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Old 09 January 2018, 21:56   #1
jagLally
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A500, ACA500Plus, 4GB CF Card, Workbench 1.3 install

Goal: Install Workbench 1.3 on 4Gb CF Card Amiga 500 fitted with ACA500Plus

Why?: To see the warm glow of blue and remind me of having an amiga all those years ago.

I'm using FS-UAE on a Mac and rather than running WINUAE I thought I'd try the command line way. It took me about 5 days to get it working. So I decided to document it so that other people new to emulation might at least consider it or use it in some way. The 'pros' on the forum already know all this. And this is just reworking of various threads here I used to build up my knowledge. e.g. http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=61666

Prerequisites

Install amitools from git hub. https://github.com/cnvogelg/amitools. There are several methods but I simply chose the following way

Code:
sudo easy_install pip
sudo pip install amitools
AmigaForever install disks

Real Workbench 1.3 disk. I found the Amiga Forever 7 version didn't work without changing the Startup-Sequence file. The default one resulted in green screen with 68000 Address and Data Register dump. Alternatively, use FS-UAE and clean up the existing file.

Lallafa's blog here was the starting point: http://lallafa.de/blog/2012/04/cf-card-rdbtool/

Outstanding Issues

1) At various times thing stopped working and I had to clean the CF card and start again but I couldn't pin point the cause. I just had to start from scratch. I think disk setup is a very brittle process. So be mindful of that if it doesn't work first time.

2) Additional partition are not usable if I go 1GB or more. Workbench 1.3 errors with 'not a dos disk in device'. I don't understand this as I thought there was only a 4GB limit on the disk size and not on individual partitions within that. If any experts out there know, please comment.


Steps

1) use diskutil to identify the CF card on the Mac. Really important to not get the wrong disk. otherwise you will likely wipe your main macOS drive or something. Mine is /dev/disk2 and I'll use that in my examples. NOTE: It's also possible to use a disk image rather than the card directly.

Code:
diskutil list
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                                                   *4.0 GB     disk2
2) Wipe the card clean of any existing partitions and file systems.

Code:
diskutil partitionDisk disk2 free none 100%
Started partitioning on disk2
Unmounting disk
Creating the partition map
Waiting for partitions to activate
Finished partitioning on disk2
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *4.0 GB     disk2
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk2s1
3) Create empty RDB structure on the card. This is the equivalent of MBR (master boot record) of MSDOS. rdb_cyls=2 is need to make sure the RDB has enough space to store the FFS filesystem.

Code:
sudo rdbtool /dev/rdisk2 init rdb_cyls=2 + info
PhysicalDisk:               0   244722     7831136  3.7Gi  heads=1 sectors=32
LogicalDisk:                2   244722     7831072  3.7Gi  rdb_blks=[0:63,#64] used=[hi=0,#1] cyl_blks=32
4) Install FFS on CF card as Kickstart 1.3 will read it during boot process and thus allow it to see FFS formatted partitions. FFS driver is included on Workbench floppy but we will boot from CF card. Install FFS driver from Workbench 3.1 install disks because it is the last version (40.1) that will still work with Workbench 1.3. You just get ghost disk icons which is just cosmetic. I did read on another thread that this version also uses less memory and is more performant than the one with Workbench 1.3

Code:
sudo xdftool /Volumes/AmigaForever/Amiga\ Files/Shared/adf/amiga-os-310-install.adf read L/FastFileSystem ./ffs_wkb31_v40.1
sudo rdbtool /dev/rdisk2 fsadd ./ffs_wkb31_v40.1 dostype=DOS1
5) Create a partition DH0 where Workbench 1.3 will reside. Around 50M was large enough I thought. It must be FFS type.

Code:
sudo rdbtool /dev/disk2 add size=50Mib name=DH0 dostype=DOS1 + info
creating: 'DH0' (2, 3201) DOS1
PhysicalDisk:               0   244722     7831136  3.7Gi  heads=1 sectors=32
LogicalDisk:                2   244722     7831072  3.7Gi  rdb_blks=[0:63,#64] used=[hi=52,#53] cyl_blks=32
Partition: #0 'DH0'         2     3201      102400   50Mi    1.31%  DOS1/0x444f5301 max_transfer=0xffffff mask=0x7ffffffe num_buffer=30
FileSystem #0 DOS1/0x444f5301 version=40.1 size=24588 seg_list_blk=0x2 global_vec=0xffffffff
6) Make partition DH0 bootable.

