Writing a how to for Gentoo for Sparc

[TUX2k]

I'm not a real linux Geek but I like Linux as a OS.
I was runnig Gentoo Linux on my amd K6 but had to go back to windows because of problemmes with my hardeware.
But I still have a Ultra Sparc 10 Station, so I was thinking of installing Gentoo on this machine and also write a howto as I go along installing gentoo on this machine.

So if there is any one out there who would like to help.
Please contact me.

[arkane]

Once I finally get the bugger installed I'll help...

right now, I'd be happy just to have it running

[asric]

I know what you mean. After 1 week, I have gotten to the point where I can do emerge's (the wget and ssh binaries were compiled for Ultra-sparcs, while my machine is a Sparc 10). My current stumbling block is the kernel. Neither the gentoo-sources or sparc-sources kernels compile.

I guess the Sparc 10 goes and sits in the corner with the rest of them, until I have the time to revisit this.

[TUX2k]

I am also working on a sprac 10.
And the vanilla source compiled just fine on my system a just cat get the X running and I'm looking for a solution.

But I wont have the time for it now since i am going to parijs next weekend for my brithday.

But it should not be a problem to run gentoo an a sparc 10

[arkane]

I got everythiing compiled right on my sparc10 and it works... albiet from CD because I'm having issues with the old prom. (it won't allow a boot sector over 1GB) I've been messing around with my new Pentium 1.8ghz, and haven't had a chance to fudge around with the Sun, but I do know that the vanilla-sources work great.

There is a semi-howto on the CD, I followed that and it helped me alot.

[Blind Tree Frog]

I'm also on a sparc 10 and can't get past stage 3. I'm getting errors when it tries to compile the scheduler I believe. I tried a stage 3 tarball and the wget was bad. Next I was going to try a stage 3 with the wget from an earlier one, but I don't know.

Anyone able to offer any advice on how to get the damn thing on?


Which source code are people emerging to build the kernel from? The vanilla source code and not the sparc based?

[asric]

The problem with wget (and everything else compiled with libssl) is that they were compiled for the sparc v8+ architecture (which is, basically, the Ultrasparc). These binaries are for the wrong architecture for a SPARC 5/10/20. What I did was download an ancient version of wget from ftp.gnu.org and install it over the wget in /usr/bin. I then did an emerge of openssl and wget.

Then I did "file /usr/bin/*" to find out what was compiled for the SPARC V8, and then did an emerge of those packages. You might need to check /usr/sbin as well.

[Blind Tree Frog]

So starting from a stage 1 tarball shouldn't cause any problems then (as the only problems I ran into with wget were trying from a stage 3 tarball). Stage one worked fine for me and I can only assume that they are using only the most generic tools at that point (or virtual machine or something).

So starting from stage 1 isn't a problem. follow all of the instructions as per the x86 install guide (switching in vmlinux for bzimage of course.....confused the irc channel with that one for a while), but when you reach stage 3 what do you do then? Emerging the source tree labeled sparc (whicher it is) causes compiling errors and won't complete (which means I need to start over with the screwed up way I'm installing things). Apparently the plain vanilla install works fine (vanilla-sources I assume he refers to), but leads to X problems later on perhaps and has the added disadvantage of not being enchanced for anything (gentoo or sparc).

So what has everyone else done at that point and how successful was it?

[Blind Tree Frog]

Reading back over, it sounds like go with the vanilla source tree. Does this cause any problems later on? I see the one comment about X not working....

[arkane]

[Blind Tree Frog]

[arkane]

Well, you'd want the sun framebuffer support in the kernel...
I do know that much
That will make or break the installation.