This entry is mostly just out of spite. I wanted to open explorer as administrator to copy some files between hard drives. (It turns out I didn't really need to do that, but I digress.)
Shouldn't be too difficult right? I googled "windows explorer administrator" and came up with this site as the first hit. The description seemed very promising, but when I got to the site, I found you had to register/pay to see the solution.
Here is the extremely easy process to open Windows Explorer as Administrator in Windows 7:
1. Search for "explorer" in the windows menu search box.
2. Right-click "Windows Explorer" and select "Run as administrator"
3. Enter password if needed and enjoy.
That's it. Hope it helps someone.
Quick, Easy, Cheap PBX Setup using Skype
Looking to implement a phone and collaboration system for a small to medium sized organization? Open source software provides a proven, reliable solution for a fraction of the price of a standard enterprise level system. (Cisco...). You will need a working knowledge of Linux (or Google) for best results, as I won't be covering standard tasks such as changing an IP on Linux, etc.This post is meant as a proof-of-concept or for quick reference. The following instructions will provide an operational system able to make outgoing calls to standard landlines, however it is not a complete solution. Average user needs will call for something quite a bit more complex.
If you have an old box that can be used as a dedicated system, you can have a working voip (outgoing calls) and an IM communication system for less than $10 a month in fees. A very basic system (a few extensions and one SIP channel) can be set up in about 2-3 hours.
There are many good uses for such a system, not least of which is using SIP software on a mobile phone with 3G data access. The SIP client connects to your server over the internet, which then forwards the call though Skype.
In this walkthrough I will be focusing on creating a system very quickly with minimal configuration.
"Display Name" can be anything.
"User name" and "Authorization user name" should be the extension.
"Domain" should be the IP address of the trixbox machine.
The defaults for the rest of the fields will work for now.
When two extensions are configured on separate computers, dial an extension and verify everything is working.
In the trixbox web interface, click on "Trunks" on the left, and then click "Add SIP trunk".
Under "General Settings" type the assigned skype username in the Outbound Caller ID field.
In "Outgoing Dialing Rules", input "NXXNXXXXXX". (area code plus 7 digit number)
Under "Outgoing Settings", give the trunk a name.
Use the following under "PEER Settings":
Leave the "User Context" and "User Details" blank.
If it dosen't go through, make sure credit is applied in skype.
Check the output by running "asterisk -r -vvvv" on the server
At this point the phone system should be working correctly. Continue reading for Openfire setup.
Install the SIP Phone Plugin in Spark.
That concludes the setup. Please post any problems or suggestions. Thanks!
If you have an old box that can be used as a dedicated system, you can have a working voip (outgoing calls) and an IM communication system for less than $10 a month in fees. A very basic system (a few extensions and one SIP channel) can be set up in about 2-3 hours.
There are many good uses for such a system, not least of which is using SIP software on a mobile phone with 3G data access. The SIP client connects to your server over the internet, which then forwards the call though Skype.
In this walkthrough I will be focusing on creating a system very quickly with minimal configuration.
Materials
Hardware:
I used a virtual machine with 512MB Ram, 10GB HDD, and 3Ghz CPU for my setup. For a production system a physical machine would be preferable so that FXO or other interfaces can be easily added. Generally you need:
512MB RAM
Pentium III 1.2Ghz or higher
20GB+ Hard Drive
Software:
trixbox CE - trixbox CE is the free, fully open source version of the commercial version of trixbox. It utilizes Asterisk for PBX functionality and FreePBX for the web manager. After downloading and installing the ISO, (based on CentOS 5.5) the system is basically ready to go.
Openfire - Openfire is a comprehensive, scalable collaboration system. It has excellent integration features with Asterisk. I'm using Spark and it's SIP Phone plugin for a centralized IM and VoIP application.
Spark - The Java client for Openfire, developed by the same company (ignite realtime). Any XMPP client will work for the IM portion, however Spark has a SIP phone plugin allowing calls to be make directly from the app.
X-Lite - A nice softphone that is free and simple to configure and use. A drawback is it shows an ad everytime it's opened. Useful for testing extensions. Check sourceforge.net for free open source softphones.
Skype for SIP - Very cheap service allowing incoming and outgoing calls to the outside world. Each channel (equivalent to a phone line) costs 6.95/month. An online number (phone number regular phones can call) costs an additional $6.30 a month per number.
Got it? Ok, lets start!
User: maint
Password: password
Check the top right corner to make sure the system is in admin mode. If not, click "switch."
After successfully logging in, create a new extension. Click on the "PBX" menu and select "PBX Settings".
Click on "Extensions"
Keep the pull down menu on "Generic SIP Device" and click "Submit". The only required fields for the scope of this walkthrough are "User Extension", "Display Name", and "Secret".
Use a 3 digit number for the extension (200), and a name and password for the other fields.
After entering the proper information, click "Submit" on the bottom of the page.
You would think after clicking submit the process would be finished, but Asterisk still needs to be reloaded. Click the "Apply Configuration Changes" button on the top of the page:
Click "Continue with reload" and the extension should be ready to go.
I used a virtual machine with 512MB Ram, 10GB HDD, and 3Ghz CPU for my setup. For a production system a physical machine would be preferable so that FXO or other interfaces can be easily added. Generally you need:
512MB RAM
Pentium III 1.2Ghz or higher
20GB+ Hard Drive
Software:
trixbox CE - trixbox CE is the free, fully open source version of the commercial version of trixbox. It utilizes Asterisk for PBX functionality and FreePBX for the web manager. After downloading and installing the ISO, (based on CentOS 5.5) the system is basically ready to go.
Openfire - Openfire is a comprehensive, scalable collaboration system. It has excellent integration features with Asterisk. I'm using Spark and it's SIP Phone plugin for a centralized IM and VoIP application.
Spark - The Java client for Openfire, developed by the same company (ignite realtime). Any XMPP client will work for the IM portion, however Spark has a SIP phone plugin allowing calls to be make directly from the app.
X-Lite - A nice softphone that is free and simple to configure and use. A drawback is it shows an ad everytime it's opened. Useful for testing extensions. Check sourceforge.net for free open source softphones.
Skype for SIP - Very cheap service allowing incoming and outgoing calls to the outside world. Each channel (equivalent to a phone line) costs 6.95/month. An online number (phone number regular phones can call) costs an additional $6.30 a month per number.
Got it? Ok, lets start!
Install trixbox
Installing trixbox is about as straight forward as a Linux installation gets. Simply burn the ISO to a cd, boot, and let the installer do the rest of the work. Keep things simple and don't try to add it on to an existing installation. The default install will wipe your hard drive! The only input required is the root password. Reboot the system and it should be ready to go. The network will be configured with a DHCP address, so you will need to log in and check it with "ifconfig" or configure a static address as necessary. Configure an Extension
Once installed, log into the web interface (http://ipaddress). The default admin login is: User: maint
Password: password
Check the top right corner to make sure the system is in admin mode. If not, click "switch."
After successfully logging in, create a new extension. Click on the "PBX" menu and select "PBX Settings".
Keep the pull down menu on "Generic SIP Device" and click "Submit". The only required fields for the scope of this walkthrough are "User Extension", "Display Name", and "Secret".
Use a 3 digit number for the extension (200), and a name and password for the other fields.
After entering the proper information, click "Submit" on the bottom of the page.
You would think after clicking submit the process would be finished, but Asterisk still needs to be reloaded. Click the "Apply Configuration Changes" button on the top of the page:
Repeat the process with a second extension so a test call can be made.
Install a Softphone
On a Windows computer (XP, Vista, 7), install X-Lite. Right-click anywhere on the phone and select "SIP Account Settings" from the menu. If there is already an account in the list that comes up, click properties.
"User name" and "Authorization user name" should be the extension.
"Domain" should be the IP address of the trixbox machine.
The defaults for the rest of the fields will work for now.
When two extensions are configured on separate computers, dial an extension and verify everything is working.
Configure Skype for SIP
Configuring the Skype SIP connection is the most complicated part of the installation, mostly because it is still in "beta" and there is currently no documentation (that I could find).- Log onto skype.com and create an account if you don't already have one.
- Click on the "Business" link on the far right of the skype homepage and create a business account. You can associate it with an existing regular account if desired.
- Once in the "Skype Manager Dashboard" purchase some credit. $10 will be enough for our purposes.
- Click on the "Features" button near the top left of the page, and then click "Skype for SIP". Click "Create new profile" and give it a name. Take note of the username, password, and address that is generated.
- Click on "Profile Settings" on the left, and then click on "Setup outgoing calls". The system will not let outgoing calls through unless there is credit on the line (even free local calls). Add the amount of credit desired. I allocated the remaining credit from the original $10 ($3.04).
Configure the SIP Trunk in trixbox
Now that Skype is configured, the trunk on the trixbox machine can be configured. This is another part that has very little documentation available.In the trixbox web interface, click on "Trunks" on the left, and then click "Add SIP trunk".
Under "General Settings" type the assigned skype username in the Outbound Caller ID field.
In "Outgoing Dialing Rules", input "NXXNXXXXXX". (area code plus 7 digit number)
Under "Outgoing Settings", give the trunk a name.
Use the following under "PEER Settings":
username=xxxxxx ; This is the Skype SIP User found in the authentication area
secret=xxxxxxxx ; Skype SIP password
type=peer
qualify=yes
insecure=invite
host=sip.skype.com
fromdomain=sip.skype.com
disallow=all
allow=ulaw&gsm&alaw
context=from-trunk
fromuser=xxxxxx ; Skype SIP Usernameusername:password@sip.skype.com/username
Leave the "User Context" and "User Details" blank.
Configure an Outbound Route
This is the last step needed to place outgoing calls.- Click "Outbound Routes" on the left panel.
- Give the route a name (skypeout or similar)
- Enter "99|." in the "Dial Patterns" box. (Users will dial "99" to reach an outside line.)
- Select the Skype SIP trunk that was created earlier in the "Trunk Sequence" area.
- Submit the changes and then apply the configuration changes.
If it dosen't go through, make sure credit is applied in skype.
Check the output by running "asterisk -r -vvvv" on the server
At this point the phone system should be working correctly. Continue reading for Openfire setup.
Set up the Openfire Collaboration Server (Instant Messaging)
Now that the PBX is working with outgoing calls, the IM server can be configured. - Download Openfire to the server and start the installation (rpm -ivh openfire_*.rpm).
- When the install is finished, log onto the admin console. (http://ipaddress:9090)
- Complete the setup wizard. When asked for a database use the internal database.
- Click the "Users/Groups" button on the menubar and then "Create New User" on the left.
- Install Spark on a client computer. For the server enter the IP address of the trixbox/Openfire machine. Click connect the client should log on normally.
- Open the Openfire web admin page and click the "Plugins" button on the top menubar.
- Click "Available Plugins" on the Plugins page.
- Locate "SIP Phone Plugin" and click the green install button on the right.
- After the plugin is installed successfully, click the "Server" button on the menubar, and then click the "Phone" button on the sub-menubar.
- Click "Add new phone mapping"
XMPP username: openfire usernameOnce all the data is in, hit create. The extension will be registered when the client installs the plugin and logs on. (next step)
SIP username: asterisk extension
Authorization username: asterisk extension
Display Phone Number: Desired number
Password: password setup on trixbox
Server: IP address of trixbox machine
Install the SIP Phone Plugin in Spark.
- Open Spark, login with the user that has the mapped extension.
- Click the "Spark" menu on the top left and select "Plugins"
- Click the "Available Plugins" tab. Select the SIP Phone Plugin and click the green install button on the right. After it is finished installing, restart Spark.
That concludes the setup. Please post any problems or suggestions. Thanks!
Resuming an Interrupted SSH Session
If you ssh into remote *nix boxes with any sort of regularity, it's almost inevitble that at some point your connection is going to drop. If it happens while you are editing a file it can be a real pain to start from where you left off. In my case, I had an account on my school's Unix server but it would kick me off after about 5-10 minutes of inactivity. Talk about frustrating.
Fortunately, the "screen" command let's you easily restart your session.
Get Screen
Your distro probably already has screen built in. If you're using ubuntu and it's not there just type:
sudo apt-get install screenFor gentoo the command would be:
emerge -av app-misc/screen
Using Screen
Once it's installed usage is trivial. If you're only going to be using a single session, connect via ssh and type:
screenIf you get dissconnected, reconnect your ssh session and type:
screen -RYou will then enter the session where you left off.
You can check if there is an existing screen session by typing:
screen -lsIf you want to use multiple sessions, you will need to name the sessions with a unique name.
screen -S session1Then connect in the same way, but including the session name:
screen -R session1Those are the basics! Screen has more advanced features you can check out in the man page.
Installing Gentoo on an Apple G5
I was lucky enough to recently acquire an old dual 2.5Ghz G5 from my brother because he was no longer using it. Sweet! This is the first Mac I've used since the late 90's, and I have to say I'm really impressed with the quality of the case, components, and construction. The only drawback is that it's the last Apple to use the PowerPC processor architecture, meaning consumer software isn't really being developed for it anymore. :(
Since updated software for OS X on PPC is getting hard to find, I decided that a source based Linux distro could extend the life of the machine a little longer (debateable, some feel an OS like Debian has more support). Although to be honest, a more practical option would be to keep OS X and compile any Linux software I wanted for OS X. But what's the fun in that? I haven't really used OS X but I would definitely like to experiment with it, so my goal is to have a dual boot system with OS X and Gentoo Linux.
I don't have any experience with Linux on PPC (especially the bootloader), so I decided to take no chances and removed the hard drive with OS X on it and put in a spare 160GB sata drive I had, just to make sure I didn't ruin some data. (fdisk /dev/sda instead of /dev/sdb has been known to happen...)
This walkthrough is heavily inspired from the PPC Gentoo Handbook. I had to make a few modifications since I didn't want a fully 64 bit system and the regular PPC handbook won't work for a G5 if you follow it exactly.
The Gentoo minimal install CD can be downloaded here: http://distfiles.gentoo.org/releases/ppc/current-iso/
This walkthrough was made using "install-powerpc-minimal-20091018.iso"
Burn the iso to a CD-R with a program like Iso Recorder, Nero, or K3B.
Insert the CD (you may have to boot into OS X to eject the drive without forcing it manually). Reboot and hold down the "c" key after the startup tone sounds.
If you did it right, some information and boot options will be displayed by yaboot. Type "G5" and hit enter to boot from the livecd. If the display is corrupted (I had some problems with the pcie Radeon) try rebooting and typing "G5 video=ofonly" at the prompt.
The livecd should detect the network interface and start dhcp automatically.
When it's finished booting, start ssh so we can install from a different computer.
Take note of the ipaddress and open an ssh connection from another computer. From Linux:
This part can get a little tricky. The drive needs a minimum of 4 partitions (counting swap), 2 of which are not used by linux. We will use mac-fdisk to partition the drive. Since, I am installing to a separate drive I'm not going to worry about mac partitions.
Press "i" to wipe the drive and initialize it. Warning: All data will be lost!
After the drive has been initialized, press "b" and enter "2p" when asked for the start block. This installs the Apple_Bootstrap partition.
Now we need a swap. Press "c" and enter "3p" for the block. Enter "512M" or greater when asked for the size. Most people generally use twice the installed memory. Type "swap" when the name prompt appears.
Finally, the root partition. Press "c" and enter "4p" to select the starting root block. When the size prompt comes up, type "4p" again to use up all the remaining space. When asked for a name, enter "root."
Hit "w" to save the changes, and then "q" to exit.
Maybe it's already correct? Type "date" and verify. If not set the correct time and date:
I used ext3, a nice solid file system with plenty of support. Yaboot will not boot from ext4, so if you want to use it you will need a separate boot partition.
Create and activate the swap partition:
Move to /mnt/gentoo to make things easier.
Now navigate to the Gentoo mirrors to download the latest stage 3 file:
Navigate to releases/ppc/current-stage3 and download:
stage3-ppc64-32ul-*.tar.bz2
Unpack it:
Now portage needs to be downloaded and installed/updated.
Navigate to releases/snapshots/current and download:
portage-latest.tar.bz2
Now install it:
It might take a while to finish decompressing.
We need to optimize compiling for the G5 processor.
Here's what I have in my make.conf:
CHOST="powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu"
CFLAGS="-O2 -pipe -mcpu=970"
MAKEOPTS="-j3"
VIDEO_CARDS="radeon"
Note since the 32bit User Land is being used, there is no 64 after the powerpc above.
Copy over the DNS info so that the internet is accessible:
You should now be inside the new Gentoo installation. Portage should already be up to date, but you can run "emerge --sync" to make sure.
List a profile:
Select your desired profile:
Find your timezone with "ls /usr/share/zoneinfo"
Select it by "cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime"
You can see that I'm using PST time. Adjust to your needs.
While we are messing the time, might as well configure the clock.
Uncomment the line with "Factory" in it and replace "Factory with your zone/city. For me, that's "America/Los_Angeles"
For simplicity, I'm sticking with gentoo-sources.
Now change directories:
Configure the default settings for the G5:
I've found the above command is all you need for a bootable system. Of course you should probably configure to your liking with "make menuconfig"
Now the tricky part! The G5 needs a 64bit kernel to boot, but we are using a 32bit User Land! This means we have to cross-compile the kernel. Just typing "make" will not work! Use the following:
Wait until it's finished compiling (probably about 30 minutes) and then copy the kernel to /boot:
Getting close! Bet you thought I forgot about fstab. Think again!
Edit fstab:
Make sure to comment out the line for the /boot partition
Change "ROOT" to "sda4"
Change "SWAP" to "sda3"
The default settings are configured for an ext3 /root and swap on sda3.
HOSTNAME="yourcomputer"
Now emerge dhcp:
If you are using DHCP on your network, you most likely don't need to configure anything else. Gentoo will automatically get an address on boot.
This one is kinda important ;)
System Tools
To speed things up, I'm only installing a System Logger.
Now make sure it starts on boot:
The bootloader was one of the most confusing steps to me as I was used to grub.
Since we are using 32bit UL, we need regular yaboot (NOT yaboot-static)
It's important you run the above command out of the chroot environment or it will error out.
If the fstab is configured correctly there should be no problems.The bootstrap should be /dev/sda2.
When it asks for a kernel type: "/boot/kernel-2.6.32" (or whatever you named your kernel)
Leave initfs blank.
When it's done, we are ready to reboot! Unmount /mnt/gentoo/proc /mnt/gentoo/dev/ and /mnt/gentoo
then reboot.
If all goes well, gentoo will boot to the command prompt!
From here on out, software can be instaled using standard emerge commands. After emerging gnome, a few other apps, and fiddeling with the appearence (thanks gnome-look.org), I ended up with this:
Since updated software for OS X on PPC is getting hard to find, I decided that a source based Linux distro could extend the life of the machine a little longer (debateable, some feel an OS like Debian has more support). Although to be honest, a more practical option would be to keep OS X and compile any Linux software I wanted for OS X. But what's the fun in that? I haven't really used OS X but I would definitely like to experiment with it, so my goal is to have a dual boot system with OS X and Gentoo Linux.