Code:
sudo rdbtool /dev/disk2 change DH0 bootable pri=0 + info
PhysicalDisk:               0   244722     7831136  3.7Gi  heads=1 sectors=32
LogicalDisk:                2   244722     7831072  3.7Gi  rdb_blks=[0:63,#64] used=[hi=52,#53] cyl_blks=32
Partition: #0 'DH0'         2     3201      102400   50Mi    1.31%  DOS1/0x444f5301 max_transfer=0xffffff mask=0x7ffffffe num_buffer=30 bootable pri=0
FileSystem #0 DOS1/0x444f5301 version=40.1 size=24588 seg_list_blk=0x2 global_vec=0xffffffff
7) Format the partition with FFS and make it bootable. The bootable part I'm not 100% sure is needed as I lost track in various attempts. The name WorkbenchHD will get overwritten on first install of Workbench 1.3 but we can rename it again.
Code:
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + format WorkbenchHD ffs + boot install boot1x + list
WorkbenchHD                                      VOLUME  --------  09.01.2018 18:13:41 t00  DOS1:ffs
sum:             1  512Bi           512
data:            0    0Bi             0   0.00%
fs:              1  512Bi           512  100.00%
8) At this point we have a card with an empty 50M FFS formatted partition. Now eject the card and plug it in the boot slot of ACA500plus. If you don't have a real workbench floppy, see alternative approach using FS-UAE.
Code:
diskutil eject /dev/disk2
9) Boot up A500 and choose 'F2 - Boot ACA500plus complete Kickstart Rom 1.3 configuration'.

10) Open a Shell window and copy the Workbench 1.3 disk over.
Code:
COPY DF0: DH0: ALL CLONE
11) Now remove floppy disk and reboot. The amiga should reboot into Workbench 1.3 from the CF card.

12) Remove working card and plug it back into the Mac. Choose 'ignore' when it helpfully offers to initialise it for you.

13) Take a backup of the card. bs=10m is an overkill buffer but I started with it and kept using it.
Code:
#make sure the correct disk is identified
diskutil list
#
dd if=/dev/disk2 of=./working1.3image.hdf bs=10m
14) You can also take a backup extraction of the workbench partition alone to modify/add/delete files and re-add it to the CF card. We extract it to disk and modify away and then pack it back.
Code:
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + unpack ./workbench1.3Extract/Workbench1.3
# modify a file in ./workbench1.3Extract/Workbench1.3. say L/Startup-Sequence
# pack it back into DH0
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + pack ./workbench1.3Extract/Workbench1.3
Alternatively, you can also work directly on a single file in the CF card
Code:
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + delete s/Startup-Sequence
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + write ./Startup-Sequence S
# read it back to make sure
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH0 + read s/Startup-Sequence temp.txt
Installing Workbench 1.3 using FS-UAE.

1) Make sure the disk device is accessible. Something like
Code:
chmod a+rw /dev/disk2
2) Modify the FS-UAE config file manually to add in the hard drive disk '/dev/disk2'. Mount he Amiga Forever floppy disks as well. Mine is
Code:
# FS-UAE configuration saved by FS-UAE Launcher
# Last saved: 2018-01-08 19:41:33

[fs-uae]
chip_memory = 512
fast_memory = 8192
floppy_drive_0 = $BASE/AmigaForEver/Amiga Files/Shared/adf/amiga-os-134-workbench.adf
floppy_image_0 = $BASE/AmigaForEver/Amiga Files/Shared/adf/amiga-os-134-extras.adf
floppy_image_1 = $BASE/AmigaForEver/Amiga Files/Shared/adf/amiga-os-134-workbench.adf
hard_drive_0 = /dev/disk2
joystick_port_1 = none
3) Then do the same steps from Amiga shell. Adjust source and destination accordingly
Code:
COPY DF0: DH0: ALL CLONE
4) Either use Amiga editor in FS-UAE or the above CF card steps to modify the Startup-Sequence file.
5) The card should be ready to be booted up in ACA500Plus.

Adding Further Partitions for Programs and Data

Code:
sudo rdbtool /dev/disk2 add size=900Mib name=DH1 dostype=DOS1 + info
sudo rdbtool /dev/disk2 add size=900Mib name=DH2 dostype=DOS1 + info
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH1 + format Progs ffs + list
sudo xdftool /dev/disk2 open part=DH2 + format Data ffs + list
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Old 09 January 2018, 22:11   #2
thomas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jagLally View Post
2) Additional partition are not usable if I go 1GB or more. Workbench 1.3 errors with 'not a dos disk in device'. I don't understand this as I thought there was only a 4GB limit on the disk size and not on individual partitions within that. If any experts out there know, please comment.
Add some RAM. FFS needs quite a lot of memory to build its bitmap. As a rule of thumb add 1 MB RAM per GB partition size.

