More about the Linux Distro

Woody
For Woody, the complete Linux Distribution Set (Distro) for PowerPC consists of 7 CDs, only the first of which is supplied with AmigaOne. In order to install more software, you will need at least disks 2 and 3 which used to be downloadable as ISO images (650 MB each approx) from the Internet at ftp.au.debian.org/pub/debian-cd but since the release of Sarge they are no longer available. However all 7 are available on CD from Amiga Auckland's Librarian so that you can take your own copies for future use.

Sarge
For Sarge, the complete Linux Distribution Set (Distro) for PowerPC consists of 14 CDs, but only the first 9 are required to upgrade from Woody to Sarge. We recommend that you get copies of all 14 CDs, downloadable as ISO images (650 MB each approx) from the Internet at ftp.au.debian.org/pub/debian-cd or from Amiga Auckland's Librarian so that you can take your own copies for future use.

Cataloguing the Packages

Woody
For Woody, you were given the option of scanning the other Debian CD's for packages during the installation process, and our recommendation was "Yes", but if you chose not to instead, now is the time to finish off this process. For this you need to login as root, open a shell and type apt-cdrom add followed by <Enter>. You will then be asked to insert a CD in the drive and press <Enter>. The program will scan the CD for packages and record them for future reference. Repeat this process for all of the Debian CD's that you have. There was a time when it wasn't necessary to have the CDs, and you could install the packages over the internet, but since they are no longer available for Woody it is not an option.

The next step is to install a program called "Aptitude", so again from the shell while logged on as root, type apt-get install aptitude followed by <Enter>. You will then be asked to insert a specific CD in the drive (binary 1 or disk 1 in this case) and press <Enter>. This will install aptitude onto your system.

Sarge
For Sarge, the installation instructions said that you should catalogue all of the CD's before upgrading, so this step is not required. However, you can still install and upgrade Sarge packages over the Internet if you don't have the CD's.

What Packages are Available?

Having catalogued the packages it would be nice to know what packages you have available, what has been installed and so on. For this, you can either log on as root, open a shell and type aptitude followed by <Enter>, or you can select it from KDE (Debian Menu > Apps > System > aptitude) which will open a shell for you and run aptitude. You will see a categorised database of software products that are installed, not installed etc. Use the Enter key to open any section, and use the cursor keys to scroll down if nothing appears to have happened (the open can occur outside the visible screen area.) Also take time to read the available options at the top of the screen including how to exit from the program.

Recommended Packages to Install

Woody

Getting the Sound Card Working (needs disk 2)
The first step is to login as root, open a shell and type lspci - this will display a list of all of the cards in your system. Take note of the chipset used by the sound card. Theoretically, if you followed the installation instruction correctly everything should already be setup, but in case it isn't or you have changed your sound card, the following instructions should help you sort it out. To check your system, type 'cat /etc/modules' and you should see the following:

snd-emu10k1
snd-mixer-oss
snd-pcm-oss

If you have the Ectiva EV1938 or EMU10k1 chipsets you must use the ALSA drivers if you are running the 2.4.22 kernel or later, and if you are running an older version you should upgrade to the latest kernel as soon as possible.

To activate the Ectiva EV1938 drivers, type modprobe snd-ens1371 and press Enter, followed by modprobe snd-pcm-oss and again press Enter, using the same shell as above.

To activate the EMU10k1 drivers, type modprobe snd-emu10k1 and press Enter, followed by modprobe snd-pcm-oss and again press Enter, using the same shell as above.

This will load the required modules, however they may no longer be there after you reboot. From the root user you must edit the modules file and add the module names to the end of the existing file as shown above, for example:

The final step is to turn up the volume so that you can hear it - if left at the default of "0" you will not hear a thing (a common problem!). To do this you can either type aumix -v100 -w50 -i100 -c100 followed by Enter, type aumix followed by Enter and use the GUI options or select aumix from the Multimedia/Debian menu from within KDE, where "v" refers to Vol, "w" refers to Pcm, "i" refers to Line, and "c" refers to CD. Personally I prefer the GUI option but don't forget to save the changes before exiting so that they become permanently set.

Now while this might be fine for the root user, no other user will be able to use aumix at this time for security reasons. Logged on as root user type chmod 666 /dev/dsp and press Enter, then type chmod 666 /dev/mixer and press Enter.

Sarge

Getting the Sound Card Working (needs disk 2)
The process of getting sound card working on the AmigaOne has been an ongoing topic for some time, and with the release of the latest kernel has become even more complicated for some. The first step is to login as root, open a shell and type lspci - this will display a list of all of the cards in your system. Take note of the chipset used by the sound card. Theoretically, if you have followed the installation guide correctly everything should already be setup, but in case or isn't or you have changed your card, the following instructions should help you sort it out. To check your system, type cat /etc/modules and you should see the following:

snd-emu10k1
snd-mixer-oss
snd-pcm-oss

If you have the Ectiva EV1938 or EMU10k1 chipsets you must use the ALSA drivers if you are running the 2.4.22 kernel or later, and if you are running an older version you should upgrade to the latest kernel as soon as possible.

To activate the Ectiva EV1938 drivers, type modprobe snd-ens1371 and press Enter, followed by modprobe snd-pcm-oss and again press Enter, using the same shell as above.

To activate the EMU10k1 drivers, type modprobe snd-emu10k1 and press Enter, followed by modprobe snd-pcm-oss and again press Enter, using the same shell as above.

This will load the required modules, however they may no longer be there after you reboot. From the root user you must edit the modules file and add the module names to the end of the existing file as shown above, for example:

The final step is to turn up the volume so that you can hear it - if left at the default of "0" you will not hear a thing (a common problem!). To do this you can either type aumix -v100 -w50 -i100 -c100 followed by Enter, type aumix followed by Enter and use the GUI options or select aumix from the Multimedia/Debian menu from within KDE, where "v" refers to Vol, "w" refers to Pcm, "i" refers to Line, and "c" refers to CD. Personally I prefer the GUI option but don't forget to save the changes before exiting so that they become permanently set.