Fedora 11 Can't Find Hard Drive For Installation (G5)

dmadd · #1 12th June 2009, 05:14 AM

I'm trying to install Fedora 11 (PPC) on a PowerMac G5 single 1.8 mac ( Seagate 80GB St380013as). When it comes time to select a hard disk in the installer, it can't find any. I only have a single hd using the built in SATA. But I was able to install Fedora 10.

I've also attempted the install on another PowerMac G5 dual 2.5 (different hard drive), and have the same issue.

dmadd · #2 12th June 2009, 05:23 AM

Ah.

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common...s#ppc970-no-hd

Library Eye · #3 13th June 2009, 10:10 PM

I'm having the same problem. I uninstalled Fedora 10 a while ago because all my multimedia stuff stopped working despite repeated re-installs. Does this mean:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common...s#ppc970-no-hd

I'm going to have to re-install 10 and then upgrade to 11 and hope it works? Really? Or am I reading that wrong? I hope so, I really don't want to have to go through two installs

dmadd · #4 14th June 2009, 02:57 AM

Well, I'm now running Fedora 11 on my G5. Yes, for now, it appears that you will have to reinstall fedora 10, and then upgrade to Fedora 11. Make sure you do step 4 before upgrading to fedora 11. I do wish there was another way.

BEGIN HOWTO INSTALL FEDORA 11 on a G5.

You will need: a G5 computer with a connection to the internet (dhcp worked for me, if you have multiple network cards knowing the MAC address of the card connected to the internet is helpful), a copy of fedora 10 for ppc, and time. Lots and lots of time.

Procedure:
0.) DO NOT Download the fedora 11 installation DVD (that makes sense right?)
1.) Install Fedora 10 instead (the fedora 10 torrent ? install CDs ? DVD ?)
2.) Update to the latest software (System > Administration > Software Update )
3.) Set SELinux to Permissive / Permissive / Targeted (System > Administration> SELinux Management, optional maybe ?)
4.) Download and install http://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org/pa...3.fc11.ppc.rpm
OR ELSE THE INSTALL WILL FAIL.
5.) In the terminal (Applications > System Tools > Terminal), install preupgrade if it needs installing (su -c "yum install preupgrade") and then run preupgrade (type preupgrade and press return ). Choose Fedora 11 Leonidas.
6.) It might complain that there's not enough space on /boot to do whatever towards the beginning of the installation. Just continue with the installation. Reboot when prompted.
7.) Stage 1 linux should boot. Then at stage 2 boot prompt type preupgrade (or hope that it boots into preugrade).
8.) Yay you're finally installing Fedora 11.
9.) After installing Fedora 11, in the terminal: su -c "yum clean all"
or else just about everything else you try to install will fail.

END HOWTO INSTALL FEDORA 11 on a G5.

BEGIN ASIDE

With Apple deciding to abandon PPC support in Snow Leopard, Fedora has a remarkable chance to pick up some of the PPC mac users who still want their machines to be able to access cutting edge technologies. I think that I'm not the only one who feels this way right nordicpc ? see http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=223317 . (To help attract new users, It would be really nice if the install DVD would install.) I hope these instructions help new fedora users get started, and that a more reasonable fix is posted.

END ASIDE

Library Eye · #5 14th June 2009, 11:50 AM

dmadd,
thanks so much for detailed how-to... I'm debating whether to give it a try. Fedora 10 was my first linux distro I used at all, just earlier this year . After having no luck with different problems in yellow dog & opensuse I installed fedora and found so much help here on the forum for troubles I had (like my off center iMac display which I guess won't be an issue in 11 with nouveau as default video driver) that I went with it happily. after a while I started having more troubles I couldn't resolve so I installed debian and managed to have a triple boot (tiger, fedora 10, debian lenny) going . Then I installed community based latest ubuntu and it seemed to nuke my fedora 10. so I left a bunch of freespace for when 11 came along. So, now I'm tempted to reinstall 10 to get 11 to run but…*with latest I've read being that with Fedora 12 powerpc will be dropped to mysterious "secondary architecture" status I wouldn't - though I'd really like it to happen- count on fedora courting mac users left out in the cold by snow leopard. And- well, maybe this is flawed reasoning- but if the install DVD of 11 can't recognize G5 hard drives and can't actually install, which would seem like real basic requirements, I'm thinking a lot of stuff is likely to just not work under 11 for ppc. I was hoping maybe an install of 11 would recognize other distros I have installed, but I know from experience an install of 10 doesn't, and I would hate to muck up my ubuntu which kinda works well for a Fedora which may not… but I'm tempted!

If I proceed with install / pre-upgrade I'll post my results here for sure. Thanks again.

Library Eye · #6 14th June 2009, 11:13 PM

I went through all of the above steps and got to error about not enough disc space (needing "7MB on sys/boot/) but it wouldn't allow me to continue with install. choices were to go "back" or exit installer. I went "back" to try again but installer froze. I had to hard reboot my computer. I tried again and when I got to same place I chose to "exit installer" got to a screen that said it was ok to reboot my machine. I did and was left with a fedora that is not upgraded. I booted into Debian which still ran and happened to have a 4 MB mac unix partition right next to /boot so I deleted that and grew the /boot partition. Now I'm still shy 5 MB. Now if I knew this was going to happen I could have when installing Fedora 10 for no other reason than to upgrade made sure my /boot was 207 instead of default 200 MB. But do I want to do this again and have it fail in some other way? Not really, already put a lot of time trying to install something that I really shouldn't get my hopes up for. Very disappointed. Sadly, I can not recommend anyone try this. If you do, when setting up Fedora 10 install, make your boot like 250 or something maybe that will work. I hope my Ubuntu still runs!

dmadd, how did you continue with install in spite of not enough space error? I have no such option to continue.

dmadd · #7 15th June 2009, 03:47 AM

That's interesting. I guess my set up was a little different from yours, the only operating system on my G5 is Fedora 11 and I'm using DHCP. I didn't really customize the Fedora 10 installation and told it to use the entire hd.

