You have to confirm your choices for partitionning: click "initialize"


Initialization was successfull!

5. Install Minimal (or complete) MacOS 7, 8, or 9

Sometimes, the tranfer of the system folder from one drive to another is enough to obtain a brand-new bootable drive (maybe especially for removable media). Sometimes not. Try it, and open startup disk control panel. If your new drive appears as bootable, you've got a "blessed" system folder. If not, you have to manage a classic installation of MAC OS.

Just ONE important thing: Turn "off" virtual memory, otherwise your system may crash in this dual boot mac/linux configuration

Turn "off" virtual memory with "memory" control panel

6. Add Linux Support Files To MacOS

    6.1 MkLinux booter files

    • Download it at nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net
    • unstuff it
    • Drop the extension in extension folder (or in system folder, system will put it away in the correct place)
    • Put the control panel in control panel folder (or in system folder, system will put it away in the correct place)
    • Put the MkLinux.prefs file and the lilo.conf file in preference folder (dossier "Préférences" in french)
    • default MkLinux.prefs contents:
        bootos=MkLinux # boot to either "Mac OS" or "MkLinux"
        bootdelay=120 # seconds to pause at boot dialog
    • default lilo.conf contents:
        #'rootdev' defines the location of the root device
        #
        rootdev=/dev/sdb5
        #'mach_options' defines all other Linux command line options
        #mach options= video=ariel2fb

    6.2 Kernel+installer

    • Download it at sourceforge.net(name of file is :MachKernel_28NOV2006.bz2 (size is 4 265 180 bytes compressed)
    • unstuff it. If impossible, uncompress it with a PC archiver like 7-zip (free) or winrar (shareware), and recompress it in zip format for transferring again to your mac (some versions of stuffit expander don't recognize bz2 format).
    • Drop the uncompressed file to the extension folder (4 435 179 bytes)
    • Rename it "Mach Kernel" exactly
    • This file contains the compressed booting linux kernel plus debian installer files
    • edit lilo.conf in preference folder. You have to active these two lines within lilo.conf:
      • rootdev=/dev/ram
        to inform the kernel that it will boot in RAM, not on a solid drive
      • mach_options= ramdisk=16384 video=valkyriefb3 keyboard_sends_linux_keycodes=1
        "ramdisk=16 384" defines the size of ramdisks (Kb), needed to receive the boot image and system files
        "video=valkyriefb3" defines the video driver for performa 5200
        "keyboard_sends_linux_keycodes=1" makes the mac-keyboard function properly
      • other lines should be commented (inactive) with a '#' at their beginning, for example:
      • # rootdev=/dev/sdb5

    6.3 Kernel alone

    • Download it at sourceforge.net(name of file is :MachKernel-2.4.27-040811.gz (size is 1 351 421 bytes compressed)
    • Drop the uncompressed file to the extension folder (1 531 947 bytes)
    • Rename it "Mach Kernel-alone" or whatever you like, but not "Mach Kernel"
    • This kernel will operate only after debian installation

7. Download and burn the Debian Sarge CD-ROMs

  • Debian Sarge 3.1 r8 CDs downloadable at cdimage.debian.org
    Why 3.1r8? Simply because it's the last version of 3.1 !
  • you need (only) the first two CD (14 CD for the full distribution):
    debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-1.iso -640MB
    debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-2.iso -636MB
    These two CDROMs are really enough for installation of debian with X-window
  • Attention ! CDROM drive of the Performa 5200 can read CDR, but not CDRW (neither DVDRW!)

8. Restart Using MkLinux Booter & Installer Kernel

Here is MkLinux booter in action. You get the smiling Mac, then the Mac OS logo, then Mac OS basic-system is loaded, and mklinux booter get the focus as a MAC OS extension.
Options are in mklinux.prefs file, where you can change system default (MkLinux/MacOS), and delay before booting without mouse click (here 120s)
Right after clicking MkLinux, you're booting Linux in RAM and launching debian installer.

    8.1 Interruption of boot process

    • It's possible to interrupt the installation if you've not reached the partitionning process.
    • Using this procedure during partitionning or formating process can alter your hard drive !
    • You may use emergency reboot with "apple(cmd)-ctrl-extinction" key sequence.

