Difference between revisions of "MacBuild Desktop Build"

Revision as of 13:40, 25 November 2009

Building a desktop in MacBuild is a fairly simple process. Aside from occasionally needing specific hardware, building a desktop MacBox is virtually identical to building a standard FreekBox.

What we build

We presently work on PowerMac G4s and better, eMacs, iMac G4s, iMac G5s, and any newer models that come in. The specs we build the most common models to are as follows:

Specs

iMac

iMac G4 (iLamp) Specs

Processor: G4/1.25 GHz

RAM: 512 MB internal, 512 MB SODIMM in base

Hard drive: 40 GB or better

Optical drive: DVD ROM/CD-RW combo or better

Wireless: Airport or Airport Extreme if available

Note: Auto Recycle everything < 1.25 GHz.

iMac G5 (integrated LCD) Specs

Processor: G5/1.6 GHz - 2.1 GHz

RAM: At least 1024 MB

Hard drive: At least 80 GB - SATA

Optical drive: DVD ROM/CD-RW combo or better

Wireless: Airport Extreme

eMac

eMac Specs Auto-recycle all eMacs

PowerMac G4

PowerMac G4 Specs Auto-recycle all PowerMac G4s

What we don't build

We don't build anything below the specs listed above. PowerMac G4 Graphites (the ones with dark blue/grey cases) are presently tested to see if they post and sold in the store as is. Systems on the Old Mac Keeper List in MacBuild Eval are kept on the Old Mac shelf for future processing. Everything else is recycled.

PowerMac G4 As-Is Procedure

Install a tested battery
Populate all memory slots with tested memory modules
Install optical drive, if necessary
Connect a wiped HD to primary IDE channel
Connect a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to system
Boot from OS X external drive (hold the Option key on the keyboard while system starts up, and select the external drive from the menu)
When at the desktop, insert a CD into the optical drive and check if it mounts on the desktop
Click on the blue apple in the upper-left corner of the screen
Select the About this Mac option from the menu
Click the More info button to launch the System Profiler
Check the information for ATA and Memory in System Profiler to ensure that the system can see all devices on IDE channels and each memory module in each memory slot
- If it fails to see the HD or reports the amount of memory incorrectly, the system should be recycled
Eject the CD
Power the system down, remove the HD, and leave only 128MB of RAM in the system
Attach an As Is tag to the system and take it to the store

Wiping HDs in systems

If you've just received a system from Mac Eval and need to wipe its drive without opening the system up, refer to the Hard drive wiping checklist for wiping instructions.

Building Instructions

Please refer to the MacBuild Desktop Checklist for build instructions.

Special Configurations

Steps	Notes/Detailed Instructions	Done
Starting up Ubuntu on a difficult system	There are startup options set by default in the bootloader, so startup will usually not require any input. However, the following are the default options that you can enter yourself if you don't want to wait for the bootloader to do it automatically. For the first-stage Ubuntu bootstrap, enter l for Linux For the yaboot boot prompt, enter Linux for the Ubuntu install that was just completed (it's case-sensitive, so make sure the L in Linux is capitalized) Some systems will not boot properly due to video issues. These systems will usually hang with a white or black screen after the yaboot boot prompt. For these systems, providing it with Linux video=ofonly at the yaboot boot prompt should fix the problem.
If necessary: permanently make the video=ofonly addition to yaboot	If you needed to use the video=ofonly option to get the system to start up properly, you can permanently make the addition to yaboot. This is how you do it: In a terminal, edit the file /etc/yaboot.conf as root sudo nano /etc/yaboot.conf Locate the line that reads image=/boot/vmlinux Move the cursor to the end of the line that starts with append The line, in its unaltered state, should read append="quiet splash" Add video=ofonly to the end of the append line (make sure to add it within the quotes of the original append entry The line should now read append="quiet splash video=ofonly" Save and close the file Ctrl+o, then Ctrl+x Update the bootloader with the changes to yaboot by running the following in a terminal: sudo ybin -v Restart the system to test the change
If necessary: enable the Ubuntu startup splash screen	Sometimes a system will show a blank screen during startup instead of the normal Ubuntu splash screen. If this is the case, we can enable the Ubuntu splash screen by doing the following: In a terminal, edit the file /etc/usplash.conf as root sudo nano /etc/usplash.conf Move the cursor down to the first empty line Type xres=1024, press Tab, and type yres=768 So the line should read: `xres=1024 yres=768` If you happen to know the native resolution of the display, you can try using that instead Save and close the file Ctrl+o, then Ctrl+x Update the startup files with the changed resolution values by running the following in a terminal: sudo update-initramfs -u The command takes a couple of of minutes to complete
If necessary: adjust the screen display (for systems with built-in CRTs)	Start up MacBuild's OS X system in transfer mode Hold the T key on the keyboard while the system is powering on If done correctly, you should see a FireWire icon on the screen of the system Power down the system you are working on Connect a FireWire cable from the OS X system to the system being worked on Hold the Option key on the keyboard while starting the system This should bring up a graphical menu of all the drives the system sees that it can boot from Select the OS X FireWire drive from the menu, and click on the Continue arrow Once the desktop loads, click on the blue apple in the upper left corner of the screen Click on the System Preferences option in the dropdown menu Click on the Displays icon in the System Preferences window Click on the Geometry tab in the Displays window Select the kind of adjustment you'd like to make, and drag the edges of the monitor icon to adjust the screen display Once you're done, click on the blue apple in the upper left corner and click on the Shutdown option in the dropdown menu Disconnect the FireWire cable once the system powers off, and turn off the OS X system Repeat as necessary If the screen display cannot be adjusted to an acceptable state, the system should be recycled

