Running Linux on an A1200?

[john1979]

http://www.bigmessowires.com/2014/11...ss-breadboard/

In the article above, someone gets a 2Mhz 68008 to run a cut down version of Linux.

Given that I have an A1200 with 8mb of fast RAM and a 4Gb CF card. What are my chances of getting some version of Linux installed and running? Of course I'm not expecting X.org to run, just to get to the text console would be fine.

[fitzsteve]

https://www.debian.org/ports/m68k/

Ran it just fine on my A4000 with 060/RTG but it says that it supports 020+

(Needs MMU though and I think A1200 is EC020)

[john1979]

Thanks. Yeah looks like it needs the MMU so Debian is out for me.

I just found it amazing that he got it running with specs only a little better than a C128.

[Samurai_Crow]

Originally Posted by fitzsteve

(Needs MMU though and I think A1200 is EC020

It wouldn't matter if it was a non-EC model. The 68020 supported only an external MMU. Perhaps a port of ucLinux would be more appropriate for a RAM expanded A1200.

[fitzsteve]

I wonder how Debian would run on an 030 Amiga? I never really done anything with it, I just followed the install guide and booted it on my A4000/ CSMKII with CV64/3D and X-Surf. Not being a Linux user I had no idea what to do with it lol.

A bit like when I tried MorphOS on my A1200 PPC....

[john1979]

I'm going to buy an 030 accelarator, a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card and try it in January. Something cute about having running an A1200 with a light weight web server and SSH on the web.

[fitzsteve]

Originally Posted by john1979

I'm going to buy an 030 accelarator, a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card and try it in January. Something cute about having running an A1200 with a light weight web server and SSH on the web.

Please share some pics, etc

[Twiggy]

I managed to get Debian to boot up on my A630, but I get to the login prompt and can't login. Anyone have this problem?

[strim]

Originally Posted by john1979

I'm going to buy an 030 accelarator, a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card and try it in January. Something cute about having running an A1200 with a light weight web server and SSH on the web.

You could do that with NetBSD/amiga too ... And at least you'd have something decently new and still actively developed for m68k (unlike Linux).

But you'd need an NE2000-compatible PCMCIA network card (NetBSD/amiga doesn't work with 3Coms).

[Hewitson]

Originally Posted by strim

You could do that with NetBSD/amiga too ... And at least you'd have something decently new and still actively developed for m68k (unlike Linux).

How is the gentoo m68k? Is that still maintained?

[strim]

Originally Posted by Hewitson

How is the gentoo m68k? Is that still maintained?

Nope.

[john1979]

Originally Posted by strim

You could do that with NetBSD/amiga too ... And at least you'd have something decently new and still actively developed for m68k (unlike Linux).

But you'd need an NE2000-compatible PCMCIA network card (NetBSD/amiga doesn't work with 3Coms).

The maintained driver list is impressive. Looks like BSD has a few Amiga enthusiasts in it's ranks.

[rare_j]

Originally Posted by john1979

I'm going to buy an 030 accelarator, a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card and try it in January. Something cute about having running an A1200 with a light weight web server and SSH on the web.

I did this years ago (same spec) but the network wouldn't work with the 3com. But the linux shell was so slow anyway i kind of didn't mind stopping at that point. Tip: you have to disable kickstart remapping on the accelerator board for linux to start.
I had much more fun setting up telnet, samba, ftp etc in amiga os.
Did you already have ssh and http running on amiga os? I bet if you served everything out of ram disk it would perform ok. That would be cuter I think.

[Nobby_UK]

Was there not a version of Linux (Red Hat ?) on a Cover CD
maybe only PPC ?

I looked for Linux on the Amiga Magazine Rack
but nothing shows...

[john1979]

Originally Posted by rare_j

I did this years ago (same spec) but the network wouldn't work with the 3com. But the linux shell was so slow anyway i kind of didn't mind stopping at that point. Tip: you have to disable kickstart remapping on the accelerator board for linux to start.

Thanks for the tip. That will probably trip me up eventually so it's good to know. I was hoping the plain shell would be nippy enough on an 030. Maybe I am hoping for too much.

I had much more fun setting up telnet, samba, ftp etc in amiga os.
Did you already have ssh and http running on amiga os? I bet if you served everything out of ram disk it would perform ok. That would be cuter I think.

Never done much with an Amiga so far except game. I have a set up a Ubuntu gateway for my home cable broadband. It was fun, but not much challenge given how good Webmin is and the Ubuntu docs.

[rare_j]

I got a raspberry pi not long ago. Linux on that is about 100 times move effective and productive than on an Amiga. And you can just leave it on all the time. Plus it's slightly less expensive and more available than an 030 board...
You could always telnet to it from the Amiga as well.

[strim]

True, this is all true what you said. Alas, Raspberry Pi is not Amiga. Some people obviously want to run stuff on their Amigas, even if it is not very productive.

That's how for example NetBSD/amiga survived till today and is still being slowly developed (recently added drivers include X-Surf 100 and ACA500). Even recently when NetBSD project's main web server failed, for a few days www.NetBSD.org was hosted on an admin's private Amiga. It did the job quite well.

[Michael]

I wonder if the APUS project is still alive and whether it's possible to get a working image with all updates integrated (bv/cv+scsi+pcmci support)

[jbenam]

Originally Posted by strim

True, this is all true what you said. Alas, Raspberry Pi is not Amiga. Some people obviously want to run stuff on their Amigas, even if it is not very productive.

That's how for example NetBSD/amiga survived till today and is still being slowly developed (recently added drivers include X-Surf 100 and ACA500). Even recently when NetBSD project's main web server failed, for a few days www.NetBSD.org was hosted on an admin's private Amiga. It did the job quite well.

Good timing - being a daily OS X user I really wanted to give a full-fleshed BSD a spin.

Looks like I'll try your (and others) excellent efforts in keeping the NetBSD/Amiga alive during Xmas (along with Amix on UAE, just for funsies).

It even supports the Picasso II! I'll have a blast in installing it on my 4000/040