Installing Athena on Linux

Last Modified: $Date: 2001/12/14 04:21:27 $

This page provides current installation instructions, and status of work in progress for installing Athena on the Linux platform.

The standard install currently requires:

• An x86-based PC; 586 and lower may have issues.
• An ethernet interface compatible with the 3com 3c59x series.
• IDE disk
• Video card capable of autodetection and autoconfiguration by XFree86, or a willingness and ability on the part of the user to configure video manually.

Changes from older versions of Linux Athena are:

• Previous issues with regard to sound card selection are no longer applicable; any sound card supported by Red Hat will work.
• Private SMP machines are supported.
• The IDE restriction will be removed in late 2001.
• The ethernet interface restriction will be removed in late 2001 or early 2002.

To install the standard installation, attach bootkit, and follow the instructions in /mit/bootkit/rhlinux/INSTRUCTIONS. When you are done, you will have an athena workstation that works like any other athena workstation. Consult the Private Workstation Owners Guide for more information on maintaining your system.

The X configuration in the install cannot be fully automated and therefore assumes by default that you have

• Three-button mouse
• Monitor capable of hsync 30-96 and vsync 48-120.

Areas of possible work:

• Support private workstations with SMP hardware. (DONE in 9.0.15)
• A new boot floppy that has fewer hardware restrictions than the current Etherboot floppy.
• Improvements to installer volume in AFS:
  • Support for boot of multiple operating systems.
  • Support for SCSI Disks
• Attentiveness to issues:
  • remedy reports of Ethernet interfaces that do not work.
  • remedy reports of trouble with video monitor configuration.
  • remedy reports of Video hardware not supported.
  • remedy reports of Sound hardware not supported.
• A paper document that steps users through the Athena custom install.
• A GUI interface for the Athena custom install.
• A script (and appropriate documentation) Athenize a stock RedHat installed system of particular revisions.

Work in progress:

• Installer hacking to correct many of the issues listed above.

For information on the initial port of Athena to Linux, view the Linux Athena Project Notebook.