Linux on the Sega Dreamcast

system irrelevant topics

Linux on the Sega Dreamcast

Postby ppietro » 23 Jan 2011, 10:07

Hi everyone,

Recently, I had mentioned that I had once run Linux on my Sega Dreamcast. I received the following private message:

So can you give me some help with booting Linux on the Dreamcast? I have been trying<Wanting to do this for so long but I don't know where to begin, how to compile the source, etc, etc. There's not much elaborate/dumbed down information out there on how to do this. :P


So - yeah - It's been a long time since I did this - but I believe I just used the Nero image here:
http://www.lxdream.org/wiki/index.php?t ... cast_Linux
to create the disc. The disc I have is labeled 010605, so I'm pretty sure it's this one. This does require that you have Nero to burn the image.

There is also a possibility that I used the corresponding tar.bz2 image to create this - I found an unzipped Dreamcast Linux directory in a .trashes folder from a backup I recovered after my RedHat 8.0 Linux drive died. If I did this, I would have just used the master.sh script to create the disc from the tar.bz2 archive.

Whichever way I did create it, I just booted it up and verified it's the 010605 image. :D

Quick 010605 notes. With this disc, you'll log in as root with no password. You should be able to start X Windows with the startx command. This is Debian Linux with a 2.4.5 patched kernel.

What you should know about Dreamcast Linux:

1. You must use a CD-R, not a CD-RW. The GD-ROM drive of the Dreamcast won't work with CD-RWs.

2. You're not burning a simple ISO - the disc has to be a special CD-ROM XA with custom boot sectors, etc.. Hence why the image is distributed as Linux source files, or Nero image format.

3. You can't use regular USB peripherals with the Dreamcast. I have a Dreamcast keyboard and Dreamcast mouse specifically for this. (Technically, they are "Maple Bus" peripherals.)

4. The Dreamcast does not have a hard disc - so this is a bootable Linux on a LiveCD. If you want permanent storage for your Dreamcast, you have to hunt down the Ethernet adapter and create a bootable network installation. I don't have one of these - just the standard phone adapter. So - no permanent storage for me.

5. There's also a VGA adapter for the Dreamcast. I don't have one of those either. So - it's icky composite video for me!

6. The processor target is a Hitachi Super-H. This isn't MIPS, PowerPC, Alpha, Intel, ARM, etc. - it's a processor invented by Hitachi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperH

7. There's more about building Dreamcast Linux from scratch at these links:
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/Linu ... Dreamcast/
http://linuxdc.sourceforge.net/
http://www.anytux.org/doc.php?doc_id=1
http://mc.pp.se/dc/

Have fun!!! :D

Cheers,
Paul
User avatar
ppietro
Site Admin
Site Admin
 
Posts: 4965
Joined: 13 Sep 2007, 22:18

Return to Off Topic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

cron