HOW-TO Install Fedora 8 on PS3

[Extreme_Dude23]

Woo! It's out! Fedora 8 for PS3!

*A SPECIAL NOTE: If you have FW 2.10+, there will be slight problems with the kboot (Screen flashes on and off sometimes).




REQUIRMENTS:


The Fedora 8 PPC image (Direct Download link: http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/fedora/lin...-8-ppc-DVD.iso

BitTorrent Link: http://torrent.fedoraproject.org/tor...vd-ppc.torrent ).

The KBoot: http://www.sendspace.com/file/4hw38q

Storage Media to put the KBoot in (i.e. Memory Stick, Flash Drive, iPod (Yes!!!)), etc.

USB Keyboard and Mouse

Ethernet Broadband Connection (WiFi is too complex to get working)

A Brain.



1. Take your storage media, and create a folder called 'PS3' (w/o the quotes) on the root of it. (X:/) Then, within the PS3 folder, create an 'otheros' folder (w/o the quotes), and place the otheros.bld file there.


2. Connect your storage media to your PS3. Go to Settings>System Settings>Format Utility. From there, choose 'Format Hard Disk'. Make sure you allot 10GB to OtherOS. Do a quick format.


3. Restart. Then. go to Setting>System Settings>Install Other OS. It will then scan your storage media for the KBoot. Install it. Then, go to 'Default System' and choose OtherOS.


4. Restart. Assuming you had a USB Keyboard and mouse connected, and the Fedora 8 DVD in prior to the reboot, the KBoot will show all kinds of text. When it stops to 'kboot' and a blinking cursor, type (w.o quotes), 'linux64 text xdriver=fbdev'. Hit enter.


5. The installation wizard is starting... you get these questions:
Media check -> Choose: 'Skip' or 'OK', as you wish.
Welcome to Fedora -> Choose OK
Language Selection -> Choose your Language (e.g. English)
Keyboard Selection -> Choose your keyboard layout (e.g. us)
Partitioning Type -> Select 'Create custom layout. (select ps3da, 44940MB)

Now, create three partitions:

Mount point: Filesystem Type: Size:

/boot ext3 196MB
swap 512MB
/ ext3 'Fill all available space


5. Review the layout, and proceed with OK
Question about low memory, and enable swap? Choose 'Yes'
Ethernet configuration:
Configure eth0 ? -> yes
Activate on boot -> yes
Settings: (just as an example, depends on your local network)
Enable IPv4 support -> e.g. yes
IPv4 configuration -> DHCP
Hostname configuration -> manually -> ps3
Time zone selection -> System clock uses UTC
Zone Selection -> e.g. Europe/Amsterdam
Root password -> <imagine-something-yourself>
Package selection -> leave default, we customize later.
Installation to begin -> Press 'ok'


6. Find something to do for 65 minutes.


7. Once done, reboot. Once you reboot, you'll get the message: 'Cannot boot system after installation on a PlayStation 3'. Don't freak out.

Put back the Installation CD in the PS3 and press CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot.

At KBoot, type 'linux rescue'.

Next, you will get these questions:

Language Selection -> Choose your Language
Keyboard Selection -> Choose your keyboard layout (ex. US)
Network Configuration -> not necessary
Rescue screen -> Choose Continue...



8. On the command prompt, perform these actions:

sed s@'append="rhgb quiet root=LABEL=/"'@'append="video=ps3fb:m ode:138 rhgb quiet

root=/dev/ps3da3"'@ /mnt/sysimage/boot/yaboot/yaboot.conf

> /mnt/sysimage/boot/yaboot/yaboot.conf.new



The videomode value to select depends on the type of screen you are using.

YUV 60Hz 1:480i 2:480p 3:720p 4:1080i 5:1080p
YUV 50Hz 6:576i 7:576p 8:720p 9:1080i 10:1080p
RGB 60Hz 33:480i 34:480p 35:720p 36:1080i 37:1080p
RGB 50Hz 38:576i 39:576p 40:720p 41:1080i 42:1080p
VESA 11:WXGA 12:SXGA 13:WUXGA

0:auto mode, full screen mode: <video mode ID> + 128, dither ON mode : <video mode ID> + 2048
(138 is thus: 1080p Full Screen PAL mode, 50Hz.)


Now type:

mv -f /mnt/sysimage/boot/yaboot/yaboot.conf{.new,}

Hit enter.

Then type:


cp /mnt/sysimage/boot/yaboot/yaboot.conf /mnt/sysimage/boot/etc/yaboot.conf

Hit Enter.



9. Remove the Fedora DVD, Type 'exit', and the system reboots...(if the system hangs on shutdown, flip the switch).

System is now booting from harddisk...

After a while, we get a text installation menu, configure here what is needed.

Once we have a login prompt, we can login either locally, or remote through SSH. Because of the screen blanking bug, I prefer to login through SSH from another Linux-box (or if you are on Windows: for example Putty.exe).


10. login as 'root' First update the system to the latest updates by typing yum -y upgrade.

If you like to start in GUI mode instead of text mode, the following line in /etc/inittab file has to be modified:

sed s@'id:3:initdefault:'@'id :5:initdefault:'@ /etc/inittab > /etc/inittab.new

Hit enter.