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 If you've just received a system from Mac Eval and need to wipe its drive without opening the system up, refer to the [[Hard drive wiping checklist]] for wiping instructions.
-==Desktop Build Checklist==
+==Building Instructions==
-{| fontname="Helvetica" fontsize="12" border="1"
+Please refer to the [[MacBuild Desktop Checklist]] for build instructions.
-|-
-|width="40%" align="center"|Steps
-|width="53%" align="center"|Notes/Detailed Instructions
-|width="7%"  align="center"|Done
-|-
-| Check for blown capacitors (if system can be easily opened)||
-Visually inspect motherboard capacitors for bulges/leaks. If you find one, check with your instructor.
-||
-|-
-| Make sure that covers are available for open bays ||
-If covers are missing, check parts storage for replacements
-||
-|-
-| Install battery ||
-Pay attention to correct position; look for '+' by battery holder
-||
-|-
-| Install hard drive (if it has not been wiped in the system) ||
-Refer to MacBuild Spec Sheet for appropriate size
-||
-|-
-| Install/swap RAM ||
-If the system has a built-in display, remember to swap out any old untested memory in it for new tested memory.  Refer to MacBuild Spec Sheet for appropriate amount
-||
-|-
-| Clean/dust inside ||
-If necessary
-||
-|-
-| Attach keyboard/mouse, monitor, network cable, and power cord (as necessary) ||
-||
-|-
-| Clear the PRAM ||
-While starting up, hold the '''Option+Apple+p+r''' keys.  Continue holding the keys until the system chimes three times.  Release the keys after the third chime is heard.
-||
-|-
-| Set the system clock in Open Firmware ||
-While starting up, hold the '''Option+Apple+o+f''' keys.  Release the keys when the Open Firmware prompt comes up.  Run the following command:
- decimal dev rtc [sec min hour day month year] set-time
-All values aside from the year should be two-digit numbers in 24-hour format.  The year should be a four-digit number.  Additionally, the clock needs to be set to UTC, so remember to add 7 hours to the current time if on regular time or 8 hours during Daylight Saving Time.  For example, to set the clock to 1:58 PM on September 18th, 2009, the command would be
- decimal dev rtc 00 58 20 18 09 2009 set-time
-||
-|-
-| Reset the NVRAM ||
-While starting up, hold the '''Option+Apple+o+f''' keys.  Release the keys when the Open Firmware prompt comes up.  Run the following commands in the specified order:
- reset-nvram
- set-defaults
- reset-all
-The system will reboot after the '''reset-all''' command is entered.
-||
-|-
-| Install Ubuntu ||
-Please note that any values not explicitly defined here (HTTP proxies and such) should be left blank.
-# Make sure network cable is attached
-# Insert Ubuntu CD
-#* Use 8.04 for iMac G5s
-#* Use 9.04 for all other systems
-# Start up the system while holding the '''C''' key on the keyboard
-# At '''''boot:''''' prompt, press Enter; eventually the install screen will appear
-# Select '''English''' as the language for the installation and '''United States''' as the country
-# Enter '''No''' for keyboard detection, and select '''USA''' for all keyboard language options
-# If prompted for which network device to use, select the wired network
-# When prompted for a hostname, delete the current entry and enter '''macbox''' in its place
-# Select '''Pacific''' as the time zone
-# When prompted for HD partitioning, select the '''Guided - use entire disk''' option, and confirm the HD the changes will be made to (there should only be one option available unless there are multiple HDs in the system)
-# When asked about writing the changes to disk, select '''Yes'''
-#* At this point, the base system will begin installing, so prepare to wait for a few minutes
-# When prompted for the user's full name, enter '''oem'''
-# When prompted for a username for the account, enter '''oem'''
-# When prompted for a password, enter '''freegeek'''.  You will be asked to verify the password after entering it.  Enter '''freegeek''' again.  If the passwords don't match, it will prompt you for a password again
-# If asked to provide a HTTP proxy, leave it blank and press Enter
-# If asked to download additional language support, select '''Yes'''
-# If asked to encrypt the user's home directory, select '''No'''
