This extract taken from: Deja News Search on Old for "ncr 3410 linux".
I've just finished installing Red Hat 6.0 on a microchannel architecture (MCA) based NCR Model 3410 (NCR Class 3355) PC using the BusLogic BT 646S
SCSI adapter although any supported MCA SCSI adapter should work on your MCA system. This PC?s native video chip is the NCR 77c22 and is limited to
16 colors. The processor is a lowly 486/66 but it works OK. If you can find better supported video you will be happier if running ?X?.
I didn't find any Red Hat 6.0 MCA boot disks so I created my own "imperfect one" on another Red Hat Linux 6.0 PC. The problem with the MCA boot disk is
that it might not detect all the hardware you might have, it doesn't create the lilo.conf file and it doesn't run LILO to install your boot track. However, these
steps can be done later after some messing around as you will see by reading further.
The imperfect procedure below is one way how you can do the same to complete the Red Hat 6.0 installation for a SCSI based Microchannel system
Hopefully, I didn't forget something major because I did this from memory after several attempts at the MCA installation.. This procedure requires that you
first install Red Hat 6.0 on a non-microchannel PC. If this isn?t possible for you, perhaps you have a friend that is willing to install it on another PC.
Preparation
========
1. Read up on the HOWTOs for creating boot diskettes and creating linux kernels. You may want to purchase a good book on Linux also.
2. Write down exactly what hardware your MCA PC contains. You will need this when you define your microchannel kernel in later steps.
3. If using a SCSI disk, you may optionally (highly recommended) low level format your SCSI disk to make sure it will pick up the boot track correctly later.
This will also reassign any bad tracks on the disk the you may not be aware of.
4. Create a second RedHat6.0 Install diskette.
5. Create a SlackWare Linux 2.0.x MCA boot kernel disk from
http://www.dgmicro.com/mca/general-goods.html that will help fix the
problems I mentioned above.
6. Create a SlackWare Linux 2.0.x color root disk from metalab.unc.edu (sunsite).
Create a Red Hat 6.0 MCA Boot Diskette on another system
====================================================
1. Install RH 6.0 on a non-microchannel PC using the diskette supplied by Red Hat.
2. After installation, run ?make menuconfig?, ?make config? or ?make xconfig? to define and save your default configuration to a alternate configuration named
"orig.config."
3. Modify the configuration and create a very slim alternate microchannel configuration for just the hardware needed to complete the install. Include any SCSI
disk controllers in your system but skip networking since it?s not absolutely necessary to complete the installation of Red Hat.. The configuration needs to be
kept small so the compiled kernel file can be copied to a Red Hat installation diskette later in the process. You can add in the other hardware definitions on
your MCA based system after the installation.
4. Save the config as an alternate configuration file named "mca.config" (or pick some other unique name here.)
5. Build a kernel using "make dep; make clean; make bzImage". 6. CD to /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot and run "rdev -R bzImage". 7. Mount a second copy of
the Red Hat Installation diskette at /mnt/floppy using "mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy" and then copy bzImage to /mnt/floppy/vmlinuz.
Install Red Hat 6.0 on your MCA based system
==================================
1. Install Red Hat 6.0 on the MCA PC as you would any other PC. This installation may not detect all of your installed hardware but you can create a new
kernel with all of the hardware later.
2. Insert the SlackWare 2.0.x MCA boot kernel disk while rebooting the PC. 3. Insert the SlackWare 2.0.x root disk when prompted. Press enter and login as
root when ready.
4. Mount your PC's root partition by using "mount /dev/sda1 /mnt" (substitute the correct partition name if different.
5. Cd to /mnt/etc.
6. Create a minimal lilo.conf as follows substituting the correct partition in the root and boot statements:
boot=/dev/sda1
prompt
timeout=50
image=/vmlinuz
root=/dev/sda1
label=latest
read-only
image=/linux
root=/dev/sda1
label=linux
read-only
7. Save the file as "lilo.conf" and exit vi.
8. CD to /mnt/lib/modules.
9. Delete all the compiled modules using "rm -rf *" or else you will have trouble booting Red Hat 6.0 later.
10. Insert the SlackWare 2.0.x boot kernel diskette while rebooting the PC. 11. Type "mount root=/dev/sda1" at the first prompt and press enter. This will boot
your Red Hat 6.0 system with an older kernel from the SlackWare diskette.
12. Login using the root account and the password you entered during the Red Hat 6.0 installation.
13. Mount the Red Hat Installation diskette at /mnt/floppy using "mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy".
14. Copy the kernel to the root of your system by typing ?cp
/mnt/floppy/vmlinuz /? and pressing enter. This will place the compiled MCA kernel on your system.
15. Copy /mnt/floppy/vmlinuz to /linux. This will place a second copy of the compiled MCA kernel on your system. You can boot this alternate copy in an
emergency.
16. Run LILO by typing "lilo" and pressing enter. This should map your boot track and install both copied of the kernel. You should see the displayed
messages:
adding latest *
adding linux
17. Reboot you system and remove any diskettes.
18. Login to your newly installed system.
19. CD to /usr/src/linux and configure your kernel for all the hardware in your system, You can use ?make config?, ?make menuconfig? or ?make xconfig?. 20.
Build your freshly defined kernel using "make dep; make clean; make bzlilo".
21. Install any modules by pressing "make modules; make modules_install" and pressing enter.
22. Reboot your newly installed microchannel based Red Hat 6.0 system. 23. Return to the non-MCA Red Hat system and run ?make config?, ?make
menuconfig? or ?make xconfig? loading in the default configuration file named ?orig.config? so that you can now configure the non-MCA system with a
non-MCA configuration.
Good luck with your new Red Hat 6.0 PC(s).
jtsatsk@primenet.com wrote in message <7id3tn$god$2@nnrp03.primenet.com>...
>Cokey de Percin wrote in
comp.os.linux.hardware:
>CdP>mmueller007@hotmail.com wrote:
>>>
>>> I have heard that it is now possible to run Linux on a PS/2 with micro
>>> channel architecture. Has anyone ever attempted this installation? This
>>> machine of mine comes without (!) CD-ROM, has 8MB of RAM and has a
>>> 212MB SCSI HDD. I welcome any ideas, recommendation, sites, etc.
>>>
>
>CdP>The base 2.2.X kernel supports MCA. There are also patches for the 2.0
>CdP>kernels, but I don't know where you'd get them. You don't say what
kind
>CdP>of PS/2 you have or if you're on a network. If you have one of the
SCSI
>CdP>MCA boxes such as Model 90, 77 or 95, you could plug an old SCSI CDROM
>CdP>in just for the install; if on a network you should be able to do an
>CdP>ftp or nfs install. The support is pretty good for the standard IBM
>CdP>hardware. I have two mod 77s and a mod 95 running on RH 5.0 & 5.2.
Two
>CdP>have 2.0 kernels, but I set them up over a year ago and I don't know
>CdP>where I got the patches and I don't believe I even have the patches any
more.
>CdP>One of the 5.0 boxes has a 2.2.3 kernel where I just downloaded,
compiled
>CdP>and ran - work great and hasn't been down since. So the answer is yes
it's
>CdP>available and works. How you can install it is another question.
>
>You can find scsi driver and some installation tips at
>http://www.dgmicro.com/mca/default.htm. If you can get a scsi cdrom,
>installation should be a breeze. I'haven't been able to make X work, but
>with only 8MB you shouldn't even try.