MkLinux is sometimes an odd beast due to the Mach Microkernel. We will attempt to explain the steps necessary to boot the system. These steps will be needed to boot into the initial installer. Once the installer has completed you will need to manually change a configuration file as indicated by the installer. (We will cover this in detail later.)
In the directory "Install_MkLinux" you will find 4 folders each containing files:
You should copy the files in the Extensions Folder into your System Folder's Extension Folder. The Mach Kernel is not an extension so dragging it to the system folder will not work properly.
You should then copy the MkLinux file to the Control Panels folder in your System Folder.
Finally copy the files in the Preferences Folder into the Preferences folder in your System Folder.
By default things are set to install from a SCSI CD-ROM drive. If your machine has a SCSI CD-ROM (and you are installing from a CD), you should not need to change anything. Skip ahead to the section.
If your machine has an ATAPI CD-ROM drive then you will need to change a setting. If you are unsure, select the CD on the desktop, under the File menu select Get Info. The "Where:" line will tell you if it is an ATAPI (IDE) or SCSI CD-ROM.
To tell MkLinux to use the installer from an ATAPI CD-ROM drive, launch the "MkLinux" control panel and select "Custom...". SimpleText will be launched to edit your "lilo.conf" file. Change your rootdev according to the instructions in the lilo.conf file. You will need to chnage the "rootdev" line so that it reads: "rootdev=/dev/hdc".
If you will be installing off of your Hard Disk or a Network you need to copy the mach_servers directory to the top level of a suitable volume on your Mac. At the time of writing, a suitable volume is one that contains an HFS Standard (Not HFS Extended) partition, and on a drive that MkLinux can recognize.
You next have to determine the MkLinux device name for the partition
where you put the mach_servers folder. Typical device names look
something like this:
We suggest you use the pdisk utility to determine the device name. Use the "L" command to display the partition tables for every drive attached to your Mac. if may take some sleuthing, but you should be able to figure out the partition which contaisn the HFS volume containing the mach_servers folder.
To tell MkLinux to use the installer from the hard drive, launch the "MkLinux" control panel and select "Custom...". SimpleText will be launched to edit your "lilo.conf" file. Change your rootdev according to the instructions in the lilo.conf file. You will need to chnage the "rootdev" line so that it contains the device name you determined. I.e. if you determined the device to be /dev/hda4, change the rootdev to be "rootdev=/dev/hda4".
To start MkLinux you must now reboot your Macintosh. Soon after you get the MacOS splash screen, you will see the MkLinux splash screen. Click on the "MkLinux" button, and the MkLinux installer should run.
[should probably list common errors..]
During the install, a message will come up informing you to edit your lilo.conf file in MacOS. To edit this file, go into the MkLinux control panel and select "Custom...". SimpleText will be launched so you can edit the "lilo.conf" file. Change the rootdev line to equal what the installer told you. I.e if the device is to be /dev/hda7, change the rootdev to be "rootdev=/dev/hda7".