Ubuntu on Qube - Success
Update:Please see my Ubuntu on Qube Installation Howto.
So, I finally have Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake running on my Cobalt Qube 3. However, I did compromise. I don’t have time to educate myself about the issues I believe were preventing a clean Ubuntu boot- specifically the role that initird (initial ram disk) plays in booting the Qube3. I suspect that, which some effort, one could do this in a much better manner than I did.
I initially ‘apt-get install linux-image i386′, which did not work. Then I added a vmlinux.bz2, which the Qube needs, to /boot. This also didn’t work. I got an error about it being it being an initrd kernel necessitating lilo or grub, which the Qube ignores, if I understand correctly.
I instead copied the 2.6.16 kernel from the CentOS install I did with Strongbolt earlier. In fact, I copied the entire contents of the CentOS /boot directory to the Ubuntu boot directory. I also copied the CentOS /lib/modules/2.6.16 directory to /lib/modules on Ubuntu. It’s a hack, but it works.
I’ve included the serial output below. You’ll notice that the network devices are not configured during boot, which I imagine can be easily fixed. This is only the second boot, so I haven’t tweaked anything. I’ll report back regarding the level of success I have with Ubuntu on this Qube. I’ll post the notes I wrote, too, but they’re basically the same as the other OS installs out there.
Oh, yes, almost forgot- I wanted to name this post “Qubuntu”, but thought I would be self-identifying as a real dork. Rock on.
See the serial output below:
Sun Cobalt - Smaller, Bluer, Better, and Free
Firmware version 2.10.3-ext3
Current date: Feb 10 06:38:54 UTC 2007
ROM build info: Thu Mar 11 08:51:36 MST 2004 .
System serial number: S2250518
System type: 3000 series system, Version 2 board
Silicon serial number: 8e000008a7189d01
Monitor: 153536 bytes
Memory: 512 MB
CPU: 1 processor(s) detected
CPU 0: AuthenticAMD 447MHz (4.5 x 100MHz host bus) [BSP]
Initializing flash: done
Flash Bank 0: AMD AM29F080B 1024KB (01:d5)
Flash Bank 1: not installed.
Mounting ROM fs: done
Initializing PCI: done
Initializing ethernet: 2 controller(s) found
Initializing IDE: found ALI M5229 at 00:78
spinning up second channel: done
scanning ide0: master
scanning ide1: slave
IDE: stabilizing spinup: 100%
Checking Memory: done
Press spacebar to enter ROM mode
Booting default method - From disk
First stage kernel (Linux): Decompressing - done
ERROR: cannot relocate with filesize 0
Second stage kernel: Decompressing - done
ERROR: cannot relocate with filesize 0
Linux version 2.6.16 (root@localhost.localdomain) (gcc version 3.4.5 20051201 (Red Hat 3.4.5-2)) #1 Thu Aug 17 14:12:26 EDT 2006
BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
BIOS-e801: 0000000000000000 - 000000000009f000 (usable)
BIOS-e801: 0000000000100000 - 0000000020000000 (usable)
512MB LOWMEM available.
DMI not present or invalid.
Allocating PCI resources starting at 30000000 (gap: 20000000:e0000000)
Built 1 zonelists
Kernel command line: console=ttyS0,115200 ip=off
Initializing CPU#0
PID hash table entries: 4096 (order: 12, 65536 bytes)
Detected 448.238 MHz processor.
Using tsc for high-res timesource
Console: colour dummy device 80×25
Dentry cache hash table entries: 131072 (order: 7, 524288 bytes)
Inode-cache hash table entries: 65536 (order: 6, 262144 bytes)
Memory: 515848k/524288k available (2165k kernel code, 8008k reserved, 506k data, 140k init, 0k highmem)
Checking if this processor honours the WP bit even in supervisor mode… Ok.
Calibrating delay using timer specific routine.. 897.55 BogoMIPS (lpj=1795106)
Mount-cache hash table entries: 512
CPU: L1 I Cache: 32K (32 bytes/line), D cache 32K (32 bytes/line)
CPU: L2 Cache: 128K (32 bytes/line)
CPU: AMD-K6(tm)-III Processor stepping 04
Checking ‘hlt’ instruction… OK.
NET: Registered protocol family 16
PCI: Using configuration type 1
Linux Plug and Play Support v0.97 (c) Adam Belay
SCSI subsystem initialized
usbcore: registered new driver usbfs
usbcore: registered new driver hub
PCI: Probing PCI hardware
PCI quirk: region 0c80-0c9f claimed by ali7101 SMB
PCI: Bridge: 0000:00:01.0
IO window: disabled.
MEM window: disabled.
PREFETCH window: disabled.
