Re: [cobalt-users] iBook or PowerBook for OS restore?

[josh <josh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I could try it on a PowerBook. I have Virtual PC, and people have
installed Linux on Powerbooks using Virtual PC. Though, if you think
about it, the one question that immediately comes to mind is, "why?"

I would need help to tell if I got far enough. I can try things but I
have no desire to actually restore my server. I tend to keep the
Powerbook on a different network altogether and since I have never
actually done it, I've no idea what I would need to do to establish
that it won't work.

I suspect it won't work as a Powerbook won't "easily" boot from a CD
without an apple file system. If it can be started from within Virutal
PC or simply made accessible on the network, that would be easy. The
people supporting the NetBSD distros mess with the open firmware and
get very odd booting behavior. On the other hand, accessing the open
firmware is the easiest way to fry a powerbook. [ Technically you
wouldn't fry it. It is actually very similar to the Forth used by Sun
SparcStations. However, you can easily enter commands that would
render the machines firmward inaccessible and unbootable requiring
Apples expensive assistance in resetting it. ]

On Wed, May 29, 2002 at 05:25:23PM -0700, Bruce Timberlake wrote:
> Tim Dunn wrote:
> > 
> > > Has anyone successfully used an Apple iBook or PowerBook to
> > > perform an OS restore on a RaQ?
> > 
> > Shooting off the cuff, I would doubt it.  The restore CD is redhat,
> > and designed to book x86.  Perhaps you can boot it off a virtual
> > PC, but I'd not wager it'll be able to support the network interface.
> 
> The distro that the OSRCD boots from is Debian for x86.  The CD won't
> even boot on a non-x86 laptop...
> 
> --
> Bruce Timberlake
> Sun Cobalt Technology Engineer
> Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> 
> E: bruce.timberlake@xxxxxxx
> 
> _______________________________________________
> cobalt-users mailing list
> cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To Subscribe or Unsubscribe, please go to:
> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users

-- 
Josh Kuperman                       
josh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx