Huge PS2 Linux Newbie FAQ

                  Version 1.1

1. INTRO

Due to the overwhelming demand of a Playstation2 Linux Newbie FAQ, I decided to get to work and make the biggest FAQ I could. I will try to maintain this FAQ every month or so. So make sure to check back often for newer, revised versions. This FAQ will mainly be posted on playstation2-linux.com , some have requested it by email too.

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2. Dedication

This FAQ is dedicated to all those frustrated PS2 Linux and Linux newbies.

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3. VERSION # 1.1 - JULY 17,2002

What's New

1st version - nothing new

1.1 - umount commands fixed (i forgot it is umount instead of uNmount)

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4. Contents:

1. Intro

2. Dedication

3. Version Number & What's New

4. Contents

5. Frequently Asked Questions

6. PS2 Linux Tips

7. Commands and Functions

8. Great Websites

9. Outro

10. Credits

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5. Frequently Asked Questions

(remember to not type the quotations "!")

1. How do I login as root? After logged in a normal account type "su" and then your root account password.

2. Can I use USB joysticks, cd burners, and other USB devices? You can try and get the PS2 to recognize them but good luck getting them to work.

3.How do I run X-windows off a TV? First you need to type

"mount /mnt/mc00" then

"vi /mnt/mc00/p2lboot.opt"

then edit the file from "display=vga" to "display=NTSC" (or if you have a euro telly switch NTSC for PAL)

Once the file is edited you can now go into X windows by typing

"startx -- -screen 0 NTSC" (or PAL)

4. How do I select a certain X-Windows? Type "sdr" then select using TAB and ARROW KEYS. Q exits and then Y to save.

5. How do I start X-Windows off a VGA monitor? Type "startx"

6. How do I surf the net? Type "lynx" on the command line in the console, or for a more graphical browser go into kde and open up a file folder or browser and type the url on the address line.

7. How much space is taken up on the HDD if you install everything? Exactly 660 mb.

8. In X-Windows how do I move a window without having to click and hold the titlebar? Hold ALT while clicking and dragging the window anywhere.

9. How do I mount a CD? First insert your desired CD and then type

"mount -t udf /dev/ps2cdvd /mnt/cdrom" ignore error message then type

"cd /mnt/cdrom"

10. How do I unmount a CD? Type "umount /mnt/cdrom"

11. Can I make the PS2 faster? No ram is set at 32 mb. =(

12. Is PS2 Linux case sensitive? OH YES.

13. Can PS2 Linux help me create professional-looking games? Yes but the appearance depends on your programming expertise.

14. How do I shutdown PS2 Linux? Type "halt" then your root password if not in root already. Linux then closes all programs, apps, and hardware, and then shuts down.

15. How do I reboot PS2 Linux? Same as above except type "reboot" instead of "halt". This time it will also do the same but Linux doesn't shut down the PS2, it just lets you press the reset button to reset the console.

16. How do I install the RPMs from disc 2? Mount disc 2 and then type

"rpm -i /mnt/cdrom /scei/rpms/(rpm name).rpm" but to avoid doing this install PS2 Linux with everything.

17. Are there any books on PS2 Linux? Not at the moment but regular Linux manuals and books should help a lot.

18. Where the heck are those PS2 Linux manuals? file:/usr/docs.

19. If I don’t have a SOG(sync on green) monitor should I buy one or use blind install? Use blind install!! There is no need to waste money on a monitor!!

20. Can I watch DVDs in PS2 Linux? NO. It is disabled in Run Time Environment.

21. How do I search for files? Try "find (file)" or "locate (file)".

22. How do I mount a Memory Card? Type

"mount /mnt/mc00" then

"mount /mnt/mc10"

23. How do I unmount a memory card? Same as above except "umount" instead of "mount".

24. How do I change my password? Type "passwd" then your desired password.

25. THE DREADED NETWORKING QUESTION!!!

How do I setup networking between PS2 and PC? First make sure you have a CAT 5 Ethernet 'Crossover' cable, a PCI Card (network adaptor) in your PC and PS2, and a lot of PATIENCE.

Now, what you have to do depends on what you want network wise. If you just want to be able to get the PS2 online, use Internet Connection Sharing on the PC. If you want to transfer files from your PC to your PS2, you'll want to setup shared folders on the PC and use Samba's smbclient to get the files. ("man smbclient" for info on how to use it.) You should read whatever documentation you can find about Windows and Linux networking. Assuming you can get the Windows side setup right, and have the two connected by a Cat5 Ethernet Crossover cable, then the following is a very basic way to get a file from one computer to the other:

smbclient -L //<your PC's name>

That should list the stuff your PC is sharing. Find the folder (disk) you want and then do:

smbclient -N //<your PC's name>/<folder name>

Then you can use:

cd <subfolder>

ls

ls <subfolder>

get <remote filename>

put <local filename>

Those commands should be self explanatory if you've used your Linux command line at all, except for get and put. Remote filenames are what you see when you do an ls from a SMB> prompt. Local filenames are the filenames of files already on your PS2.

If you know how to set a router up in Linux or Windows, it probably won't be too hard to setup. I'd suggest using linuxconf to set everything up. It's a lot easier then editing multiple config files with "vi" or "emacs" and will do a network reload when you quit. :)

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6. PS2 Linux Tips

1. If there is ever a thunderstorm or something close to your area, unplug the cables from your PC's modem, your PC's Network Adaptor, and your PS2's Network Adapter. If lightning hits nearby everything might get 'fried' and be useless.