Oh and make sure that you use FFS and not OFS.
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Old 09 January 2018, 22:46   #3
spudje
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Euh, didn't the Aca500plus came with an out of the box installer that actually does all the work for you? Or does it only work for 3.1?
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Old 09 January 2018, 22:54   #4
jagLally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thomas View Post
Add some RAM. FFS needs quite a lot of memory to build its bitmap. As a rule of thumb add 1 MB RAM per GB partition size.

Oh and make sure that you use FFS and not OFS.
I was using format commands with FFS as above and double checking the codes.

I’m using all the 8M RAM from ACAPlus and have trap door 512k as well acting as chip ram. Is there something additional I should be doing or configuring? I’m not too familiar with ACA500 plus. Also, is there a way to detect if it’s a memory issue I’m hitting?
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Old 09 January 2018, 22:56   #5
jagLally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spudje View Post
Euh, didn't the Aca500plus came with an out of the box installer that actually does all the work for you? Or does it only work for 3.1?
It’s has 3.1 and I want 1.3 purely for nostalgic reasons and an opportunity to tinker and play.
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Old 09 January 2018, 23:02   #6
plasmab
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I love this. I've been meaning to find a way to autocreate hard disk images and this seems to be the business. Well done.
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Old 09 January 2018, 23:22   #7
jagLally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasmab View Post
I love this. I've been meaning to find a way to autocreate hard disk images and this seems to be the business. Well done.
Thanks. As I am learning everything, I found it super painful to use HDTools and emulators every time.

I’ve actually put all these in a shell script and parametrised the disk name and can recreate cf card in seconds now after modifying master copy of files on my Mac.
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Old 10 January 2018, 09:33   #8
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If only amitools had pfs3 support, it'd make life a lot easier. :-) I love it otherwise and always have it installed on my machines. I have a pile of shell scripts that use it, for example to create an autobooting ADF out of an exe and so on.

Ah well, it's open source, should put my money where my mouth is..
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Old 18 April 2018, 02:38   #9
matburton
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Hey jagLally,

Thanks this looks really useful!

I have a ACA500plus and did have a workbench 1.3 install, but I was dumb, made two partitions that were too big, and eventually everything was corrupt. Hence I'm going to have to install again.

Sadly last time I used WinUAE, but this time I just cannot get WinUAE to play ball again in terms of mounting my CF card. So I need another approach. (Wish I could remember the version of WinUAE I used last time)

Can you explain what you mean by this?
Quote:
You just get ghost disk icons which is just cosmetic
Also do you need to put FFS in the RDB if you used the ACA500Plus'
IDE driver update
?

Have you tried the new ACA500Plus' installer? It sounds like it will make a partition for 1.3 use. I'm finding it hard to work out if there's some way to let a workbench 1.3 install (with Kickstart 1.3) read the PFS3 partition that installer would make though.
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Old 19 April 2018, 00:37   #10
matburton
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In the end I used the new ACA500Plus installer and it turned-out to be quick and trivial!
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=708
Those guys at Individual Computers know how to do quality of life stuff!

Workbench 1.3 booted right away with no issues I could find and mounted the PFS3 partition since the PFS3 filesystem was in the RDB.
I didn't have to do anything except copy the Workbench 1.3 files over!

This was booting with the Mainboard ROM as well which is still a Kickstart 1.3 ROM.
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Old 01 May 2018, 22:54   #11
jagLally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matburton View Post
In the end I used the new ACA500Plus installer and it turned-out to be quick and trivial!
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=708
Those guys at Individual Computers know how to do quality of life stuff!

Workbench 1.3 booted right away with no issues I could find and mounted the PFS3 partition since the PFS3 filesystem was in the RDB.
I didn't have to do anything except copy the Workbench 1.3 files over!

This was booting with the Mainboard ROM as well which is still a Kickstart 1.3 ROM.
That's really cool. To be honest, this approach was my first attempt at doing anything Amiga based. If anything I got a lot of knowledge out of it.

Since doing this, I've been thinking of using PFS3. rdbtools don't handle PFS3 and it's a shame I can't use the scripted approach. I'll try the same approach as you. The installer must be installing handlers into RDB and A500Plus injecting.

Those ghost icons are to do with FFS filesystem handler from Workbench 3.1 being used in 1.3. You get a real disk icon and another one which doesn't work and looks odd for each disk. The exact details are in various threads here.
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