README for Debian 2.1 CD installation. ====================================== To boot the installation system from CD, you will need to insert either CD#1 in your CD-ROM drive, drop to the PROM prompt (Stop-A), and enter: "boot cdrom" (if you have an older PROM, you may have to use "b sd(0,6,0)" instead). This CD should boot on sun4c, sun4m, and sun4u systems. At the silo prompt you will be given a choice of linux or linux-2.2.1 (if you just press return, you get linux). The former provides the officially supported 2.0.35 kernel, and the latter provides a 2.2.1 kernel. Some sun4m systems have been known to not boot the 2.0.35 kernel, so if it locks up while the background is still white, try the 2.2.1 kernel. There is no 2.0.35 kernel for Ultras, so on those machines you will get the 2.2.1 kernel regardless of what you select. If your system will not boot from CD, there are other options: 1. Make boot floppies from the images on the first CD, in the directory /dists/stable/main/dists-sparc/current. The program rawrite2.exe in the /tools directory will write the floppy images under DOS. e.g. cd /dists/stable/main/disks-sparc/current rawrite2 -f resc1440.bin -d a: Under Unix, this can be done with "dd" or "cat" (see the documentation in the /install directory). 2. Use tftp booting (documented in the /install directory). The tftp boot images are also in /dists/stable/main/dists-sparc/current. The file tftpboot.img supports 32-bit sparc machines and uses a 2.0 kernel and the file tftpboot-2.2.1.img supports all sparc machines and uses a 2.2.1 kernel. See /install/install.txt for more information, and /README.multicd for last-minute information about the multi-cd installation method. The install documentation in /install was up to date when this CD image was created. The Debian web site has the most up-to-date information at http://www.debian.org/releases/slink/sparc which may document issues that were discovered after these CD images were created. Steve Dunham March 6, 1999