    8.2 Kernel panic

    • At this stage, two main errors can end up in a kernel panic:
    • No "Mach Kernel" file in extensions folder
    • The kernel is searching for a boot sequence on solid drives (and doesn't find any) but not in RAM, so check your lilo.conf for the following line to be uncommented
      rootdev=/dev/ram
    • Simply correct your error(s) and reboot with cmd-ctrl-extinction

    8.3 Normal booting process

    • You should see a (picture of) Tux at the upper left corner of your screen, after some messages like "second stage boot loader"
    • You should have seen the line "RAMDISK: compressed image found at block 0" (between many others...): it means that the linux kernel has found the root device to proceed with booting and the image of debian installer

    8.4 Debian installer

    • The first screen with blue background ask you for choosing language: choose your language.
    • The second screen ask you for your country: choose your country
    • The third screen can detect an error with the keyboard map (red background), choose to continue and pass the stage of keyboard map choice; If it's impossible, reboot with "emergency sequence" (cmd-ctrl-extinction) or back-powerswitch, reboot in Mac OS and check lilo.conf for this kernel option:
      mach_options= keyboard_sends_linux_keycodes=1
      If this option is present and active (uncommented with "#"), try to "unactive" it (comment the line and duplicate it uncommented without this kernel option), otherwise, if it's missing, add it to the (other) kernel options.
    • Next screen is about CD-ROM mounting operation
    • You're asked for entering parameters for each module needed, answer "NO"
    • The next screen ask you about PCMCIA hardware, answer "NO" (Performa 5200 has no PCMCIA slot)
    • The CDROM (debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-1.iso) is scanned
    • A message about the content of CDROM is shown, asking you for continue or not the installation, choose "continue"
    • Then choose "Load pieces of installer from the CDROM" in the installation menu
    • then your'asked for kernel modules, choose to continue without loading theese modules ("Yes"), otherwise installation stops.
    • then installer asks you for optional modules, none are really needed, unselect all and choose "continue"
    • pieces of installer are loaded from CD-ROM, especially partman, the partitionning software
    • Then installer tries to detect networking-hardware, automatic configuration fails with DHCP, choose "continue"
    • For networking configuration screen, choose "no configuration for now"
    • Now Name your system (Mine is "debianP5200")
    • Now, no way back! You enter Partman and the partitionning process, it's risky to reboot with emergency sequence...
    • You're asked for using partman and libparted, choose "Yes"
    • choose then "manual modification of the partition table"
    • select your free unallocated space and type "enter"
    • create a new partition 10MB, at the beginning of the free space, named "boot", mount point "/boot", file system ext2, boot strap sequence present, end of setting up for this partition
    • select again the free leaving unallocated space and type "enter"
    • create a new partition 256MB, at the beginning of the free space, used as "swap", the settings of the other parameters are automatic, end of setting up for this partition
    • select again the free leaving unallocated space and type "enter"
    • create a new partition "max" for the maximum leaving space, named "as-you-like", mount point "/" (root of file system), file system ext2fs (NO ext3fs for your slow performa!), boot strap sequence absent, end of setting up for this partition
    • Then, choose "end with partitionning and apply changes"
    • You have to confirm again for the changes, choose "Yes"
    • partman will setup and format your new partitions, note the number of your biggest one (8 for me)
    • Now Debian installer verifies and copies the packages of the debian base-system
    • At the end of this process, you have a warning "no startup software is installed", and "you have to manually setup your kernel to the one located in boot (/dev/hda6 for mine) (that's wrong for our nubus-mac!). The root location must be passed as an argument to the kernel (that's right, and applies to our nubus-mac! Write it on a paper, you'll have to report it in next stage). Choose "continue"
    • Next the screen "end of installation", automatic ejection of the CDROM (don't be afraid if you're doing other jobs), and message "installation completed", take back your CDROM and choose "continue".
    • For next boot, choose Mac OS within MkLinux Booter, because you have to change your current kernel and your lilo.conf

