Installing Yellow Dog on your PS3
Since most of you have probably already have Fedora installed on their PS3’s, you basically know the basics involving OS installation into your PS3. But just in case you need help, here’s a rough how-to for installing Yellow Dog for your PS3.
Nothing new here really, most of it you already know from the Fedora installation, if you’re not confident about your technological talents a read through of this should give you a good “refresh.”
More on YDL installation after the Jump!
Since most of you have probably already have Fedora installed on their PS3’s, you basically know the basics involving OS installation into your PS3. But just in case, here’s a rough how-to for installing Yellow Dog for your PS3.
Your Drive
Basically, the drive in your PS3 is just one big partition straight out of the box. So before you install Yellow Dog Linux, you need to use the PS3 GameOS to split the drive into two partitions, one for save game data, music, photos, pr0n, or whatnot, and the other for Yellow Dog Linux.
Two Systems, one PS3.
This means that the GameOS is the essential and acts as a hypervisor, an operating system that allows the hardware to communicate with the outside world.
Yellow Dog basically runs on top of the GameOS. The GameOS will let Linux and the hardware communicate.
The Prep
Prepare a YDL installation DVD. You probably know already where to get a copy.
PS3 Prep
Attach a USB keyboard and mouse to the PS3. Go to settings, then system settings, then format utility, then format HD. Select Custom for the partition setting of the HD. You then get the option to either allot 10GB to the other OS or 10GB to the PS3. If you’ve got a 20 GB drive, you better select 10GB for the PS3, this should leave you around 6.5 GB for Linux. Not enough for full install, but ample enough for a default YDL install.
The PS3 will then start formatting the HD. Do not mess this part up. When the format is complete, press x on the controller to exit and wait for your PS3 to reboot.
You will then need a Memory card or a USB thumbdrive to facilitate transfer of the bootloader installer and bootloader from your PC to your PS3. Just be sure that it has 10MB free space. Now create a directory called “ps3” in it and then in that directory, create a sub-directory called “otheros”
Now go download the bootloader installer from Sony‘s website, www.playstation.com/ps3-openplatform/ and save it into the ps3/otheros directory that you just made as “otheros.self”
Then you better get the bootloader “kboot” from Terra Soft‘s site, www.terrasoftsolutions.com/support/install/ps3/otheros.bld and save it as “otheros.bld” in the ps3/otheros/ directory.
The point where you might damage your PS3
This is where you might brick things. Plug in the USB drive and then on the GameOS menu select settings then system settings then install other OS. Do not power off or remove the source of the data otherwise things might get damaged.
The PS3 screen should blank a bit, and then you should be prompted with “Other OS Installer Version x.y.z” it should go on and then eventually be lead to a “back” prompt. Then you must now select “Other OS” in order to install YDL. Go to Settings, System Settings, Default System, then set the “Other OS” (in this case it’s YDL) as default.
Reboot your PS3, put the YDL install DVD into your PS3, and the bootloader kboot will be displayed on-screen. If you’re lucky enough to have a 720p TV, you’ll be able to perform a graphic install of YDL, but if you don’t then you better select “installtext” instead of “install.” This will force the YDL installer to run in a low-res mode.
Enter Anaconda – the YDL installer – and from there you should be guided by a set of screens throughout the installation.
As we’ve said, most of these are the same stuff from the Fedora install, but we’re posting it… just in case you need the help. For more details on the Anaconda part of the installation you can click on the VIA link that we’ve got below.
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