2. If you have 2 memory cards (1 for saved games and 1 for PS2 Linux), make a backup of PS2 Linux boot onto your game memory card. It isn't very big and is good to have.

3. When in root try not to change too much as you may damage PS2 Linux and have to reinstall.

4. When you are installing PS2 Linux and at the end it asks you to switch back to disc 1 and reboot, don't change the disc. Leave disc 2 in and reboot. Then when the PS2 starts up again put disc 1 in. This ensures a complete clean install.

5. To save a lot of time compiling and typing, install PS2 Linux with everything selected. There is more than enough room on the HDD. PS2 Linux doesn't even take up one gigabyte (remember the HDD has 40 gigs).

6. To save some typing when installing RPMs, try installing the rpm normally except when the rpm is unique press TAB to fill out the rest of the RPM.

(Ex, instead of typing "rpm -i gnome-core-devel.1.23.rpm" just type
"rpm -i gnome-c (tab)" and it will fill out the rest. Remember before pressing TAB make sure the name is unique (if you would of done "rpm -i gnome (tab)) it wouldn't of worked because there are lots of files that start with "gnome").

7. When installing networking on your PC make sure your PC's name is one word or connected (ex" CPU or Family-CPU) I connected the last one with a - to make it one word. When you try to get files from PC to PS2 and you do the samba command it only takes one word. If you have a space it will end the name there. (Ex" 'your pc name' would only come out to 'your' on PS2.

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7. Commands and Functions

These commands are from http://nis.acs.uci.edu/~strombrg/linuxref.html ,thanks to cruel_memory at Playstation2-linux.com. Not all of these commands will work, they are intended for regular Linux (PC), but most of them should work.

Linux Quick Reference Sheet

Command Description

sh Simplistic command interpreter

bash Advanced command interpreter

perl Interpreter for perl scripts

awk Interpreter for awk scripts

chsh Change shell

Command Description

ls -l Long format directory

ls Wide format directory

cd Change directory

rd Remove a directory

md Make a directory

rm -rf Recursively delete a directory tree

pwd Dispay the current working directory

Command Description

cp Copy a file

mv Move a file

touch Set the timestamp on a file

rm -f Delete a file

cat Print a file to the screen

chown Change ownership of a file

chgrp Change group ownership of a file

chmod Change access permissions of a file

dd Write directly to a device

ln Create a link to a file

Command Description

grep Search for a string in a text file

find Search for a file

locate Search for a file via a database

updatedb Create searchable database of files

sort Sort a file

Command Description

fdisk Modify the partition table

mke2fs Create a filesystem on a partition

fdformat Format a floppy disk

e2fsck Test a filesystem for errors

swapon Turn on a swap partition

swapoff Turn off a swap partition

mount Attach a filesystem to the root filesystem

umount Detach a filesystem from the root filesystem

df View amount of disk space available

du View amount of disk space used by a directory recursively

Command Description

man Get help on a command

apropos Get help on a general topic

whatis Search the whatis database

makewhatis Make the whatis database

file Classify a file

Command Description

pico Editor for novices

vi Editor for advanced users

lpr Print a file

sed Stream editor

joe Wordstar compatible editor

emacs Programming environment and editor

Command Description

zip create a zip file

unzip extract files from a zip file

gzip Compress or decompress files via GNU zip

tar Tape archiver

compress Lempel-Ziv compression program

uncompress Uncompress compressed files

cpio Copy files to and from archives

rpm Red Hat package manager

Command Description

elm E-mail reader

pine E-mail and news reader

tin News reader

trn Threaded news reader

slrn Threaded news reader with macro support

inn News sever

Command Description

gpm Mouse server

kbdrate Set the keyboard repeat rate

kbd_mode Set or query the keyboard mode

reset Reset the keyboard and screen to default modes

SVGATextMode Set the screen to a different resolution

stty Set/display terminal settings

Command Description

su Login as root

telnet Interact with another host

rlogin Remote login

ftp Get/send remote files

ncftp Fancier version of ftp

irc Internet Relay Chat client

netstat Show networking statistics

route Show routing information

ping Test a remote system's response time

traceroute Display the route to a remost system

Command Description

date Set/display time of day

date Set/display date

rdate Query a remote host for the date

Command Description

ps Display list of running processes

kill Terminate a process

killall Kill processes by name

jobs Display current jobs

fg Move a job to the foreground

bg Move a job to the background

nice Run a program with modified scheduling priority

top Display top CPU processes

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8. Great Websites

1. www.playstation2-linux.com

2. www.linux.com

3. www.linuxnewbie.org

4. www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux

5. www.linuxheadquarters.com/howto/index.shtml

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9. OUTRO

I hope you enjoyed this FAQ. Please feel free to redistribute, copy, print (average is 8-9 pages), or do anything to it.

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10. Credits

There are too many people to give credit for this FAQ. First, thanks to everyone for their help in the playstation2-linux forums, especially edrickv, sauce, and the admins. You guys have helped a lot. A lot of information also came from other FAQs on playstation2-linux.com too. Thanks to SONY (SCEA) for creating this awesome Operating System for PS2. Thanks to all and enjoy the FAQ!

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                                                        July 15, 2002