If you have a new Power 7 box running IBM i, and you still have some more processing units or virtual processors, you could start considering using Linux.
At first time you take a look into IBM Power Linux website, you could see only 2 Linux distro for PowerPC / POWER processors: Suse Linux and Red Hat. Both distros are enterprise and has a cost... but someone told you about how good is Linux and free!!!
Power 7 users are lucky. There is some groups of users developing linux for PowerPC/POWER architectures. On of them is Fedora PowerPC/POWER proyect. They released Fedora 16 in December 2011 and it´s time to check an install in Power 7.
Getting ready with Fedora in Power 720.
I havent yet got the HMC or SDMC installed , so my only choice is to use a DVD or virtual DVD and installed via IVM. Those are the steps to get ready with a Linux install via IVM:
1. Download the iso file from: Fedora 16 Mirrors, and be sure to type "ppc". In this example, i will install ppc64.
2. Rename the file. IVM doesnt like some characters when creating media in Virtual Optical Media. Just renamed as: fedora16.iso.
3. Ftp the file to your VIOS server. By default in /home/user/
4. Open the Integrated Virtualization manager and go to: View/Modify Virtual Storage.
The Virtual Optical Media resides, by default, in rootvg. If you have no 2.5Gb free for Fedora 16 iso file, you should "extend" the library clicking on "Extend Library".
5. Click on "Add Media" -> "Add existing File" -> Optical media file name "/home/user/fedora16.iso". You should see a list as below after download the file:
First Fedora16 boot.
Fedora 16 needs 1024Mb memory to install. I didnt test with 512 or 256, but i move down memory to 256Mb and Fedora works fine.
1. Create a Linux Partition and be sure you create a Virtual Optical device.Assign 1Gb Memory.
2. Assign "fedora16.iso" as current media of the virtual optical device.
3. View/Modify Partitions -> check your linux partition and activate it.
4. Open a Linux console. Check if "Enconding" is type "UTF-8" or you will see weird characters during the install.
Select your partition and select in the check box "More Tasks". Use the password of you IVM user.
5. Wait until you get the inital menu of "yaboot". Fedora 16 ppc distro onlyahas one install profile, so, nothing special to do here. Just type "Enter" and go.
6. Follow the installations steps.
7. When the install is finish, the console will ask you to "Reboot". Wait a little bit, we can change here the boot mode to boot from disk next time.
8. In IVM View/modify parttions, click on your linux partition and change the boot mode to "System Management Services (SMS).
9. Go again to the console, and reboot.
10. You should see the SMS menú of the linux partition. Change the Boot Options and be sure "Disk" is the first in the list.
11. Exit from SMS and wait until the partition start.
And it´s done!. Now you have a clean and free Fedora 16 running on your Power machine.
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