Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@andrewlkho

andrewlkho/gist:10737771

Created April 15, 2014 14:37
Show Gist options
  • Star 2 You must be signed in to star a gist
  • Fork 0 You must be signed in to fork a gist
  • Save andrewlkho/10737771 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save andrewlkho/10737771 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
Debian/PowerBook G4: Network install
Raw
gistfile1.md

This was originally posted on 2009-08-04 to http://andrewho.co.uk/weblog/debian-powerbook-g4-network-install

I'm currently in the process of seatting up Debian GNU/Linux (Lenny, the latest stable) on my PowerBook G4 (12-inch; bought circa August 2004 in the UK). I'm going to post a few bits and bobs here both to serve as a reference to myself but also to help anyone else who follows in this endeavour.

The SuperDrive on my PowerBook no longer works, so I had to do a completely network-based install (it also feels a bit cleaner this way). I couldn't place the files on the hard drive for booting as the installer can't boot from HFS+ filesystems. The first step is to place the following files on a TFTP server on your network (I used my Mac Pro -- Leopard comes with a pre-configured TFTP server):

Also, make sure you have a working DHCP server on your network. Next, boot into Open Firmware by pressing Command-Option-O-F before the startup chime. Boot from your TFTP server by typing the following at the prompt (192.168.1.33 is the IP address of my Mac Pro):

boot enet:192.168.1.33,yaboot

Now, just run through the installation as you normally would and you'll soon reboot into a working Debian system.

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment