[K12OSN] booting imac

[R. Scott Belford]

Gavin Chester wrote:
> I know nothing about imacs but was just given one with a dead hard drive
> to play with.  I thought: what better use for it than as a thin client
> on K12ltsp :-)  I can't find any info on booting these as a thin client,
> other than I read that it is being done.  For example, is this thing
> going to network/pxe boot with the hard drive dead/removed? 

Have you tried holding down the n key while booting?
> 
> Supplementary question ;-)
> I have found howtos on installing linux on imacs, and I was surprised to
> find that the drive in this imac is a standard 6GB IDE, so I popped an
> identical drive in and tried to get an install happening. Seems to be a
> 'no-show' without the mac CDs to do something with the 'openfirmware'.
> IOW, I can't get the thing to boot from my linux install CDs.  I read of
> the trick of using the key combo of 'apple+alt+o+f', but that made no
> difference to me seeing a mac icon flashing alternately with a question
> mark.  Could someone please point me to a howto on booting an imac to
> install linux with ONLY a _blank_ replacement drive?  Thanks. 

I've been running debian on my macs for about 5 years now.  This guide 
covers it all

http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/powerpc/

Earlier this year I replaced some drives in a few imacs.  I recall the 
drives not being seen until I made them master.  (or was it cable 
select?)  I just recall the drive not showing as a function of the 
jumper setting.

> 
> Gavin

--scott