9. Restart Using MkLinux Booter & Standard Kernel

  • As already said and written in the last line of 8.4, Before this boot with Debian, choose from MkLinux Booter a Mac OS boot and do the following:
    • Open extension folder. Rename "Mach Kernel" to "Mach Kernel debian installer" or whatever you like, but not "Mach Kernel". I suggest to keep it, if need be, to start again the install.
    • Rename "Mach Kernel alone" (so named at 4.3) to "Mach Kernel" exactly
    • edit lilo.conf in preference folder. You have to active these two lines within lilo.conf:
      • # rootdev=/dev/ram
        this kernel option has to be set to inactive
      • mach_options= root=/dev/hda10 noinitrd keyboard_sends_linux_keycodes=1 video=valkyriefb3:font:Acorn8x8,vmode:5,cmode:15
        • root=/dev/hda10 defines the root disk (told in previous stage by partman) , "a" in hda10 means first IDE drive (second is hdb), 10 is the number of the partition to be set as root
        • "noinitrd" means that no ramdisk is needed for the booting process (optional)
        • "keyboard_sends_linux_keycodes=1" make the mac-keyboard function properly
        • "video=valkyriefb3:font:Acorn8x8,vmode:5,cmode:15" defines the video driver for performa 5200 and the video mode
      • other lines should be commented (inactive) with a '#' at their beginning, for example:
      • # rootdev=/dev/sdb5
    • Set video mode to 832x624 (256 colors is the only option). It will be useful later, for installation of X, which is NOT able to set (change) the screen resolution.
  • Reboot in MkLinux
  • messages "adding swap" and "checking file system" are welcome
  • hotplug subsystem scanning returns a normal error with PCI
  • ...init: entering runlevel 2
  • base system configuration...

10. Debian system configuration

  • welcome to debian base system configuration, choose "OK"
  • errors with xfree86-kbd.pl (polish keyboard problem ???) (uninitialized value in hash element) in several lines of this script...
  • console-data configuration ask you for choosing a keymap, select "choose a keymap for your architecture", then "OK" (with 'tab' key)
  • then choose "azerty" (or "qwerty" if it is your keymap), then "French" or "Belgian" (if you're not english!) and "OK" with 'tab' key
  • keymap to install : mac-usb-fr (??!!!, other choices are impossible)
  • is your system clock at GMT time? As you like, yes or no
  • choose your time zone
  • Then, you're asking for a superuser password: Attention! Your keyboard is maybe set as "qwerty", so don't use numbers or special caracters! (you can change your password, after installation process) You're asked twice for the same entry.
  • enter a name for a "common" user
  • enter a password (asked twice) for this user
  • Install an internet connection via PPP, select "yes" if you have one network card (linux-compatible). You're informed that this connection can be used for the security update (and for installation purpose, if needed).If you continue with a CDROM installation process, select "NO" for "no installation via PPP"
  • Scanning CDROM, for index files...
  • Reading packages index...
  • Another CD to scan ? Eject first Debian CD, insert second, and answer "Yes"
  • Another CD to scan ? Answer "No"
  • Warning : NO access to security update (in case of no internet connection), choose "OK"
  • Message : insert first Debian CDROM and press enter, execute this action
  • Now some messages about packages, dependancies, etc...
  • Message "Package read-edid is not present": no problem!
  • Selection of Debian software: desktop environment, web server, print server, DNS server, file server, mail server, SQL database, manual selection of packages: it's simple: NONE have to be selected at this moment