This is occurring at some point during preupgrade right?

For some reason during preupgrade, it complained that "/boot" was too small (it's 194M according to df -h) and offered me two choices something like "cancel" or continue with installation (requires network connection). I choose the second one.

I have no idea why you don't have that option.

Take a look at: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=475027
Specifically comment number 7. If you aren't too discouraged, look into kickstart http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda/Kickstart and see if you can force it to do a http install over the network. Since I did not do this myself, I don't know that it will work, or have the specific details as to which server to use, etc.

I thought Ubuntu dropped PPC support? Mac users need a descent operating system. I guess there's always Gentoo (j/k)

Library Eye · #8 15th June 2009, 08:40 AM

here I go again! so, before seeing latest tip from dmadd & before the triumphant LAKERS game!!! (sorry, couldn't help it. I'm amped up! NBA Champs!) I wiped out previous attempt and started over, installing Fedora 10 again. Chose 'use free space' option on install (I'm keeping OS X Tiger 'cause I need Illustrator and InDesign and Photoshop for work I do - and I also like to have a working Flash; and I'm also keeping Debian and Ubuntu 'community' supported latest version which works okay). I have like 57 GB free, more than space allocated to other Operating Systems because I'd like Fedora to be my primary system, But, I reviewed partitioning scheme and since last time default 200 MB for /boot was shy like 7MB I allocated an arbitrary higher numsber - 267 MB. And then began install. Hours later, after the final game of NBA Finals I return home and resume the upgrade process as described by dmadd above. Got to point where last time I got space error, and this time no error at all! It is currently installing. It'll still be going after I go to sleep (following replay of game I'm currently watching) but so far, so good. Looks like, if you're going to try this, you need to increase MB allocated for /boot,

Library Eye · #9 20th June 2009, 08:51 PM

yum clean all

would never finish

i let it run for hours on end , no message that it was done

so i ran

yum clean headers

and then

yum clean packages

both worked quickly

is
yum clean all

just headers & packages combined?

ehwood · #10 9th July 2009, 09:16 PM

WIll there be an updated ISO to fix this ridiculous bug? I would much prefer that over attempting the preupgrade. Especially since Fedora 10 has been failing to bring the GUI up after installation for some mysterious reason. I'm stuck in 9 right now.

Library Eye · #11 11th July 2009, 08:09 PM

ehwood. i have no idea but it sure doesn't look like any new image will be released. and despite having gone through all the trouble listed above, m fedora 11 via preupgrade isn't working so well.

not being able to install the operating system is a pretty major bug, eh? Yet another reason I suspect us PowerPC users are s'posed to get the hint and give up on Fedora.

New Yellow Dog shuld be available by end of month. I went with last version as first disro I tired to install since it's supposed to b e THE ppc distro, but had problems and ended up with Fedora 10 because it worked, and because the problems I encountered I found much help with here on the forums. I really like Fedora and hope I'm wrong, maybe PPC will get revived but it's looking pretty abandoned.

sleepy · #12 20th August 2009, 04:06 AM

Fedora 10 appears to work with no problems. The upgrade failed. so downloaded the dvd which checked out ok for the media. That failed only when the point was reached where the 11 software was to installed on the hard drive. So I will use fedora 10 until the 12 version is out...
As a point of interest the Mac X 10 4 series software also cannot now find the hard drive.. ext 3 file system

chocpoc · #13 2nd November 2009, 01:57 AM

Hello to all, this is the first time I am going to use Linux and I have ppc G5 old mac for this, it has been real hard as I tried arch linux first, then ubuntu and finally came across Fedora, I downloaded the iso file from the main site and when tried to install it had the Hard disk issue. Came across this forum and the second post had this link, [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common...s#ppc970-no-hd] downloaded that iso, burned it and it worked, I am installing fedora right now and will post the results back later!

Saludos,
chocpoc

EDIT: It installed everything but the boot loader, so nope, didnt work.. will try fedora 10 now...

cby016 · #14 26th November 2009, 05:49 PM

I followed this guide to install fedora 11 on a G5 and it worked well. The only thing that is not working is the dvd drive is not recognized. When I hit the eject button the tray opens for a second and then closes quickly and when I put a dvd in the drive it does not mount.

Has anyone else had/solved this problem?

jackdrogba · #15 11th December 2009, 08:33 AM

If you just only have a single hd using the built in SATA, perhaps you need to install a universal hard drive docking station esata, then you can use your build-in hard drive.
Most of the linux version can be hard to install, fedora11 official version has not yet bar! fedora10 I was installed, the hard disk installation, methods, online there are many point to note: fedora10 image can not be installed on the ntfs partition, needs to be placed fat32 or ext3 partition, or when you will be prompted to install does not support ntfs. In a word, the hdd docking station is a must, especially for mac machine.