How to Enable Your Distro

© 2008 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
© 2006,2007,2008 Sony Corporation

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TRADEMARK NOTICE

          "PLAYSTATION" and "PS3" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "Cell Broadband Engine" is a trademark of
          Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
          Other company, product and service names may be registered trademarks, trademarks or service marks of others.

As a hint of enabling your own distribution, we’ll show how to install existing free Linux distribution for PPC64. We’ll explain this using with Fedora Core 6 as an example. 

Install Fedora Core 6

1. Abstract

This section shows how to install Fedora Core 6 on a PS3.

To install Fedora Core 6 on a PS3, you have to execute following steps.

• Create a Linux partition on the HDD.
• Install boot loader.
• Set boot flag to 'Other OS'.

For the person who have installed FC5 according to Distro Kit v1.1, install procedure described in this material will over writes and erase entire HDD with FC6.

2. Requirements

Hardware

• PS3 which System Software version 2.10 or later is installed
  • Controller
  • USB keyboard
  • Monitor
    The following will be used for output from a PS3.
    • HDTV monitor(supporting 480p, 1080i, 720p or 1080p)
    • Connected with the HDMI connector or the AV MULTIOUT connector

Software

• Fedora Core 6 PPC install DVD
  • You can get Fedora Core 6 PPC install DVD from Fedora Project (http://fedora.redhat.com/)
• PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD.

3. Setup procedure.

3.1 Setup your PS3.

1) Connecting power cables.

2) Connecting monitor

• Connected with the HDMI connector or the AV MULTIOUT connector.

3) Making other interface connections.

• Connect the USB cable of the Controller to the USB connector.
• Connect the USB cable of the USB keyboard to the USB connector.

3.2 How to create a Linux partition.

1) Turn on the PS3. After initializing, you can see GameOS menu.  You select "Settings -> System Settings".

2) After selecting "Format Utility" from sub menu, following messages are displayed.

Format Memory Stick
Format SD Memory Card
Format CompactFlash
Format Hard Disk

To allocate a Linux partition on the Hard Disk, select "Format Hard Disk".

3) After following message is displayed. you select 'Yes'.

Do you want to format the hard disk?

Yes No

4) You can see following message.

Select a partition setting for the hard disk.

Use All for the PS3 System
Custom

To allocate a Linux partition on the Hard Disk, select "Custom".
After selecting "Custom", following messages are displayed.

Select a partition setting for the hard disk.

Use All for the PS3 System
Allot 10GB to the Other OS
Allot 10GB to the PS3 System

To allocate a Linux partition on the Hard Disk, select one of following items.

Allot 10GB to the Other OS
Allot 10GB to the PS3 System

If your hard disk size is 20GB, you have to select 'Allot 10GB to the Other OS'.

5) After selecting the item, following messages are displayed.

Select the hard disk format method.

Quick Format
Full Format

6) After following message is displayed. you select 'Yes'.

If you format, all data will be deleted.
This data cannot be restored.
Are you sure you want to continue?

Yes No

7) After selecting 'Yes', format process is started.

8) After creating a Linux partition, following messages are displayed.

Format Complete.
Press the X button to restart the system.

After pressing the X button, restart the system software and you can see GameOS menu.

3.3 How to install kboot.

1)  Insert Addon Packages CD to the BD drive of the PS3

2) Turn on the PS3. After initializing, you select "Settings -> System Settings" by using GameOS menu.

3) After selecting "Install Other OS" from sub menu, the system search Other OS installer from flash memory device. After the system found. Other OS image, following messages are displayed.

The following installer items were found:

   Title /PS3/otheros/otheros.bld
Location Disc

Start

If the system cannot find Other OS image, following message is displayed.

No applicable installer was found.

If you see above message, please confirm the data on your CD.

After the system found Other OS image and you select 'Start', install process is started.

4) After finishing Other OS install, you can see the following messages.

Install completed.
To start another system, go to [Settings] > [System Settings] >
[Default System] and set to [Other OS]. Then restart the system.

After pressing the O button,  you can see the XMB menu

3.4 Change the default system to boot

To start kboot, you have to change the default system to boot.

1) Turn on the PS3. After initializing, you select "Settings -> System Settings" by using GameOS menu.

2) After selecting "Default System" from sub menu, following messages are displayed.

PS3
Other OS

3) After selecting "Other OS" , following messages are displayed.

Do you want to quit the PS3 system and start the other system
now?
                Yes        No

After selecting 'Yes',  kboot is automatically started.

3.5 How to install Fedora Core 6 on your PS3

1) After displaying kboot prompt, you start a installer program.

kboot: install

2) After initializing a installer program, you can see the following messages.

Starting PS3 Linux installer
1) ps3da
Select device to install?