VFS: Disk quotas dquot_6.5.1
Dquot-cache hash table entries: 1024 (order 0, 4096 bytes)
Installing knfsd (copyright (C) 1996 okir@monad.swb.de).
Initializing Cryptographic API
io scheduler noop registered
io scheduler deadline registered (default)
Activating ISA DMA hang workarounds.
isapnp: Scanning for PnP cards…
isapnp: No Plug & Play device found
Real Time Clock Driver v1.12ac
Non-volatile memory driver v1.2
alim7101_wdt: Steve Hill
alim7101_wdt: WDT driver for ALi M7101 initialised. timeout=30 sec (nowayout=0)
PNP: No PS/2 controller found. Probing ports directly.
serio: i8042 AUX port at 0×60,0×64 irq 12
serio: i8042 KBD port at 0×60,0×64 irq 1
Serial: 8250/16550 driver $Revision: 1.90 $ 2 ports, IRQ sharing disabled
serial8250: ttyS0 at I/O 0×3f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A
serial8250: ttyS1 at I/O 0×2f8 (irq = 3) is a 16550A
loop: loaded (max 8 devices)
e100: Intel(R) PRO/100 Network Driver, 3.5.10-k2-NAPI
e100: Copyright(c) 1999-2005 Intel Corporation
e100: Modified by
natsemi dp8381x driver, version 1.07+LK1.0.17, Sep 27, 2002
originally by Donald Becker
http://www.scyld.com/network/natsemi.html
2.4.x kernel port by Jeff Garzik, Tjeerd Mulder
natsemi eth0: NatSemi DP8381[56] at 0xf7ffc000 (0000:00:10.0), 00:10:e0:03:ca:12, IRQ 11, port TP.
natsemi eth1: NatSemi DP8381[56] at 0xf7ffb000 (0000:00:12.0), 00:10:e0:03:cd:d1, IRQ 10, port TP.
Uniform Multi-Platform E-IDE driver Revision: 7.00alpha2
ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes; override with idebus=xx
ALI15X3: IDE controller at PCI slot 0000:00:0f.0
ALI15X3: chipset revision 193
ALI15X3: 100% native mode on irq 14
ide0: BM-DMA at 0xfdd0-0xfdd7, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:DMA
ide1: BM-DMA at 0xfdd8-0xfddf, BIOS settings: hdc:DMA, hdd:DMA
hda: ST320410A, ATA DISK drive
ide0 at 0xfdf8-0xfdff,0xfdf6 on irq 14
hdd: WDC WD800BB-00DKA0, ATA DISK drive
ide1 at 0xfde8-0xfdef,0xfde6 on irq 15
hda: max request size: 128KiB
hda: 39102336 sectors (20020 MB) w/2048KiB Cache, CHS=38792/16/63, UDMA(33)
hda: cache flushes not supported
hda: hda1 hda2
hdd: max request size: 128KiB
hdd: 156301488 sectors (80026 MB) w/2048KiB Cache, CHS=16383/255/63, (U)DMA
hdd: cache flushes supported
hdd: hdd1 hdd2 hdd3 hdd4 < hdd5 hdd6 >
sym0: <875> rev 0×4 at pci 0000:00:0e.0 irq 12
sym0: No NVRAM, ID 7, Fast-20, SE, parity checking
sym0: SCSI BUS has been reset.
scsi0 : sym-2.2.2
ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.0: OHCI Host Controller
ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.0: irq 6, io mem 0xf7fff000
usb usb1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found
hub 1-0:1.0: 2 ports detected
mice: PS/2 mouse device common for all mice
md: raid1 personality registered for level 1
md: md driver 0.90.3 MAX_MD_DEVS=256, MD_SB_DISKS=27
md: bitmap version 4.39
NET: Registered protocol family 2
IP route cache hash table entries: 32768 (order: 5, 131072 bytes)
TCP established hash table entries: 131072 (order: 7, 524288 bytes)
TCP bind hash table entries: 65536 (order: 6, 262144 bytes)
TCP: Hash tables configured (established 131072 bind 65536)
TCP reno registered
TCP bic registered
NET: Registered protocol family 1
NET: Registered protocol family 17
Using IPI Shortcut mode
Cobalt system type is Carmel
Cobalt Networks LED driver 1.0 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
Cobalt Networks LCD driver 4.0 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
Cobalt Networks Serial Number driver 1.6 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
Cobalt Networks Watchdog Timer driver 1.0 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
Cobalt Networks Sensor driver 1.0 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
Cobalt Networks RAM Info driver 1.0 (modified by jeff@404ster.com)
md: Autodetecting RAID arrays.
md: autorun …
md: … autorun DONE.
kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
VFS: Mounted root (ext3 filesystem) readonly.