-# When asked if the system clock is set to UTC, select '''Yes'''
-# When installation is complete, select the '''Continue''' option to reboot the system
-||
-|-
-| Start up Ubuntu ||
-* Let the system use its default options in the bootloaders during the startup process
-* If the system has problems starting up, refer to [http://wiki.freegeek.org/index.php/MacBuild_Desktop_Build#Special_Configurations the Special Configurations list]
-||
-|-
-| Verify hardware in the system ||
-To verify the hardware in a system, open up a terminal and run:
- sudo lshw|less
-This runs a command called '''lshw''' (which stands for "list hardware") and sends the output to another command called '''less''', which is a simple reader that allows you to scroll through '''lshw''''s output.  The items to pay attention to are:
-*Amount of system memory
-** You should be able to find this under the '''memory''' heading in '''lshw'''.  It should be the same as the physical amount of memory in the system.
-*Type of optical drive
-** This can be found under the '''cdrom''' heading in '''lshw'''.  To determine the actual capability of the drive, search for the information under '''product''' in Google.
-*Presence of wireless card
-** This should be under one of the '''network''' headings.  You should look for an entry that mentions something about "Wireless interface" or "Broadcom".  If that exists, the system has a wireless card.
-||
-|-
-| Check for updates ||
-There are a few ways to do this:
-* From the desktop, go to System -> Administration -> Update Manager
-* From the command line, run:
- sudo apt-get update
- sudo apt-get upgrade
-Install all updates if any are found
-||
-|-
-| Set up the environment and install extra apps ||
-* Add the Terminal to the panel so it can be launched quickly
-* If the machine has a DVD drive, open up a terminal and run:
- sudo apt-get install vlc
-* If the machine has a wireless card, open up a terminal and run:
- sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter
-** Restart the system after installing b43-fwcutter in order to get the change working properly.
-||
-|-
-| Test USB ports ||
-* Plug in a USB mouse
-* See that the cursor moves and can interact with things
-* Repeat with all USB ports
-If any port doesn't work, the machine should be recycled
-||
-|-
-| Test CD data and sound ||
-# Insert, play, and eject a music CD
-# Insert data CD, inspect directory contents
-# If machine has a DVD drive:
-#* insert a data DVD, inspect directory contents
-#* insert a video DVD and play it using '''vlc'''
-# If machine has a CD-RW or DVD-RW, use '''brasero''' to erase a CD-RW disk, and create/burn a new data project.
-Note: Brasero has problems with versions of Ubuntu before Karmic (9.10). For Hardy (8.04LTS) and Jaunty (9.04) you may want to install and use k3b instead: sudo apt-get install k3b
-||
-|-
-| Check if wireless works (if the system has a wireless card) ||
-Use Network Manager to see if you can connect to Free Geek's wireless network.  If you can, the wireless card works.
-||
-|-
-| Check for software updates ||
-Open up Update Manager and install any available updates
-||
-|-
-| Generate "printme" report for system ||
-# Make sure you are on the local wired network
-# Configure system so it can use network printers
-# In a terminal, generate a lshw XML file for the printme process
-#* '''''sudo lshw -xml > printme.xml'''''
-# Open a web browser and go to '''''http://data/spec_sheets/new'''''
-# Fill out the form with the following:
-#* Enter your volunteer ID in the Volunteer ID field
-#* Job should be left as Quality Checker
-#* System ID should be left blank
-#* Type should be changed to Apple
-#* Keeper label type should be set to No Sticker
-#* Notes should include the following information:
-#** Version of Ubuntu installed
-#** Any components that show up in lshw (modems, certain wireless cards) that aren't supported by Ubuntu should be listed
-#** Any special issues the machine has
-#** Whether the computer is covered or not
-#upload the XML file, and print out the report
-||
-|-
-| Clean outside cover ||
-Clean case monitor face, connector panel, keyboard, and mouse as well
-||
-|-
-| Attach "printme" report to system ||
-||
-|-
-| Bundle system with tested keyboard/mouse and power cord || ||
-|-
-| Take it to store || ||
-|}
 ==Special Configurations==