There is one built-in hard disk drive in the PS3.
After initializing boot loader, this drive is recognized as 'ps3da'.

If you connected external USB hard disk drives with the PS3, these drives
are recognized as scsi devices. And you can see see the following messages.

Starting PS3 Linux installer
1) ps3da
2) sda
Select device to install?

You can select one of the hard disk drive for install. In this document, we assume that
Linux is installed on the built-in hard disk drive(= ps3da). 

3) After selecting the device, PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD is automatically ejected
and you can see the following messages.

Please insert Fedora Core install DVD.
Is it OK? (y/n):

4) After you insert a Fedora Core 6 install DVD, type 'y'. Then you can see the following messages.

1) Fedora Core 6 minimum install
2) Fedora Core 6 full install
Select install system?

You can select one of them.

5) After selecting the installation type, you can see the following messages. If you can save
the data on HDD, you have to backup them to another device.

Caution!! All data in /dev/ps3da are removed.
Is it OK? (y/n):

6)  To start Fedora Core 6 install, type 'y'.

HDD is initialized as follows.

Partition id	Size	Type	Label
1	Max size - 512MB	Linux	/1
2	512 MB	swap	SWAP-ps3da2

7) After installing Fedora Core 6, Fedora Core 6 install DVD is automatically ejected.
Next you can see following messages.

Please insert a PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD.
Is it OK? (y/n)

8) After you insert a PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD, type 'y'. Then additional packages are installed.

9) After installing addon packages, PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD is automatically ejected.
And you can see following messages..

Install done.
Please type any key to restart :

10) To start Linux, type any key.

11) You can see Linux messages.

Fedora Core release 6 (Zod)
Kernel 2.6.24 on an ppc64

localhost login:

4. PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD file layout

default=install
root=/dev/sr0

install='/boot/vmlinux initrd=/boot/initrd.bin video=safe'

5. Additional information of “install-fc”

This section shows an internal structure of install-fc script. This scripts install the Fedora Core 6
files to the hard disk drive connected with a PS3.

1) Check command arguments.

2) Check Hard Disk size. If disk size is smaller then 9GB, you can not install linux.

3) Calculate disk partition size.

4) Disable screen saver.

5) Synchronize a linux clock with a game clock.

GAMETIME=`/sbin/ps3-flash-util -s | grep 'p\.rtc_diff' | grep -o '[0-9]*$'
/sbin/ps3-flash-util -F
/sbin/ps3-flash-util -D 2 1 ${GAMETIME}
hwclock -s

6) Mount Fedora Core install DVD and copy stage2.img file to ramdisk.

7) Mount stage2.img file and create install environment.

8) Select either 'minimum' install or 'full' install.

9) Delete All partitions on the Hard Disk.

10) Create Linux and swap partition on the Hard Disk.

11) Mount Linux and swap partition.

12) Create some configuration files.

LABEL=/1        /        ext3    defaults 1 1
/dev/devpts    /dev/pts devpts  gid=5,mode=620 0 0
/dev/shm       /dev/shm tmpfs   defaults 0 0
none           /spu     spufs   defaults 0 0
/dev/proc      /proc    proc    defaults 0 0
/dev/sys       /sys     sysfs   defaults 0 0
LABEL=SWAP-ps3da2     swap     swap    defaults 0 0

/etc/sysconfig/keyboard

KEYTABLE="us"

LANG="en_US.UTF-8"
SYSFONT="latarcyrheb-sun16"

hvc0

NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=localhost.localdomain

# Do not remove the following line, or various programs
# that require network functionality will fail.
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost

USEWINBINDAUTH=no
USEHESIOD=no
USESYSNETAUTH=no
USEKERBEROS=no
USESHADOW=yes
USESMBAUTH=no
USELDAPAUTH=no
USELOCAUTHORIZE=no
USEWINBIND=no
USEDB=no
USEPASSWDQC=no
USEMD5=yes
USELDAP=no
USECRACKLIB=yes
USENIS=no

13) Initialize RPM database.

14) Install Fedora Core 6 RPM on the Hard Disk.

15) Remove old RPM on the Hard Disk.

16) Eject Fedora Core install DVD.

17) Mount PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD.

18) Install some PS3 specific RPMs.

19) Create and change some configuration files for PS3.

default=linux
timeout=10
root=LABEL=/1

safe='/boot/vmlinux-$KERNELVER initrd=/boot/initrd.img-$KERNELVER video=safe'
linux='/boot/vmlinux-$KERNELVER initrd=/boot/initrd.img-$KERNELVER '

ZONE="Asia/Tokyo"
UTC=true
ARC=false

cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/Japan /etc/localtime

#!/bin/sh
for i in snd_ps3pf;do
modprobe \$i >/dev/null 2>&1
done

PS3 sound configuration

ppc64-redhat-linux

%_transaction_color 3

alias scsi_hostadapter ps3disk
alias scsi_hostadapter1 ps3rom
alias scsi_hostadapter2 ps3flash
alias usb-controller ehci-hcd
alias usb-controller1 ohci-hcd

You should use xorg.conf file for virtual frame buffer

disable X configuration 

20) Unmount all partitions

21) Eject PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit CD.