    If you want to select one of this configuration, use the keyboard arrows and press space on your choice(s), otherwise Choose directly "Ok"
  • Many messages about new packages to be installed (154 MB without optional modules)
  • You're asked to change the DEBIAN CDROM for the second one, execute this action and press "enter"
  • Many "setting parameters for lib..." messages
  • and a "compiling python modules in /usr/lib/python2.3", amusing, no?
  • In setting up ssh, you'll see a "creating SSH2 RSA key"...
  • Now you've reached Exim v4 config. If you don't have any networking device, choose local distribution of mail, press 'tab' key and "OK", otherwise make as-you-like...
  • Define default recipient-user (name it) of the mails sent to root and postmaster
  • Then "restart MTA: exim4
  • Ouf! (as said in french) Your system configuration is now finished. If you want to do it again, launch "base-config" at command line.
  • You're now in login process
  • at "login:", type root (ie superuser)
  • at "password:", type your superuser passwords (no! already lost ?)
  • Now, you're in console-mode. You can open with "ctrl-alt+Fx" up to 6 independant consoles.
  • in the console-mode, a few commands are useful to know:
    • "ls" displays the content of the current directory
    • "cd /" change current directory to the root of file system
    • "cd /usr/bin" change current directory to "/usr/bin" directory
    • "halt" for quitting Linux (with power-off of the Performa)
    • "reboot" for rebooting
    • "df" returns all mounted media with specs (total size, free size, file system, mount point)
    • "df > /temp/df.txt" sends the previous screen to a file named "df.txt" in directory "/temp"
    • "cp source/file1 dest/file2" to copy files or directories
    • "rm file" to delete file(s)
    • "mkdir" to create a directory
    • "rd director(y)(ies)" to delete empty director(y)(ies)
  • Other pages about linux commands are, for examples:
  • I add here a useful procedure if you have a removable media like a iomega-ZIP SCSI, or like a SCSI DVD-RAM Maxoptix, which you can share with your Mac or PC.
  • You have to edit file /etc/fstab with nano editor, just type "nano /etc/fstab". Your default fstab looks like this :
      # /etc/fstab: static file system information
      #
      # '<'file system'>' '<'mount point'>' '<'type'>' '<'options'>' '<'dump'>' '<'pass'>'
      proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
      /dev/hda8 / ext2 defaults,error=remount-ro 0 1
      /dev/hda6 /boot ext2 defaults 0 2
      /dev/hda7 none swap sw 0 0
      /dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
      With pdisk from Alsoft(under Mac OS), you can list the partition table of any scsi drive. So, i used it to define "sdb4" for my Maxoptix DVD-RAM drive. You have to add th(is)(ese) line(s)
      /dev/hda5 /media/mac hfs rw,user,auto 0 0
      /dev/sda /media/zip vfat rw,user,auto 0 0
      /dev/sdb4 /media/max hfs rw,user,auto 0 0
  • save with "CTRL+O" and "enter", and quit nano with "CTRL+X"
  • You must create the "mac", "max" and "zip" directories, as root of course, with the command lines:
  • mkdir /media/mac
  • mkdir /media/max
  • mkdir /media/zip
  • I know you. Your only interest in linux is X ? Think first about installing midnight commander package with following command line:
      apt-get install mc
      TAKE CARE!If you're root to drive this tool, it's like a nuke (nuclear bomb)! Remember PCTOOLS or NORTON Commander? You surf through your filesystem, edit your config files, send line commands like a photon-rocket. Yeah! something is really fast as light on this debian sarge performa 5200!

