Is it possible to install ANY LinuxOS on a real Amiga?

[gizz72]

Greetings,

I mean, look at A3000UX, it ran an AT&T unix. Unfortunately, It's the only one of it's kind.
Out of curiosity.... It is possible to run any Linux based OS on a REAL amiga(e.i A1200 running KNOPPIX, or REDHAT on an A4000)(of course,expanded with GFX cards and all). Would be nice to see Xwindows running on a real Amiga?

Has Someone here has ever done that already or at least attempted it?

Regards,

Gizz

[Brian]

At least Debian (doubt that it should be the only one) should be possible to install both as 68K and PPC depending on what CPU you have... special installasion tool for the Amiga is available from debian.org which should indicate that it works. :-)

I can't confirm this though, havent tried it myself... like the AmigaOS too much. :-D

[Ilwrath]

It is possible to run any Linux based OS on a REAL amiga

Sure.  There are several builds of Linux that still support the m68k tree, which includes the old Macs and Amigas.  You DO need an MMU, though, so no base 68000 or EC020/030/040 are supported.  But 68030/040/060 equipped Amigas should work.  

Check out http://www.linux-m68k.org/ for more info...

Would be nice to see Xwindows running on a real Amiga?

Till you try to use it -- it's dog-[bleep] slow on ECS/AGA.  I don't think I ever got my CV64/3D running under Linux.  But, I didn't try too hard, either.  I played with it for a while back several years ago, and ended up wiping the drive I used for Linux to use as a ShapeShifter Mac drive, instead.  :-)

Has Someone here has ever done that already or at least attempted it?

Yep -- many.  It's not too hard.  Google is your friend.  :-)

[Brian]

Thought I help you out... here's the Req. for Debian and Install short step-by-step:

Amiga with MMU capabilities.
Minimum 12Mb 32bit ram.
Minimum 300Mb Harddrive (100Mb for Amiga partision, 200 for Linux Boot and Swap partisions)
ECS Graphics (Graphiccard recomended).

1) Create the 100Mb Amiga partision, format it and install AmigaOS into it (don't create linux partisions).
2) Install CDRom or Ethernetcard drivers (so that you can access the Debian install files).
3) Download a gtz unpacking tool (for Amiga).
4) Unpack the Install 2 Amiga 68K (6.2MB) archive onto your Amiga harddrive (it should create it's own directory) and put the Basic Install Package (25.8MB) archive in the same directory (still packed) as the other unpacked files went.
5) Click your way into the dir where you have the linux files, there show all files and doubleclick on AMIBOOT-5.6
6) In the shell that opens type: amiboot-5.6 -d -k linux.bin -r root.bin root=/dev/ram video=amifb:pal nolangchooser
7) The installasion will start, follow it through and it should end with Linux on the harddrive... now Reboot.
Now to start linux you need to type: AMIBOOT-5.6 -K LINUX.BIN ROOT=/DEV/HDA2 (where HDA2 is the drive you installed Debian on)
9) Drive 1 should be DOS type 11 (Linux Native) and Drive 2 DOS tyype 12 (Linux Swap).

End Note: If the links don't work (new release out) use ftp.debian.org and use the link URL's to guide you to the files.

[gizz72]

@Brian

Thanks for the links and all. Really appreciate it. I begin to test it this weekend. Thanks. :-)

Regards,

Gizz

[Insanity]

What about netBSD, then?

Isn't that avaliable even for texas instruments calculators?
(and also for 68k)?

[Munchkin]

It's definately possible.

I've been running linux on my A4k for quite some time and it works very well.

As already stated you need a processor with a MMU and preferably an FPU as well. FPU-emulation doesn't quite do the trick even if you can make it run. The latest debian distro's doesn't work well at all without an FPU but if you get hold of the old RedHat it might work, haven't tried myself.

The only uptodate distro is Debian and it's almost on the same level as the i386 dist. The development is a little behind because of lack of m68k-based computers to do the compiling and testing, but there are a few people still on it. The Amiga bootdisks are probably in the fronline before the other m68k based systems.

Check Debian up http://www.debian.org

On my A4000/040/40 with CV64/3D and Ariadne-II it works very well. Though, X is rather slow at times. Mozilla works well but the waiting times are sometimes quite long.

If you can find it you can go for the old RedHat 5.1 port. It should still be avaliabe to buy cheaply. I checked the site where it once was downloadable but I can't find it there so I don't know if it's still avaliable online.
There was a 5.2 port as well but it never got quite finished to be called stable, but I compiled a CD from it so I have it and it never gave me any problems.
Though, it refuses to identify my harddrive now. Don't know exactly why that is, it might be that it doesn't recognise my 5 GB HD. I had a 2 GB when I ran that distro.

If you want to get hold of the RH5.1 or 5.2 CD's and can't find them just contact me and I'll see what I can do.

The downside with the old RH's is that there isn't any web browser that can handle modern webpages, but it's a LOT faster in X than the newer Debian dists are. I recommend a 060 to run Debian 3.0

Have fun!

[MrZammler]

I would suggest that you try NetBSD instead of linux. Have both Debian on my A1200 and NetBSD on my A3000 (040, Picasso), and NetBSD is much more usable on Amiga's low powered CPU. (Less bloated than linux).

[gizz72]

Greetings all,

Thanks for all the tips. I'll get right on it soon, backed up my hard drive to begin and noting all the sites mention.
I'm sure It'll take more than a weekend to do this. :-D

See you all later!! :-)

cheers!! :pint:

Regards,

Gizz

[HopperJF]

netBSD was given away free with an amiga format CD a while back
i can dig it out if you want it, i have no use for any of them anymore (no cd drive)

[Trev]

For CPUs without an MMU, take a look at uClinux. It's not an out-of-the-box solution, but if you wanted out-of-the-box, you'd be running Windows on ix86. ;-)

Trev