Maverick alt PPC installer error during base

[Erik Olson]

Binary package hint: debian-installer

Essentially, install problem in a daily Maverick install, but well established. It has appeared in every daily build I've tried since late May, The one here was using the daily build from 05/08/2010. It looks like a typical "apt" style dependency problem, but this is off an installation CD so this seems odd. It can't install the kernel at around 92% of the base install.

One other note first: the Launchpad site failed my first attempt at this post, wiping out an hour-long constructed post I had here, and informing me that referring headers had to be turned on to use the site: all uploaded file and careful text were lost. This is a shortened version of my original post, but I would be happy to answer questions by email. Might be worth noting referrers have to be "on" somewhere at top of page - help us help you help us, etc.

System: eMac G4 700MHz, 128 MB RAM (512 MB stick added and tests OK), 40GB HDD, 32MB NVIDIA
Build: "maverick-alternate-powerpc.iso
"
Syslog at fail point: (complete syslog also attached, but includes superfluous exiting out of installation following fail, attachment of USB to download syslog here, etc)

an 1 00:11:26 in-target: Reading package lists...
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: Building dependency tree...
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: Reading state information...
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: or been moved out of Incoming.
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: The following information may help to resolve the situation:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: The following packages have unmet dependencies:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: linux-powerpc: Depends: linux-image-powerpc (= 2.6.34.4.1) but it is not going to be installed
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: E:
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target: Broken packages
Jan 1 00:11:26 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target: Reading package lists...
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target: Building dependency tree...
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target: Reading state information...
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target: E:
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target: Couldn't find package linux-headers-powerpc
Jan 1 00:11:28 in-target:
Jan 1 00:11:28 base-installer: error: exiting on error base-installer/kernel/failed-install
Jan 1 00:11:33 main-menu[289]: WARNING **: Configuring 'bootstrap-base' failed with error code 1
Jan 1 00:11:33 main-menu[289]: WARNING **: Menu item 'bootstrap-base' failed.
Jan 1 00:11:36 main-menu[289]: INFO: Modifying debconf priority limit from 'high' to 'medium'
Jan 1 00:11:36 debconf: Setting debconf/priority to medium

[Erik Olson (policy775)]

There is now (07-18-2010) an oversized version available which may have repaired this problem. I am unable to verify this because the eMac that I have has a CD reader only. The oversized iso would fit on a DVD, but not on a CD.

I next attempted to put the iso on a USB stick to install from that. Symbolic link errors indicated I had a FAT32 file system on the USB.

    cp: cannot create symbolic link `/media/usb1/dists/stable': Operation not permitted
    cp: cannot create symbolic link `/media/usb1/dists/unstable': Operation not permitted
    cp: cannot create symbolic link `/media/usb1/ubuntu': Operation not permitted

What to do? Open Firmware will only read HFS. It's not clear to me how to format the USB into HFS or how to create softlinks in HFS. Also, once I format the USB into HFS, so that Open Firmware can find and read the USB, it will presumably load the Linux kernel which itself would appear unable to read the files on a USB that needs read by Linux. Accordingly, if the USB installation needs to rely on symlinks inside the iso, there is an apparent Catch-22 that prevents USB installation, unless I have overlooked something.

I will wait until the daily build iso returns to a CD burnable size before I attempt this distro again.