First-install

Last Update: 6 June 1999

First Install

This procedure assumes you will be using RedHats Rough Cuts cdrom. If you have downloaded all the necessary files via FTP then you should create an AmigaDos directory named redhat and extract all the files there. This installation procedure assumes your base (current) directory is the root directory of the RedHat m68k Linux cdrom or your redhat hard disk directory ( DH0:redhat for example ).

Before you begin the installation process, you might consult the official RedHat installation Howto. This doc is obviously written with an intel bias, but is still very applicable to the m68k install process. You should ignore any references to boot-disks, PC hardware, etc.

To install RedHat m68k Linux your Amiga will need access to all the files found on the cdrom. Depending on where you have placed these files, The installer will ask you which installation method to use:

Local CDROM. This may be the RedHat m68k CD, or a downloaded FTP image burned on CDROM..
FTP to a local/remote Linux/Unix machine containing all the RedHat m68k Linux files or the mounted cdrom.
NFS to a local/remote Linux/Unix machine containing all the RedHat m68k Linux files or the mounted cdrom.
A local AFFS or EXT2 disk partition containing all the RedHat m68k Linux files.

Note: in the above descriptions, all means all files on the CDROM except the SRPMS (Source RPMs), which are optional.

Know your system:

Before installing linux on your system you should know its hardware content and configuration. Write down the answers to these questions:

Have you setup the required swap/root disk partitions ?
Which disks/partitions contain the swap/root partitions ?
What is your system type and model number [duh!] ?
What keyboard layout do you have (de, uk, us, etc.) ?
What CPU do you have (68030, 68040, 68060) ?
Do you have a math coprocessor ? (It must).
Do you have an IDE or SCSI disk controller ?
If you have SCSI, which SCSI card do you have ? Is it supported by Linux ?
What Network card do you have ?
What will your ethernet address (IP) be ?

Unless you are connected to somebody else's network and have been provided your own IP address, you should choose a local-network IP for your Amiga. Internet Standards RFC1597 explicitly defines several such addresses for local networks:

   10.0.0.0 thru  10.255.255.254, Netmask =  10.255.255.255
 172.16.0.0 thru  172.31.255.254, Netmask =  172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 thru 192.168.255.254, Netmask = 192.168.255.255

No other IP addresses may be used for local networks (if you ever plan to access the Internet).

If you have defined a local address outside this range I strongly urge you to change it to comply with worldwide Internet standards, or you will experience and/or cause 'problems' for yourself and others.

If you have a completely local network, I suggest using an IP address of 10.0.0.10 and a netmask of 255.0.0.0, this will allow you to easily connect to the real internet in the future. There are many other reasons to use this class-A address range, which I won't cover here.

What is your ethernet netmask.
What is your domain name (make one up if you have a local-only network. I use rjf.net ) ?
What is your systems name on the network ( use your imagination! ) ?
What video chipset does your system use (OCS/ECS/AGA) ?
Where will you be installing the RedHat files from (CDROM/FTP/NFS/hard-disk) ?

While running AmigaDos, cd (change-directory command) to the RedHat /images/ directory.

Start the installation process by entering the command:

/utils/amiboot-5.6 -r initrd.img root=/dev/ram video=<desired video mode>

Depending on where you downloaded the install files, you may need to use the supplemental diskette. The installer will prompt you if so.

The video= parameter is optional, and should only be necessary if you are using a special video card or your video does not work correctly after Linux boots. If you have an NTSC Amiga you will need to specify the video=ntsc option if the display stays blank or starts rolling.

If in doubt, consult the amiboot readme file.

Amiboot should display some status information, load the Linux kernel, and start Linux after several seconds of gray screen. Linux will identify the hardware resources found in your machine, then start the RedHat m68k Linux installation script. ( For those of you familiar with x86 RedHat, it feels a little spooky to see this screen on an Amiga, of all places! ). If this does not happen, send help messages to the redhat-m68k mailing-list described in the References section of this document. If you use the supplemental floppy disk, make sure you place it in DF0:. It must be placed in DF0:.

The RedHat installer makes a few keyboard assumptions, they are:

     TAB    - moves between major selections.
     ARROWS - moves between selections (up/down, left/right).
     SPACE  - toggle current field.
     ENTER  - accept current settings.

After you have answered a few questions, these keys will start to make sense.

Now answer the questions....
(I should do better here, but it would require many, many hours to do so....)

Note: During the installation you may be asked a second time to detect the SCSI controller or reconfigure the network setups. If this happens DO NOT reconfigure them, TAB down to the cancel button and hit enter. This will skip device reconfiguration, and keep the original (correct) settings.

Note: If you have an IDE disk controller you will have to download a patched initrd.img file (See the Problems section).

Note: Don't forget to write down the root password you entered near the end of the install process.

If you run into trouble, review each step, then check for sources of help in the References section.