11. Install X-window

  • Don't expect a miracle, or you'll be severely disappointed. X-Window will be very slow on your system, but it WILL WORK, and some tips can make your system more reactive with X.
  • Debian sarge installation was long and laborious (many questions to answer, many parameters to set). X-Window installation will expect you to type two commands in the console (as root).
  • To install, just insert CD-ROM debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-1
  • you can launch "aptitude" to identify needed packages, and choose the "x-window-system-core" package (i've not tested this)
    or:
  • Type in command line, as root :
    • apt-get install x-window-system-core
    • then comes xserver-xfree86 configuration
    • Automatic video card detection, choose "NO"
    • X server driver, choose "fbdev" (generic frame-buffer)
    • Message about PowerPC user, advice to keep the next entry empty, choose "Ok"
    • Video Bus identifier: as said previously, keep this entry empty, press "tab", then "enter"
    • Active the framebuffer video mode? choose "YES"
    • XKB rules, choose default "xfree86", then "TAB", and "OK"
    • Message about keyboard type, choose "OK"
    • Keyboard type, choose "macintosh" (default), "TAB" and "OK"
    • Keyboard layout, choose yours (mine is fr, yours is maybe us), "TAB" and "OK"
    • second Keyboard layout, choose "" (empty) "TAB" and "OK" (default "us" makes errors later in X-window, see here how to correct this problem)
    • message about keyboard options, choose "OK"
    • keyboard options, keep empty, "TAB" and "OK"
    • Port of your mouse: choose "adbmouse", "TAB" and "OK"
    • Have you a LCD monitor: choose "NO"
    • Select the method for defining your video specs: "medium", "TAB" and "OK"
    • Select the best video mode: choose "800x600 @ 72Hz", "TAB" and "OK"
    • Select with "space" key the two video modes allowed to your performa 5200: "800x600" and "640x480", "TAB" and "OK"
    • Select default color depth at "8 bits", "TAB" and "OK"
    • From the beginning of X-window installation, you've passed nearly 40 mn till here.
    • Now, you've got a "startx" command to launch X, but X server will crash (properly) if you launch it now.(try it, if you want, it's safe)
    • We have to edit the X config file with the "nano" editor, type as root in the command line:
    • nano /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
    • and remember that Linux is case-sensitive, so upper and lower caracters MUST be exactly typed as shown here! Otherwise, your nano-editor will edit an empty file. The file is NOT empty after the previous setup. You can move in the texte file with PgUP, PgDWN, and arrow keys.
    • we have first to "merge" the two sections related to the mice devices. You can use within nano the "CTRL+K" sequence key which deletes and copy in buffer the current line (cursor).To copy it anywhere, put your cursor where you want and press "CTRL+U". The "mouse" section must be as shown below (or matching your language) :
      • Section "InputDevice"
        • Identifier "Generic Mouse"
        • Driver "mouse"
        • Option "CorePointer"
        • Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
        • Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
        • Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
        • Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
        • Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
      • EndSection
    • Now we'got to define video modes specific to Performa 5200 in Section "Screen"
    • Delete Subsections "Display" for (color) Depth=1, Depth=4, Depth=16 and Depth=24. Only Depth=8 and Depth=15 are leaving.
    • The two SubSections "Display" MUST be as shown below (or matching your language) :
      • Section "Screen"
        • Identifier "Default Screen"
        • Device "Carte vidéo générique"
        • Monitor "Ecran générique"
        • DefaultDepth 8
        • SubSection "Display"
          • Depth 8
          • Modes "832x624" "800x600"
        • EndSubSection
        • SubSection "Display"
          • Depth 15
          • Modes "640x480"
        • EndSubSection
      • EndSection
    • in Section "ServerLayout", inactive the line InputDevice "Configured Mouse" with a "#" symbol at its beginning and keep the line InputDevice "Generic Mouse" active.
    • Now, save the changes with "CTRL+O" and confirm with "enter". Quit nano with "CTRL+X"
    • Launch X with startx
    • If you see the "X" cursor (nearly 30 seconds from the launch beginning), all is right!
    • You can read a message in a graphical window warning that no session, window manager and terminal emulator was found. So, we have to go on with X installation. Click button "Okay".
    • Type in the command line:
    • apt-get install gnome
    • System shows messages about the dependancies, and computes an uncompressed size of 620 MB for the packages.
    • You're asked to insert first CD of Debian(debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-1), and to press "enter"
    • Libpango1.0-common configuration: defoma for managing fonts, choose (default) "Yes"
    • cdrecord configuration: put "SUID root" in cdrecord binaries ? Answer (default) "No"
    • Mozilla-browser confuguration: Answer "none" for choice of a soundserver encapsulation module
    • Default paper format: choose (default) "A4"
    • Many messages about depackaging and setting up parameters follow...
    • Till the installer ask you for inserting second Debian CD (debian-31r8-powerpc-binary-2). Insert it, and press "enter"
    • ...Rebuilding the database. This may take some times (indeed, nearly 2H)
    • And that's all!

12. Setup and Run X-window

  • type in command line, as root or not: "startx".
  • You have to wait 30 seconds to see "X" cursor on grey background, and again 2-3 mn to see the debian desktop.
    Your desktop should look like this screenshot
  • Changing background is easy: choose menu "Applications", then "desktop preferences", then "Desktop background" : screenshot And, with a new wallpaper, it can look like this : screenshot, the default format for background images seems to be "PNG".
  • You can make your system more reactive. Choose Menu "Applications", then "desktop preferences", then :
    • in "menus and toolbars preferences": Inactive "display icons in menus" and "removable toolbars" and put "button labels of toolbars" to "text only" : screenshot
    • in "fonts": set size of apps, desktop, window titles and terminal fonts to 8 (i think that default size of 10 is too big for the maximum Performa video resolution of 832x624), and fonts render to "monochrome" : screenshot
  • The kernel version (2.4.27) prevents for launching LVM software which needs a 2.6.x kernel. So, you have to manually mount your removable drives (or put your removable media in its reader at booting time, it can work) with the following command lines as seen in this screenshot. Three "external" drives are mounted on the desktop: "mac" coresponding to the main HFS partition, "zip" corresponding to a 100MB SCSI (vfat=fat16)iomega ZIP, "max" corresponding to a SCSI 650 MB HFS DVD-RAM. Each drive is open in a window in this screenshot.
  • TO QUIT: choose menu "Actions" and "end session", then confirm, save current config is a good idea.
  • PANIC at the 4th of October 2009: my Performa's battery died, and i get many errors message, the main about the impossibility for launching files explorer Nautilus, other telling that gnome configuration was launching too often (!!!???) Simply: Set date and time (within X, even if you have no more your desktop'aliases, you can access the applications->System Tools->Date and time). Save configuration at session's closing, and if you don't change your power battery, you'll have to set date and time at every boot. Note that Mac OS boot onto this model without any problem of date and time (it is not the case for all macintosh models).

