How to get/install SMP kernel?

vmnrao · 08-28-2004, 06:57 PM

I recently purchased Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 and installed it on my Powermac 9600/200DP. I am fairly new to linux, and I need to know step-by-step how to go about getting and installing an SMP kernel for Linux. Can someone please help me out and explain this to me? Where do I get the smp kernel? How do I install it? I would like to get a hold of a precompiled kernel- I'd rather not compile it myself!

Tinkster · 08-28-2004, 07:06 PM

Hi, and welcome to LQ!

The place to look for a precompiled kernel
for YellowDog should be the YellowDog website.

As for the "roll your own" there's a) a very good
tutorial on http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/howtos.html
and b) a truckload of threads on this site... they
may not be targeted at Macs but I'd hope the
similarities outweigh the differences.

Cheers,
Tink

vmnrao · 08-28-2004, 10:00 PM

Thanks for the response. I found RPM files for SMP kernels on Yellow Dog's site. I'm not sure how to use them. I use BootX to boo tinto linux and it doesn't recognize these RPM files. How do I install these RPM files to get an SMP kernel?

Tinkster · 08-28-2004, 11:29 PM

I don't use an RPM based distro myself...

Commonly rpm-packages are installed using
rpm -i <package-file>

Cheers,
Tink

IanChristie · 11-17-2004, 06:59 PM

I believe you'll have to put a copy of the kernel in the folder on the mac partition so bootx will see it.

I'm trying to get a distro to install on my Powermac 9600/200MP. I've tried to get Yellow Dog 2.3 (because it's a single disc, Debian, even Ubuntu to install, but everytime I get a blank screen and then the mac reboots. That happens consitently with all distros, with the "No Video Driver" option in BootX unselected.

In all three distros, if I select the "No video driver" option in BootX I get the little penguin in the topleft, although in strange colours, but nothing else. Then the computer reboots after a bit. The only difference is the text install for Yellow Dog actually displys the Penguin and the regular boot messages, but only gets so far in booting then says it can't find bash and reboots. Yes I am using the ramdisks from the cd.

Is there something I need to do, possibly with Boot Paramaters on this mac? I really want to get a distro installed.

I have a DB-15 to VGA adapter and Mac OS 9.1 on a small second partition, running at 1024x768.

This is my first time using a PowerMac and trying to install Linux on one.