Then type:

mv -f /etc/inittab{.new,}


Hit enter,


After changing this line, do another reboot, and the firstboot procedure is automatically started.



11. The original Fedora 8 kernel is quite big and, due to Fedora nature, universal.
The stock Fedora 8 kernel also has a bug in it so that the screen is blanking from time to time.
So, we build an updated kernel with a minimal set of elements.

The following steps need to be taken to build a new, smaller, kernel for Fedora 8:

Install the GCC compiler toolchain and other development tools with
yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
Install git tooling and another required package with:

yum install git ncurses-devel
Make as normal user a build directory on the target, and change the current directory to it.
mkdir -p ~/ps3_build && cd ~/ps3_build
Download, compile and install the dtc tool (Device Tree Compiler)
git clone git://www.jdl.com/software/dtc.git dtc
cd dtc
make
su (Switch to root user)
cp dtc /usr/bin/
exit

Download and extract the kernel sources at the proper location
cd ~/ps3_build/
wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...071219.tar.bz2
tar xjf linux-2.6.23-20071219.tar.bz2
cd linux-2.6.23-20071219
wget http://www.bohmer.net/ps3_stuff/smallkernel.config -O ./.config
sed s@'EXTRAVERSION ='@'EXTRAVERSION = -20071219'@ Makefile > Makefile.new
mv -f Makefile{.new,}
make oldconfig
make menuconfig (only if you need to do some special changes for your own needs)
make -j2
su (Switch to root user)
make modules_install && make install
cp .config /boot/config-2.6.23-20071219

exit
Adapt the bootloader startup files by adding the new installed kernel. Execute all these commands:
su (Switch to root user)
echo "default=custom" > /boot/etc/yaboot.conf.new
cat /boot/etc/yaboot.conf >> /boot/etc/yaboot.conf.new
cat >> /boot/etc/yaboot.conf.new << EOF
>
> image=/vmlinux-2.6.23-20071219
> label=custom
> read-only
> initrd=/initrd-2.6.23-20071219.img
> append="video=ps3fb:mode: 138 rhgb quiet root=/dev/ps3da3"
>
> EOF
mv -f /boot/etc/yaboot.conf{.new,}
cp -f /boot/etc/yaboot.conf /boot/yaboot/yaboot.conf

exit
Reboot the system and we are done!




Thank God I don't have to go through all that.

[Hardrive]

Very nice, stuck.

[Extreme_Dude23]

Woot!

Thanks Harddrive.

[THEAVS]

WOW! That looks way to complicated for my liking. Glad I have YDL on my PS3

[mohaas05]

i just restarted after the installation and it booted perfectly! I didn't get any error and i didn't need to follow all the steps past installation. Even the X Server started fine on my 480i SDTV. I used the default partitioning layout btw.

[redcoke]

**********UPDATE ************************* *******************
Yo i got a couple people that got further errors on this fix for this problem..... *
wont find the 2.35 firmware. if that happens i found a fix for that to *
what you will have to do is download the complete ps3 os *
you can find the complete game os useing bitlord. can download *
bit lord at www.bitlord.com search for ps3 os or ps3 game os *
i know its there cause i downloaded it while back to try to do some experiments*
im try and find the link my self and post it up here later today for those who
can not find the download.....

More good news

for those who got linux installed but cant switch back to game os i found the fix
with out doing all the tech hooktin up the hard drive to the computer

step 1 .........
log in to your root
step 2..
go into your /sbin folder and find the boot-game-os file
step 3
run the edit command on the boot file
step 4
anything that say sda switch it to sba and save it
step 5
type boot-game-os .... and your ps3 game os should boot up
if this dont work. contact me and ill continue to search my ass
off to help youll fix your ps3..................

************************* ************************* ***********


hey the kboot keeps on disableing my mouse and keyboard and does a memory thing and stops there whats wrong i did everything it said to do
-= Double Post =-
okay i figured out how to get your os back if your ps3 messed up on the kboot

good news for people who know computer hardware and ****

need screwdriver
and computer that supports raid hard drives
pen drive



what i did was i format the ps3 hard drive and gave it a c: and when i put it back in the ps3 it
you have to have the controller connected to the usb cable
and promp you hit the ps button on the controller then prompted me to go download 2.35 firmware put it on a storage device and as a pen drive. then after that. hit start and select at the same time on the ps3 controller

[mobius1]

How much RAM does this PS3 have before and after installation? Thanks for the walkthrough.
-= Double Post =-
Where do I get the keyboard and mouse?
-= Double Post =-
Will this work on a dvd?

[FreePlay]

The RAM does not change. The keyboard and mouse are any USB keyboard and mouse. Yes, you burn it to DVD.

[GW2]

you can also use a bluetooth mouse and/or keyboard if you like. great guide by the way. now if only i could install without formatting!

[mobius1]

Thanks, still I get a warning when I try to mount it to my iMac, should I use "BetterZip" to extract the contents of the image, or should I go ahead and mount the image as a volume?

[mobius1]

Ok, I've managed to extract the contents.

[mobius1]

are cd-/+rw supported?
And what speed should I burn it?