From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:43:16 -0600 Subject: Re: [9fans] An unsuccessful attempt to install on Thinkpad T43 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format="flowed" To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@cse.psu.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 References: From: Eric Van Hensbergen Message-Id: <1203349400.20792B8F@ea28.dngr.org> Topicbox-Message-UUID: 594ab2dc-ead3-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 Since you are already running Linux, you may want to consider lguest - it solves the Ethernet problem and does not incur perceivable performance penalties in the T43. -eric On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 6:55 am, Hongzheng Wang wrote: > Hi all, > > Today, I try to install Plan9 on a Thinkpad T43 laptop. > Unforturnately, this attemp failed at last; there are some difficult, > at least for me, problems I cannot solve. So I am composing this post > to seek help. > > The cd image I used is Feb 16 built version, downloaded from Plan9's > official website. It looks different from a previous version I used > to install Plan9 on an old PC. For example, after booting machine > with the cd, there are three options (install, livecd, and debug > livecd) instead. > > The first problem I encountered is that DMA could not be enabled > during installation, although I have explicitly enable it when I am > asked. As a result, the copydisc task is executed so slow. > Furthermore, it claims that some files cannot be copied since they > don't exist. I try reinstall the system, but it seems that the > installation procedure prefer to continuing previous installation. > That is, it didn't try to recopy all files from cd and the missing > warnings are still there. At last, I ignored them. > > For boot method, since I have both Linux and XP on my laptop already, > I choose grub as multiple boot manager. That is, I select `plan9' as > boot method when I am asked and don't install boot instructions into > MBR. And configure grub to use `chainloader +1' to boot Plan9. > > After booting into Plan9, it always stops at `boot from:'. After some > investigation, I found the problem is that the installation procedure > didn't copy kernel image 9pcf at all without any prompts. This > problem is solved by mannually copying /386/9pcf on cd to 9fat > partition. But the system often reports certain files are missing. > So I decide to reinstall the whole system. > > I manually delete the Plan9 partition and format fossil. So a fresh > installation is eventually executed. Surprisingly, there are no > missing files warning again. But when I try to boot it, the computer > always reports: > PCI System Error on Bus/Device/Function 0000h > and crashes, while Linux and XP can still be booted through grub. I > don't know why yet :( > > Another key problem is about the ethernet card. Thinkpad T43 uses > Broadcom tg3 card and it seems that this card is not supported by > Plan9 yet since Broadcom refuses to open its hardware > specification(?). So it becomes so difficult to search for answers > and information because I have to switch between Plan9 and Linux. > > That's all. Thanks. > > -- > HZ