intrepid daily alternate cd fails to find cd-rom on powerbook G4

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

I can verify this is still the case on a 12" PB 1.5Ghz G4 with the latest build from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/daily/current/ (9/25). Any suggestions in the meantime?

It is still a problem with 20081025 daily cd on a G3 slot-loading iMac.

Trying start the Intrepid installer (downloaded 30.10.2008) on my PowerMac G5 - same issue

The cd issue could be solved in my imac G3 slot-loading typing in the command prompt (switch to another virtual screen with Ctrl-Alt-F2):

modprobe ide-scsi

then when asked for a cd device answer /dev/scd0

Then I had several problems in the base installation, I think they're due to a problem in the xkbdata package

olarilole's solution (modprobe ide-scsi) worked fine for me on a Mac mini with the intrepid installer.

Aye, works here on a G3 B&W PowerMac as well.

Thank you,

It did work on my emac g4, i have 3 second hands emacs in my house for my family and this will surely help to expand the concept of free software.

A question, why do we have to manually make this change, as the initial reading of the cd is fine?

MarcVegel

It works when I insert the module ide-scsi as well. But like you Marc, I've been wondering the same question.

Kip

The initial reading is done by the bios, a small program that lies in the permanent memory of the computer. It knows where to look for the bootloader in the CD, but this gives full control to the initramfs kernel, which needs to load nodules to be able to access the hardware parts (something like this, I'm not such an expert on these issues so I may be wrong in the details...).

Sometimes the same issue can happen in hard disks as well, the bootloader will load but then the actual kernel does not know how to access a particular kind of hard drive.

Ah yes, that's exactly it. I forgot about how the BIOS has disk emulation for bootable CDROMs.

So I guess no one has found a solution yet?

On 1-Dec-08, at 1:04 PM, Kip Warner wrote:

> It works when I insert the module ide-scsi as well. But like you Marc,
> I've been wondering the same question.
>
> Kip
>
> --
> intrepid daily alternate cd fails to find cd-rom on powerbook G4
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/260608
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “linux” source package in Ubuntu: New
> Status in “linux-ports” source package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Using the powerpc alternate 20080823 cd. on a powerbook G4 ti 1Ghz.
>
> Install boots, lets me choose language and keyboard layout. then i
> get the message
>
> "No common CD-ROM drive was detected
> You may need to load additional CD-ROM drivers from a floppy...
> Otherwise you you willl be give the option to manually select CD-
> ROM modules. Load drivers from Floppy?
> Yes NO"
>
> In some ubuntu dev versions it has been necessary to load ide-core
> to boot ubuntu on this machine. but at a shell trying modprobe ide-
> core gives
> FATAL: Module ide_core not found.
>
> /lib/modules/2.6.25-1-powerpc/kernel/drivers/ide only contains ide-
> disk.ko, ide-floppy.ko and ide-tape.ko

That sounds good... right?

On 1-Dec-08, at 6:24 PM, Kip Warner wrote:

> Ah yes, that's exactly it. I forgot about how the BIOS has disk
> emulation for bootable CDROMs.
>
> --
> intrepid daily alternate cd fails to find cd-rom on powerbook G4
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/260608
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “linux” source package in Ubuntu: New
> Status in “linux-ports” source package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Using the powerpc alternate 20080823 cd. on a powerbook G4 ti 1Ghz.
>
> Install boots, lets me choose language and keyboard layout. then i
> get the message
>
> "No common CD-ROM drive was detected
> You may need to load additional CD-ROM drivers from a floppy...
> Otherwise you you willl be give the option to manually select CD-
> ROM modules. Load drivers from Floppy?
> Yes NO"
>
> In some ubuntu dev versions it has been necessary to load ide-core
> to boot ubuntu on this machine. but at a shell trying modprobe ide-
> core gives
> FATAL: Module ide_core not found.
>
> /lib/modules/2.6.25-1-powerpc/kernel/drivers/ide only contains ide-
> disk.ko, ide-floppy.ko and ide-tape.ko

I wanted to confirm I encountered this same problem with the intrepid ibex 8.10 alternate install cd for powerpc on an old eMac G4 1.25Ghz (USB2.0). I can confirm that the solution described by olarilole involving "modproble ide-scsi" from a secondary terminal solved the issue for me.

Good news. This bug seems to be fixed in the 20090112 daily build.

Thanks Niels. Is anyone else able to confirm? I'm also closing the "linux (Ubuntu)" task since the "linux-ports (Ubuntu)" task is the accurate one. Thanks.