Handbook:PPC64/Blocks/Bootloader/de
With the kernel configured and compiled and the necessary system configuration files filled in correctly, it is time to install a program that will fire up the kernel when the system boots. Such a program is called a boot loader.
GRUB is a bootloader for PPC64 powered Linux machines.
Using GRUB
Installation
root #
emerge --ask sys-boot/grub
Setup bootstrap partition
First, prepare the bootstrap partition that was created created during the preparing the disk step. Following the example, this partition should be /dev/sda2. Optionally, confirm this by using parted:
Replace /dev/sda with the correct device if required.
root #
parted /dev/sda print
Model: ATA Patriot Burst El (scsi) </div> <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> Disk /dev/sda: 120GB </div> <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B </div> <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> Partition Table: mac </div> <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> Disk Flags: </div> <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> Number Start End Size File system Name Flags 1 512B 32.8kB 32.3kB Apple 2 32.8kB 852kB 819kB hfs bootstrap boot 3 852kB 538MB 537MB ext4 Boot 4 538MB 54.2GB 53.7GB ext4 Gentoo
In this output, partition 2 has the bootstrap information so /dev/sda2 is the correct path to use.
Format this partition as HFS using the hformat command which is part of the sys-fs/hfsutils package:
root #
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda2 bs=512
root #
hformat -l bootstrap /dev/sda2
Create a directory to mount the bootstrap partition and then mount it:
root #
mkdir /boot/NWBB
root #
mount --types hfs /dev/sda2 /boot/NWBB
Setup GRUB
root #
grub-install --macppc-directory=/boot/NWBB /dev/sda2
If it installs without errors, unmount the bootstrap:
root #
umount /boot/NWBB
Next, bless the partition so it will boot:
root #
hmount /dev/sda2
root #
hattrib -t tbxi -c UNIX :System:Library:CoreServices:BootX
root #
hattrib -b :System:Library:CoreServices
root #
humount
Finally, build the grub.cfg file:
root #
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Using yaboot on IBM hardware
On IBM hardware it is not possible to run yabootconfig or ybin. Proceed with the following steps:
- Emerge the yaboot-static package.
- Run the following command, filling in
XX
with the disk and partition for the PReP partition. {{Path|/dev/sda1}
root #
dd if=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot.chrp of=/dev/sdXX
- Construct a yaboot.conf file and place it into /etc/. Take a look at the configuration example above, look into the man page for yaboot.conf (man 8 yaboot.conf, or look at the below yaboot.conf example.
- Assuming the boot device in OpenFirmware is pointing to the hard drive the prep boot partition is on, then it'll just work. If not, at IPL time, go into the multiboot menu and set the boot device to the one with the prep boot partition.
That's it!
device=disk:
partition=2
root=/dev/sda3
default=linux
timeout=50
image=/boot/kernel-6.6.21-gentoo
label=linux
append="console=ttyS0,9600"
read-only
For POWER4, POWER5, and blade-based hardware (where the PReP disk partition and the disk partition that contains the kernel are on the same physical disk), it is possible to use a simplified yaboot.conf. The following should be sufficient:
default = linux
timeout = 100
image=/boot/kernel-6.6.21-gentoo
label=linux
read-only
root = /dev/sda3
append="root=/dev/sda2"
To verify that yaboot has been copied to the PReP partition:
root #
dd if=/dev/sda1 count=10 | grep ELF
Binary file (standard input) matches 10+0 records in 10+0 records out
A match signifies that yaboot was installed correctly.