[K12OSN] booting imac

[Gavin Chester]

On Sun, 2006-08-20 at 07:45 -1000, R. Scott Belford wrote:
> 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?

That was one of the tips that I couldn't find elsewhere!  Thanks.
Showing my inexperience with imacs, though: will it still work with a
dead/removed hard drive?  I mean, can an imac be made into a _diskless_
client?  That what I can't find documented :-(  

-snip-

> 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.

The guides I read said the booting drive must be master - but then
that's the same with intel-based PCs anyway.

I also found this guide useful and directly relevant:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~fgalli/imac-linux-7.0+7.3.html
"Installing Linux on a iMac (SuSE 7.0)"

	and this one:
http://www.lowendmac.com/stotler/06/0731.html
"The Ins and Outs of Booting Linux on the Mac"
""New World" Macs started with the colored iMacs and include all the
Power Macs since the Blue & White G3s and the Lombard PowerBooks. These
machines are able to boot a Linux install CD directly and are able to
boot directly into Linux. They don't have to have the Mac OS installed."


Those and other guides I've read (including the one you gave) all refer
to accessing 'open firmare' using a four-key boot option.  This has no
effect on the 1998-vintage imac I have.  I just get a small flashing
image that alternates between a mac logo and a question mark.  The suse
install cd that I put in the imac was not seen at boot, so somehow I
need to get it seen :-/

In short, I don't have any mac software discs, nor can I seem to access
the mac bios.  Is there any way to do this?  I'm sorry my supplementary
question is getting so far OT, but I know there are some serious mac
gurus on this list ;-)  I hope to restore this imac to be a standalone
machine (with linux) or a k12 client.

Gavin