22) Remove work files.

5. kboot-Related Information

(1) File systems and labels

To address the problem that the device name of an USB storage device cannot uniquely identify the device, kboot and Linux commands identify file systems by their labels instead of their device names. The labeling convention is as follows:

• A file system should be given a label that is the same as the name of the mounting point directory.
  Example)
  

  Mount Directory	Label Name
  /	/
  /boot	/usr
  /var	/var
  /home	/home
  /tmp	/tmp

• A device to be swapped should be labeled "SWAP".

There are some ways to label a file system.

1-1. Setting Label at Creation of File System

To put a "/" label on a partition to be named "ps3da1":

ext2, ext3)

# mke2fs -j -L / /dev/ps3da1

xfs)

# mkfs.xfs -L / /dev/ps3da1

reiserfs)

# mkreiserfs -l / /dev/ps3da1

FAT)

# mkfs.vfat -n / /dev/ps3da1

(Note) The number of characters for a label specified with mkfs.vfat must be 11 or less.

swap)

# mkswap -L SWAP /dev/ps3da2

1-2. Changing Label on Existing File System

To put a "/" label on an existing partition named "ps3da1":

ext2, ext3)

# e2label /dev/ps3da1 /

xfs)

# xfs_admin -L / /dev/ps3da1

reiserfs)

# reiserfstune -l / /dev/ps3da1

Some of the commands may also be used to display the current file system label.

ext2, ext3)

# e2label /dev/ps3da1

xfs)

# xfs_admin -l /dev/ps3da1

The following labelling procedure assumes that the built-in HDD is seen as /dev/ps3da1.

First, initialize /dev/sda1 with ext3 adding a "/" label.

# mke2fs -j -L / /dev/ps3da1

(2) Settings for Using Labels

/etc/fstab

At startup of Linux, file systems are mounted according to /etc/fstab.

To address the problem that the device name of an USB storage device cannot uniquely identify the device, a storage device must be identified with its label instead of the device name in the /etc/fstab file.

Usual

/dev/ps3da1    /        ext3    defaults         1 1
/dev/devpts    /dev/pts  devpts gid=5,mode=620   0 0
/dev/shm       /dev/shm tmpfs   defaults         0 0
none           /spu     spufs   defaults         0 0
/dev/proc      /proc     proc   defaults         0 0
/dev/sys       /sys     sysfs   defaults         0 0
/dev/ps3da2    swap     swap    defaults         0 0

With labels used

LABEL=/1       /        ext3    defaults         1 1
/dev/devpts    /dev/pts devpts  gid=5,mode=620   0 0
/dev/shm       /dev/shm tmpfs   defaults         0 0
none           /spu     spufs   defaults         0 0
/dev/proc      /proc    proc    defaults         0 0
/dev/sys       /sys     sysfs   defaults         0 0
LABEL=SWAP-ps3da2     swap     swap    defaults         0 0

/etc/blkid.tab

This file acts as cache for mapping between labels/UUIDs and device names. This file should be removed when a device name is changed to avoid the use of the old cache file for the mapping.

# rm /etc/blkid/blkid.tab

(3) Kernel and initrd

The kernel and intrd should be placed in /boot with the file names specified in kboot.conf. The initrd must contain modules necessary to mount the root partition. See man mkintrd for details. This release includes a bootloader/initrd.img file, which is created in the environment described below.

Generation Environment

- Kernel: the one included in kernel-2.6.24-20080131.ppc64.rpm

- Root partition: ext3 file system

- Contents of /etc/modprobe.conf:

alias scsi_hostadapter ps3disk
alias scsi_hostadapter1 ps3rom
alias scsi_hostadapter2 ps3flash
alias usb-controller ehci-hcd
alias usb-controller1 ohci-hcd

- Command executed to generate the image

# /sbin/mkinitrd --preload=ps3disk --preload=ps3rom --preload=ps3flash --with-usb initrd.img-2.6.24 2.6.24

7. How to build kboot

• You have to build kboot as root user.
• At first, you extract  kboot source codes.

  # tar jxf kboot-YYYYMMDD.tar.bz2
  # cd kboot-YYYYMMDD

• You can start compiling kboot as follows.

  # yes "" | make

• You can see a kboot binary file in kboot-11 directory.

  # cd kboot-11
  # ls -l otheros.bld
  -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2416930 Jun 28 16:20 otheros.bld

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