Difference between revisions of "MacBuild Desktop Build"

Revision as of 13:10, 3 November 2010

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) with Dual Processors only are presently tested to see if they post and sold in the store as is. Single processor Graphites are recycled. 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.

QC Instructions

Please refer to the MacBuild Desktop Checklist for QC 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.
Enabling video on eMacs	eMacs rarely end up with a working desktop after a standard install due to the lack of automatic configuration of X, which is the backend of Ubuntu's default display manager In order to fix this, you need to identify the type of video card present in the system and provide it with an appropriate xorg.conf file. Switch the system over to a virtual terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1. Keep in mind that you can use keys F1 through F6 for multiple virtual terminals. Run the following command: lspci Look for a reference to either nVidia or ATI in the command's results. Make a mental note of which reference you found Copy the appropriate configuration file to the system If lspci contained a reference to nVidia, run: sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.nv If lspci contained a reference to ATI, run: sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.ati Remove the old xorg.conf file: sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf Rename the downloaded file to xorg.conf For the nVidia version: sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.emac.nv /etc/X11/xorg.conf For the ATI version: sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.emac.ati /etc/X11/xorg.conf Restart GDM by running: sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart You should now have a working desktop.
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
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
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 2: / Line 2: @@
 ==What we build==
-We presently work on certain PowerMac G4 models, all Mac minis, all iMac G4s, all iMac G5s, and all systems with Intel processors.  The specs we build the most common models to are as follows:
+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===
-==Minimum Specs==
+====iMac====
-{{MacBuild_Minimum_Desktop_Specs}}
+{{IMac Specs}}
+====eMac====
+{{EMac Specs}}
+====PowerMac G4====
+{{PowerMac G4 Specs}}
 ==What we don't build==
-We don't build anything not in the PPC specs listed above.  This means we process standard desktop systems within the PPC specs above that have a single G4 processor below 1.0 GHz with our as-is process and either sell them in the store as is or grant them out to organizations in need.
+We don't build anything below the specs listed above.  PowerMac G4 Graphites (the ones with dark blue/grey cases) '''with Dual Processors only''' are presently tested to see if they post and sold in the store as is.  Single processor Graphites are recycled. Systems on the Old Mac Keeper List in MacBuild Eval are kept on the Old Mac shelf for future processing.  Everything else is recycled.
-So what happens with systems not listed above?
+==PowerMac G4 As-Is Procedure==
-* '''eMacs''' - 1.25 GHz and 1.42 GHz models are tested through our as-is process and sold in the store
+# Install a tested battery
-* '''PowerMac G3 / G4 Graphites''' - recycled
+# Populate all memory slots with tested memory modules
-* '''Old World / 68k / 9" CRT / beige Macs''' - we have an Old Mac Keeper List in MacBuild Eval and System Eval that we use for determining what we keep and what we don't.  Old Mac Keepers are kept on the Old Mac shelf in the warehouse for future processing.  Everything else is recycled.  If a model that should be kept is presently being recycled, let a MacBuild instructor know.
+# Install optical drive, if necessary
+# Connect a wiped HD to primary IDE channel
-==Important note about netbooting OS X==
+# Connect a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to system
-We presently have a network-bootable setup of OS X 10.5 available for use on the network.  It's a very handy tool, but it does have its drawbacks.  In particular:
+# 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)
-* The OS X 10.5 netboot image is over 11 GB in size.  This is data that has to be transferred over our network and onto whatever system we happen to be working on.  Though not all of the 11 GB of the netboot image are used on each machine that is netbooted into OS X, keep in mind that there are multiple systems in place at Free Geek that use up a considerable amount of our internal bandwidth (system imaging and installs, in particular), and this usage will greatly impact how quickly a system netboots.
-* The netboot image loads ''very, very'' slowly on some systems, particularly on G4 systems without much RAM.  Even if the system specifications are sufficient to run OS X 10.5, it is not uncommon to wait over five minutes while a system finishes the netboot process.
-So, what should you take away from all this?  Essentially, use external HDDs when possible, and use the netboot setup only when the external HDDs are unavailable.
-==As-Is Procedure==
-Before running a system through the as-is process, look at [http://wiki.freegeek.org/index.php?title=MacBuild_Laptop_Build&action=submit#What_we_don.27t_build what we don't build] to make sure it should be tested through the as-is process.  If you are uncertain, please ask an instructor.
-# Fill all RAM slots with RAM
-# Boot the system into OS X:
-#* Connect the OS X 10.4 FireWire HDD to the system
-#* Make sure the FireWire HDD is turned on (there's a power switch on the back of the drive)
-#* Hold the ''Option'' key on the keyboard while system starts up to enter the Startup Manager
-#* Select the FireWire drive from the Startup Manager to boot into OS X 10.4
 # When at the desktop, insert a CD into the optical drive and check if it mounts on the desktop
-# Click on the apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
+# 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
@@ Line 37: / Line 28: @@
 #* 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 and remove components
+# Power the system down, remove the HD, and leave only 128MB of RAM in the system
-#* Leave only 256 MB of RAM in the system
+# Attach an As Is tag to the system and take it to the store
-# Fill out the appropriate information on an As-Is sticker and attach it to the system
-# For the HDD:
-#* Run it through our [[Hard_drive_wiping_checklist | HDD wiping procedure]] before continuing the as-is process
-#** If the HDD wiping procedure tells us the system has a bad HDD, let an instructor know so we can either replace the HDD during a less-busy day or use it as a training tool for newer volunteers
-#** If the laptop has a bad HDD, the HDD '''MUST''' be removed before it leaves the area
-# Take it to the store
 ==Wiping HDs in systems==
@@ Line 51: / Line 36: @@
 ==Building Instructions==
 Please refer to the [[MacBuild Desktop Checklist]] for build instructions.
+==QC Instructions==
+Please refer to the [[MacBuild Desktop Checklist]] for QC instructions.
 ==Special Configurations==
@@ Line 65: / Line 53: @@
 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.
+||
+|-
+| Enabling video on eMacs ||
+eMacs rarely end up with a working desktop after a standard install due to the lack of automatic configuration of X, which is the backend of Ubuntu's default display manager  In order to fix this, you need to identify the type of video card present in the system and provide it with an appropriate '''xorg.conf''' file.
+# Switch the system over to a virtual terminal by pressing '''Ctrl''' + '''Alt''' + '''F1'''.  Keep in mind that you can use keys '''F1''' through '''F6''' for multiple virtual terminals.
+# Run the following command:
+#* <pre>lspci</pre>
+# Look for a reference to either nVidia or ATI in the command's results.  Make a mental note of which reference you found
+# Copy the appropriate configuration file to the system
+#* If lspci contained a reference to nVidia, run:
+#** <pre>sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.nv</pre>
+#* If lspci contained a reference to ATI, run:
+#** <pre>sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.ati</pre>
+# Remove the old xorg.conf file:
+#* <pre>sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf</pre>
+# Rename the downloaded file to xorg.conf
+#* For the nVidia version:
+#** <pre>sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.emac.nv /etc/X11/xorg.conf</pre>
+#* For the ATI version:
+#** <pre>sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.emac.ati /etc/X11/xorg.conf</pre>
+# Restart GDM by running:
+#* <pre>sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart</pre>
+You should now have a working desktop.
 ||
 |-
@@ Line 96: / Line 107: @@
 #* '''''sudo update-initramfs -u'''''
 #* The command takes a couple of of minutes to complete
+||
+|-
+| 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
 ||
 |}