I don't have any experience with Linux on PPC (especially the bootloader), so I decided to take no chances and removed the hard drive with OS X on it and put in a spare 160GB sata drive I had, just to make sure I didn't ruin some data. (fdisk /dev/sda instead of /dev/sdb has been known to happen...)
This walkthrough is heavily inspired from the PPC Gentoo Handbook. I had to make a few modifications since I didn't want a fully 64 bit system and the regular PPC handbook won't work for a G5 if you follow it exactly.
Getting Gentoo
The Gentoo minimal install CD can be downloaded here: http://distfiles.gentoo.org/releases/ppc/current-iso/
This walkthrough was made using "install-powerpc-minimal-20091018.iso"
Burn the iso to a CD-R with a program like Iso Recorder, Nero, or K3B.
Booting from the Install CD
Insert the CD (you may have to boot into OS X to eject the drive without forcing it manually). Reboot and hold down the "c" key after the startup tone sounds.
If you did it right, some information and boot options will be displayed by yaboot. Type "G5" and hit enter to boot from the livecd. If the display is corrupted (I had some problems with the pcie Radeon) try rebooting and typing "G5 video=ofonly" at the prompt.
The livecd should detect the network interface and start dhcp automatically.
When it's finished booting, start ssh so we can install from a different computer.
passwd password (use your desired password)
/etc/init.d/sshd start
ifconfig
Take note of the ipaddress and open an ssh connection from another computer. From Linux:
ssh root@$IP_ADDRESS
Prepare the Hard Drive
This part can get a little tricky. The drive needs a minimum of 4 partitions (counting swap), 2 of which are not used by linux. We will use mac-fdisk to partition the drive. Since, I am installing to a separate drive I'm not going to worry about mac partitions.
mac-fdisk /dev/sda
Press "i" to wipe the drive and initialize it. Warning: All data will be lost!
After the drive has been initialized, press "b" and enter "2p" when asked for the start block. This installs the Apple_Bootstrap partition.
Now we need a swap. Press "c" and enter "3p" for the block. Enter "512M" or greater when asked for the size. Most people generally use twice the installed memory. Type "swap" when the name prompt appears.
Finally, the root partition. Press "c" and enter "4p" to select the starting root block. When the size prompt comes up, type "4p" again to use up all the remaining space. When asked for a name, enter "root."
Hit "w" to save the changes, and then "q" to exit.
Set the Time
Maybe it's already correct? Type "date" and verify. If not set the correct time and date:
date 051018002010 (mmddhhmmyyyy - Month Day Hour Minute Year)
Create the Filesystems
I used ext3, a nice solid file system with plenty of support. Yaboot will not boot from ext4, so if you want to use it you will need a separate boot partition.
mke2fs -j /dev/sda4
Create and activate the swap partition:
mkswap /dev/sda3Mount the root partition so we can install Gentoo on it:
swapon /dev/sda3
mount /dev/sda4 /mnt/gentoo
Download and Install the Latest System Files
Move to /mnt/gentoo to make things easier.
cd /mnt/gentoo
Now navigate to the Gentoo mirrors to download the latest stage 3 file:
links distfiles.gentoo.org
Navigate to releases/ppc/current-stage3 and download:
stage3-ppc64-32ul-*.tar.bz2
Unpack it:
tar xvpjf stage3-ppc64-32ul*.tar.bz2
Now portage needs to be downloaded and installed/updated.
links distfiles.gentoo.org
Navigate to releases/snapshots/current and download:
portage-latest.tar.bz2
Now install it:
tar xvjf portage-latest.tar.bz2 -C /mnt/gentoo/usr
It might take a while to finish decompressing.
Compile Options
We need to optimize compiling for the G5 processor.
nano /mnt/gentoo/etc/make.conf
Here's what I have in my make.conf:
CHOST="powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu"
CFLAGS="-O2 -pipe -mcpu=970"
MAKEOPTS="-j3"
VIDEO_CARDS="radeon"
Note since the 32bit User Land is being used, there is no 64 after the powerpc above.
