Debian / Dual boot on Sam 440EP

Hi all there :)

Recently, we have sent the Sam 440EP boards to our customer and I have tried many things to install Linux Debian on our Sam at our shop.

But, unfortunately, after installation of the Linux Debian on the harddisk, we haven't been able to store the kernel on the harddisk and to create a multiboot in order to choose Amiga OS 4.1 or Debian.

Has anybody (M3X ??!!) tried this on Sam 440EP board please ?

Thanks in advance for your help :)
Laurent aka Faranheit

@Faranheit

thanks for investigating this question

Hope you will found some help here...

NOTE:

Talking debian here:

http://www.sam440.com/fra/summerfollies.html


NOTE2:


Maybe b post the same on amigaworld, m3x seemed to be more often here...

Maybe: not for sam but maybe informations:

http://www.intuitionbase.com/static.php?section=a1os

and after:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/amigaone/

Maybe: not for sam but maybe informations:

http://www.intuitionbase.com/static.php?section=a1os

and after:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/amigaone/

@Faranheit

this info in your profile, screws up the layout

Location laurentzorawski57@hotmail.com

@Faranheit

The suggested procedure is the following:

- Install first OS4.1 on the HD
- leave space on the HD to be used later for the Linux partitions
- as OS4.1 boot partition use only FFS
- then install Debian (with the ISO from our web site)
- the install procedure need a fast internet connection (it's a net-install CD) and may take several minutes
- create at least 3 partitions:

????? boot partition, 100 MB size, ext2/ext3 filesystem
????? swap partition, 2 Gb max size
????? root partition, ext2/ext3 filesystem

- At the end of the install procedure, a new bootloader (ub2lb) will be automatically installed in the hard drive RDB

That's all, at the next reboot Uboot will show you two menu entries for the multiboot

@m3x

thanks for the answer

- Why only FFS, and not SFS also (if user like SFS) ???
Linux limitation only or FFS only with AOS4.x ???

IMHO? you (Acube) should make some dedicated linux install internet pages and describe in detail the install of linux distribution WITH aos4.x, on the same HD, and even for the futur, if AROS will be available for SAM as an installable distribution.

For me, all actual explanations about linux are just alone and nOT available with other OS like AOS4.X or AROS, on the same time, on SAM440.

You know, having linux WITH AOS4.X or AROS or another OS in the futur on the same time is also a good point for a user to buying SAM products, of course IMHO

thanks to Acube for the hardware of hyperion for the software

@M3X:

I have installed Debian exactly how you have described it but with the iso found on ACube site, there is no bootloader in order to start debian directly !
Several times during the installation, it says that no kernel is located on the cd-rom.

And when I try to install the bootloader (uImage) on the linux boot partition it says that the partition is 100% full and the partition is destroyed if I try to reboot or shut-down the Sam (with the software option).

Any idea ?

Thanks for your answer,
Laurent aka Faranheit

@Faranheit

It seems you're following the old AmigaOne procedure, which isn't suitable on Sam.

You don't need to install any kernel via "dd" as happens on the AmigaOne, the Debian install procedure will take care of all.

Once finished Debian will be bootable via the "boota" command as it happens with OS4.1

When the installation procedure prompt the "missing kernel" message, just skip it.

@m3x

Thanks for your answer !

I'll try this today ;)

See you later ;)
Laurent aka Faranheit

@m3x

Quote:Unless the CD includes a newer version of this slb replacement than the sources on sourceforge.net, or downloads it while installing, it does not support FFS.
It can only be used for booting AROS and Linux. If you install it you can't boot AmigaOS any more, no matter which file system you use for the AmigaOS boot partition.

@joerg

Yes, you're right the version on the Debian cd is totally useless for AOS4.1...

n the meantime we're developing a new Uboot and Parthenope versions which will be able to boot multi OSes avoiding the current limits of boota

Therefore the suggestion is to wait a few more days for a new UBoot release.

@m3x

Quote:Might be required for other OSes (AROS, FreeBSD, ...), but not for Linux. Unless there is a bug in the Linux booting support in the SAM440 version of U-Boot booting Linux with the SLB has to work exactly the same way as on the AmigaOne (bootable ext2fs or ext3fs partition with /boot/a1boot.conf).

@M3X

Ok, I have installed Debian CD from ACube site on the Sam 440EP, and after installation, I have changed the linux boot option to :
root=/dev/sda6 console=tty0

Uboot says after that there is no SLB !

I'm not able to boot AOS 4.1 or Linux at all ;(

What te hell is that ??!!

Any other idea please ?

Thanks, Laurent aka Faranheit

@m3x

Quote:

With the new Uboot, It will be possible to install THE ACTUAL Acube linux distributions/AROS/..... WITH AOS4.1 (wiTH SFS or FFS) together and use the sam as a multi-OS platform ????

I really want to use SFS with AOS4.1 and linux/aros/... (as new experiences) on the same Sam machine, in the futur (I'm a SFS fan

Thanks m3x and joerg for the technicals answers.

@M3X:

I have tried to boot woth 'boota' command in U-Boot, nothing starts and U-Boot still says there is no SLB on the harddisk !

I can only start Debian by using tftp command and the uImage file on a pc but graphic isn't able to start ;(

Have you any idea in order to boot again AOS 4 or Linux please ??

Thanks in advance ;)
Laurent aka Faranheit

@Mrodfr

Quote:AROS only if it can be loaded with the SLB as well, not if it only works with it's own nonsense SLB replacement "ub2lb".
There can only be one SLB on a HD and you can either install the AmigaOS SLB to load AmigaOS and Linux, or the AROS ub2lb with with you can't load AmigaOS.

On the AmigaOne you can use more than one SLB if you use more than one IDE controller (multiple HDs on the same controller are not enough), but IIRC the SAM440 U-Boot doesn't support booting from a sii680, sii3112, etc.

Quote:You have to be very careful when trying something like that ...
The AmigaOS SFS and AROS SFS are compatible and you can use AmigaOS SFS partitions on AROS and AROS SFS partitions on AmigaOS, but they don't support the extensions of each other, for example the AROS SFS doesn't support AmigaOS SFS\2 partitions and the AmigaOS SFS doesn't support little endian AROS SFS partitions (DOSType sfs\0).
There is no support for AmigaOS/AROS SFS partitions on Linux and you must never write to AmigaOS SFS partitions with a MorphOS version of SFS, like the 'asfs' one included in Linux! Since that can can destroy your data you shouldn't access SFS partitions on Linux, or at least only mount them read-only.

@Faranheit

Quote:Boot AmigaOS 4.1 form the CD, start MediaToolBox, select the HD, in Edit RDB/Install drive replace ub2lb by the SLB (L:SLB_v2) and save the changes to the drive.

@Faranheit

Dual boot is possible.
The SLB of AmigaOS can boot AmigaOS *and* Linux partitions.
Install everything from the Debian CD. Reboot and in Debian, create the file a1boot.conf in /boot. Use something like:
debian console=tty0 boot=/boot/uImage root=/dev/sda4
Copy the uImage file from the Debian CD (in the sam440ep directory) into your /boot directory.

Finally boot on the AmigaOS CD to put the L:SLB back on the disk.

The SLB will allow you to boot the AOS partition and the Debian one.

@Elwood

How do you install from the Debian CD? When I try all I get is a 'bad magic number'.

Edit: Ok, I found out that the CD auto-boots, but now the partitioner won't format an ext3 partition and won't mount an ext2 partition.