13. Conclusion

  • Some things are important in life. Other not. It was obvious to me that performing a linux installation on a nubus machine like a Performa 5200 will be rather interesting and difficult.
  • Installing a 2005's linux system in a 1995's computer was really astonishing. Especially if your computer's architecture is partially supported. Reaching the stage of X-Window installation and first launch, although slow, was really exciting.
  • Don't care about the partition's limitation at 2GB. On my IDE-ATA drive 8.5GB (ext2 main partition's size is 6 GB), i obtained a stable system, and didn't have any errors relating to disk or partitions. Maybe with SCSI drive or with debian woody? I've not tested it at this time...
  • In conclusion: A modern operating system in an old "Road-Mac". It's possible, but without a miracle. It's a preview of modern computer. Mac OS 7 or 8 are more powerfull and faster for this type of Mac, including more functions like sound. On the other hand, Mac OS 7 and 8 are dead systems with no more updates planned...Is there anybody somewhere planning to upgrade nubus kernel to include SCSI optimization, sounds, etc... ???

14. Add-1: how to correct X11 error with xkb config

  • A warning window opens at each launching time, appearing with splash screen "debian", telling that you have to simplify your keyboard configuration, and that's a common known error of debian.
  • In an X session, choose menu "Applications", then "system tools", then "configuration editor GConf" then develop the tree of file system from "/","desktop","gnome","peripherals","keyboard",and "xkb". On the right part of the window, double-click on "layouts". This action open a line editor, where you MUST leave just ONE keyboard layout (i have deleted "us", which was my second layout keyboard, the first was "fr"). You have to do the same with "xkb.sysbackup" which is the next field after "xkb"
  • End the session, launch again with "startx", and no warning window will appear at this time.

15. Add-2: SYSTEM FILES

  • Here's the dmesg from my first debian installation (Mac OS 7.5, HD 4G).
  • Here's the fstab (location: /etc) from my first debian installation (Mac OS 7.5, HD 4G).
  • Here's the dmesg from my second debian installation (Mac OS 8.1, HD 8.5G).
  • Here's the fstab (location: /etc) from my first debian installation (Mac OS 8.1, HD 8.5G).
  • Here's the "df" command result from my second debian installation (Mac OS 8.1, HD 8.5G).
  • Here's the "XF86Config-4" file (location: /etc/X11)

16. Add-3: BONUS: VIRTUALIZATION with Basilisk2

  • Here you wonder if i'm going to be mad. Not at all. Basilisk2 installation was rather easy, even without a (direct) internet access.
  • First, download BasiliskII debian sarge package. Dependancies are shown here.
  • Install this debian package within mc (midnight commander) in console mode.
  • If you try to launch BasiliskII (located in /usr/bin) at this time, you'll get a message error related to "libgtk1.2".
  • Download libgtk1.2.
  • Install this debian package within mc (midnight commander) in console mode.
  • If you try now to launch BasiliskII, you'll get a message error related to "libgmodule1.2".
  • Download libglib1.2.
  • Install this debian package within mc (midnight commander) in console mode.
  • Now, launch and setup BasiliskII. No sound is necessary!
  • Here's a screenshot of this "magic" virtualization.

17. Your comments

  • your comments are welcome...
  • i made a mistake
  • there's another (better or faster or simply different) way to do something in installation
  • you try (with my advices and other) and didn't succeed
  • you try and are fully successfull
  • you want other details for a particular stage of installation
  • you have a question about something else, related to performa 5200, debian sarge or mac software
  • my english is awfull (i know it, i just aim to be comprehensible)
  • send me an email at michelterras@sfr.fr