Debian GNU/Linux installation on PowerPC machines
Check the following pages for specific information about installing Debian/PowerPC on your system:
There are four major supported powerpc flavors: PMac (Power-Macintosh), Apus, CHRP and PReP machines. Ports to other powerpc architectures, such as the Be-Box and MBX architecture, are underway but not yet supported by Debian. We may have a 64bit port in the future.
There are also four flavours of the powerpc kernel in Debian. These are based on the specific CPU type in use (and should not be confused with the architecture flavours discussed above):
- powerpc
Most systems use this kernel flavour, which supports the PowerPC 601, 603, 604, 740, 750, and 7400 processors. All Apple Power Macintosh systems up to and including the G4 use processors supported by this kernel.
- power3
The POWER3 processor is used in older IBM 64-bit server systems: known models include the IntelliStation POWER Model 265, the pSeries 610 and 640, and the RS/6000 7044-170, 7043-260, and 7044-270.
- power4
The POWER4 processor is used in more recent IBM 64-bit server systems: known models include the pSeries 615, 630, 650, 655, 670, and 690. The Apple G5 is also based on the POWER4 architecture, and uses this kernel flavour.
- apus
This kernel flavour supports the Amiga Power-UP System.
Apple (and briefly a few other manufacturers - Power Computing, for example) makes a series of Macintosh computers based on the PowerPC processor. For purposes of architecture support, they are categorized as Nubus, OldWorld PCI, and NewWorld.
Nubus systems are not currently supported by debian/powerpc. The monolithic Linux/PPC kernel architecture does not have support for these machines; instead, one must use the MkLinux Mach microkernel, which Debian does not yet support. These include the 6100/7100/8100 line of Power Macintoshes.
OldWorld systems are most Power Macintoshes with a floppy drive and a PCI bus. Most 603, 603e, 604, and 604e based Power Macintoshes are OldWorld machines. The beige colored G3 systems are also OldWorld.
The so called NewWorld PowerMacs are any PowerMacs in translucent colored plastic cases, all iMacs, iBooks, G4 and G5 systems. The NewWorld PowerMacs are also known for using the `ROM in RAM' system for Mac OS, and were manufactured from mid-1998 onwards.
Here is a list of powerpc machines which should work with Debian.
| Model Name/Number | Architecture |
|---|---|
| Apple | |
| iMac Bondi Blue, 5 Flavors, Slot Loading | powermac-NewWorld |
| iMac Summer 2000, Early 2001 | powermac-NewWorld |
| iMac G5 | powermac-NewWorld |
| iBook, iBook SE, iBook Dual USB | powermac-NewWorld |
| iBook2 | powermac-NewWorld |
| iBook G4 | powermac-NewWorld |
| Power Macintosh Blue and White (B&W) G3 | powermac-NewWorld |
| Power Macintosh G4 PCI, AGP, Cube | powermac-NewWorld |
| Power Macintosh G4 Gigabit Ethernet | powermac-NewWorld |
| Power Macintosh G4 Digital Audio, Quicksilver | powermac-NewWorld |
| Power Macintosh G5 | powermac-NewWorld |
| PowerBook G3 FireWire Pismo (2000) | powermac-NewWorld |
| PowerBook G3 Lombard (1999) | powermac-NewWorld |
| PowerBook G4 Titanium | powermac-NewWorld |
| PowerBook G4 Aluminum | powermac-NewWorld |
| Mac mini | powermac-NewWorld |
| Xserve G5 | powermac-NewWorld |
| Performa 4400, 54xx, 5500 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Performa 6300, 6360, 6400, 6500 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh 4400, 5400 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh 7200, 7300, 7500, 7600 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh 8200, 8500, 8600 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh 9500, 9600 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh (Beige) G3 Minitower | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Macintosh (Beige) Desktop, All-in-One | powermac-OldWorld |
| PowerBook 2400, 3400, 3500 | powermac-OldWorld |
| PowerBook G3 Wallstreet (1998) | powermac-OldWorld |
| Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh | powermac-OldWorld |
| Workgroup Server 7250, 8550, 9650, G3 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Power Computing | |
| PowerBase, PowerTower / Pro, PowerWave | powermac-OldWorld |
| PowerCenter / Pro, PowerCurve | powermac-OldWorld |
| UMAX | |
| C500, C600, J700, S900 | powermac-OldWorld |
| APS | |
| APS Tech M*Power 604e/2000 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Motorola | |
| Starmax 3000, 4000, 5000, 5500 | powermac-OldWorld |
| Firepower, PowerStack Series E, PowerStack II | PReP |
| MPC 7xx, 8xx | PReP |
| MTX, MTX+ | PReP |
| MVME2300(SC)/24xx/26xx/27xx/36xx/46xx | PReP |
| MCP(N)750 | PReP |
| IBM RS/6000 | |
| 40P, 43P | PReP |
| Power 830/850/860 (6070, 6050) | PReP |
| 6015, 6030, 7025, 7043 | PReP |
| p640 | PReP |
| B50, 43-P150, 44P | CHRP |
| Genesi | |
| Pegasos I, Pegasos II | CHRP |
| Amiga Power-UP Systems (APUS) | |
| A1200, A3000, A4000 | APUS |
Here is a list of machines which are not known to work with Debian. They may well work, and we'd like to hear if you test one and have some success.
| Model Name/Number | Architecture |
|---|---|
| IBM Longtrail II, First 'free' or 'open' PowerPC Board | CHRP |
| 7248-100,7248-120,7248-132 | PReP |
| Notebook Thinkpad 820: 7247-821/822/823 | PReP |
| Notebook Thinkpad 850: 7247-851/860 | PReP |