Chroot to the New Installation
Copy over the DNS info so that the internet is accessible:
cp -L /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/gentoo/etcNow /proc and /dev needs to be mounted:
mount -t proc none /mnt/gentoo/proc
mount -o bind /dev/ /mnt/gentoo/dev/
chroot /mnt/gentoo /bin/bash
env-update
source /etc/profile
You should now be inside the new Gentoo installation. Portage should already be up to date, but you can run "emerge --sync" to make sure.
List a profile:
eselect profile list
Select your desired profile:
eselect profile set 9 (9 is the 64/32 gnome desktop that I used)
Set the Timezone
Find your timezone with "ls /usr/share/zoneinfo"
Select it by "cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime"
You can see that I'm using PST time. Adjust to your needs.
While we are messing the time, might as well configure the clock.
nano /etc/conf.d/clock
Uncomment the line with "Factory" in it and replace "Factory with your zone/city. For me, that's "America/Los_Angeles"
Install and Compile the Kernel
For simplicity, I'm sticking with gentoo-sources.
emerge gentoo-sources
Now change directories:
cd /usr/src/linux
Configure the default settings for the G5:
make g5_defconfig
I've found the above command is all you need for a bootable system. Of course you should probably configure to your liking with "make menuconfig"
Now the tricky part! The G5 needs a 64bit kernel to boot, but we are using a 32bit User Land! This means we have to cross-compile the kernel. Just typing "make" will not work! Use the following:
CROSS_COMPILE="powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-" make && make modules_install
Wait until it's finished compiling (probably about 30 minutes) and then copy the kernel to /boot:
cp vmlinux /boot/kernel-2.6.32
Getting close! Bet you thought I forgot about fstab. Think again!
Edit fstab:
nano /etc/fstab
Make sure to comment out the line for the /boot partition
Change "ROOT" to "sda4"
Change "SWAP" to "sda3"
The default settings are configured for an ext3 /root and swap on sda3.
Set Hostname and Network
nano /etc/conf.d/hostname
HOSTNAME="yourcomputer"
Now emerge dhcp:
emerge dhcpcd
If you are using DHCP on your network, you most likely don't need to configure anything else. Gentoo will automatically get an address on boot.
Set the Root Password
This one is kinda important ;)
passwd
System Tools
To speed things up, I'm only installing a System Logger.
emerge syslog-ng
Now make sure it starts on boot:
rc-update add syslog-ng default
Bootloader!
The bootloader was one of the most confusing steps to me as I was used to grub.
Since we are using 32bit UL, we need regular yaboot (NOT yaboot-static)
emerge yabootNow, either exit out of the chroot, or just start a seperate ssh session to the live cd and run:
yabootconfig --chroot /mnt/gentoo
It's important you run the above command out of the chroot environment or it will error out.
If the fstab is configured correctly there should be no problems.The bootstrap should be /dev/sda2.
When it asks for a kernel type: "/boot/kernel-2.6.32" (or whatever you named your kernel)
Leave initfs blank.
When it's done, we are ready to reboot! Unmount /mnt/gentoo/proc /mnt/gentoo/dev/ and /mnt/gentoo
then reboot.
If all goes well, gentoo will boot to the command prompt!
From here on out, software can be instaled using standard emerge commands. After emerging gnome, a few other apps, and fiddeling with the appearence (thanks gnome-look.org), I ended up with this:
Conclusion
I actually had some fun working through this project, but I have to say I probably won't be using it as my main desktop. The system is noticeably snappier than OS X, but that may be because I have no 3D effects turned on. The main drawback is closed source software that isn't precompiled for PPC (Adobe Flash, Skype) won't work, which greatly reduces the usability of the system. (Maybe HTML5 will change that?)The OS X drive will be going back in soon and I'll experiment with compiling linux software in OS X. Oh well, it was a fun, project.
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