Freeing unused kernel memory: 140k freed
* INIT: version 2.86 booting
* Starting basic networking… /etc/network/interfaces:20: interface eth0 declared allow-auto twice
ifup: couldn’t read interfaces file “/etc/network/interfaces”
[fail]
[ ok ]rting kernel event manager…
[ ok ]ding hardware drivers…
* Starting PCMCIA services… * PCMCIA not present
[ ok ]ding manual drivers…
Unable to find swap-space signature
* Checking root file system… /dev/hda1: clean, 16034/1251712 files, 174272/2499958 blocks
[ ok ]
EXT3 FS on hda1, internal journal
[ ok ]cking all filesystems…
mount: special device /dev/shm/var.run does not exist
mount: special device /dev/shm/var.lock does not exist
rmdir: /dev/shm/var.run: No such file or directory
rmdir: /dev/shm/var.lock: No such file or directory
Unable to find swap-space signature
swapon: /dev/hda2: Invalid argument
[fail]figuring network interfaces…
* INIT: Entering runlevel: 2
[ ok ]rting system log…
[ ok ]rting kernel log…
[ ok ]rting OpenBSD Secure Shell server…
[ ok ]ning local boot scripts (/etc/rc.local)
Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS kailua ttyS0
kailua login: root
Password:
Last login: Fri Feb 9 22:52:28 2007 from 192.168.0.100 on pts/0
Linux kailua 2.6.16 #1 Thu Aug 17 14:12:26 EDT 2006 i586 GNU/Linux
The programs included with the Ubuntu system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Ubuntu comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by
applicable law.
root@kailua:~#
Comments (RSS)
March 9th, 2007 at 1:37 am
This is a failure still…
your in runlevel 2
and
your swap space failed..
and
your networkk looks like it failed too…
are you a sockpuppet?
March 9th, 2007 at 5:43 am
Hi Zeffie,
I see you run a site on which you seem to be trying to bill yourself as a ‘Qube consultant.’ Are you worried about losing prospective business to me? Perhaps that explains your tone. Either way, thanks for writing. Perhaps you might try reading further. You might notice that the next Qube post corrects these problems. See, this post was about an initial success - booting Ubuntu.
See, people are excited about booting Ubuntu on the Qube. They’ve been interested to the tune of several hundred hits a day from around the world. Maybe you should try the install yourself! The howto and kernel are freely available to anyone who’d like to use them.
About being a sockpuppet- Do you mean am I being manipulated by someone else to post information about Ubuntu on the Qube? Perhaps you mean in it in the old Usenet way? Neither makes much sense, I’m afraid. I guess I don’t understand what your point is unless it’s a sophomoric attempt to insult me. I see from your forum that you are often ill mannered so I assume your comment here is another example of that.
So long, Jeff! Write back when you’re in better control of your behavior. Maybe try some St. John’s Wort. I hear that helps.
March 11th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Zeffie/Jeff doesn’t do much to support Qube 3 users, but clearly gets annoyed when others do so.
Weird as he really doesn’t even sell anything to support the Qube. It would be great for the box if he’d update ancient, insecure Cobalt software for Qube 3 as he does for the RAQs (well he sells it, no idea of quality).
Thanks for the great tips-
March 20th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Hi,
First of all thank you so much. You saved my lots of time and also my dead Qube :) There are two minor issues I would like to tell you for your updates to this document. First I tried “/boot” and “/” on different partitions and it doesn’t work. And I found that they should be on same partition which is must be hda1. Second I formatted my disk ext3 and I didn’t suceeded to boot from harddisk with cobalt-2.4.10-SE-1M.rom and I tried cobalt-2.4.10-ext3-1M.rom and it worked well. Maybe you could add this comments to your howto for give more information to whose planning to use it.
Btw, I was a Redhat guy and this was my almost first debian based installation for home use. I really enjoyed it and I’m planning to use ubuntu on my desktop too. Thanks for your sharing, it was pleasure for me to see my qube’s working again.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Hi Kurter,
First, you’re welcome. It’s very gratifying to hear that people find this useful.
Indeed you’re right. The boot partition must reside on hda1. I had tried to use separate boot and root partitions and also failed, though I was at that time unaware of the cause. I’ll add that note to the howto.
I’ll also look into being clearer about the ROM.
Thanks for writing!
March 21st, 2007 at 6:49 am
Hi Jim,
Thanks for notice my comments :)
I am using your compiled kernel it works well but I guess there is no TUN/TAP device support in it which is necessary for using OpenVPN. I’m planning to compile a kernel with TUN/TAP support. If I could succeed I can send you for publishing it on your website for someone who needs to use OpenVPN. But I need some free time for this :)
I think there should be lots of Cobalt/Qube fans around and they need a guide for use their device. And your documents points that.
I don’t know what is Zeffie’s problem but he isn’t acting gentle don’t care about him.
Thanks again.