Run fdisk /dev/sdX where X is your USB disk's identifier. Create an MS-DOS partition table on the disk.Ĥ.) Open a terminal, start a root shell (sudo -i, or su). If there isn't enough space you can copy kloader3.0.elf to a second MC, but I recommend keeping the files together if possible.ģ.) Connect the USB disk you have selected for Linux installation to your existing Debian machine. The Debian 5 installation files ( )Ģ.) Copy the files vmlinux_v11.gz,, and kloader3.0.elf to a flash drive formatted as FAT32, plug it into your PS2, and copy them to a folder named kloader on your MC of choice (must have at least 7MB free). Vmlinux_v11.gz and the modules package ( ) Once you've met these prerequisites go ahead and proceed with the installation steps as follows: While Sony's PS2 Linux, and the BlackRhino Linux live DVD come with an on screen keyboard, this installation will use Debian 5, which requires a proper physical keyboard. 4.5MB on it's respective MC, plus the Kernel, RamDisk, and config file together will take up at least 7MB (up to 9.5MB if you choose to include the generic RamDisk as well) and you only have two MC slots, unless you are willing to use a MC port expansion you will likely need the extra space provided by an above-average size MC to store your saved games.ģ.) A USB disk of at least 8GB (either a USB flash drive or external IDE/SATA HDD/SSD will work)Ĥ.) Access to an existing install of a Debian based system (while making this guide I used Debian 8), if you are on a macOS or Windows system I recommend using VirtualBox, but make sure you install the guest additions to more easily transfer the required files.ĥ.) A USB 1.1 or 2.0 keyboard. Since your FreeMCBoot installation will take up approx. This MC will permanently hold your boot loader configuration, Linux kernel, and RamDisk. Now, to install Linux on your PS2 you will require:ġ.) A software mod for your PS2, such as the FreeMCBoot OS, or a modchip, as you will need a way to launch your bootloader.Ģ.) A memory card of at least 8MB, but preferably 16MB, 32MB or 128MB to ensure you have ample space. Now on with the Linux!)įirst of all there are several prerequisites for installing Linux on your PS2, please note that this guide is aimed at installation on a slim PS2, if you have a fat PS2 you should download and install the copy of Sony's PS2 Linux here: ( ) Also note that the machine used to test this guide was a PS2 model SCPH-79001 (silver special edition) and thus it is safe to assume this should work on any model of PS2 lower than SCPH-90000 (the model SCPH-90000 and later cannot be softmodded, and thus you will not be able to launch a Linux bootloader.) Now on to the Linux installation: (a quick side note, if you just want to test or play around with Linux on your PS2, you can simply burn the image found here: ( ) to a DVD and run this programme ( ) via uLaunchELF from a flash drive or memory card with no setup required. A PS2 modified with a modchip has added support for data-CDs and DVDs without a 3rd party programme. A PS2 modified with a software exploit also supports two memory cards of up to 128MB for general file management and storage, and browsing files on data-CD/DVDs via a 3rd party file manager such as uLaunchELF, as well as some USB 1.1 disks, with support for USB 2.0 disks being available on newer slim models via software support. The PS2 uses the "Graphics Synthesizer" GPU clocked at 147.4MHz, and is capable of outputting up to 1920x1080 graphics at 60Hz in 32-bit color.Īn unmodified PS2 supports Audio-CD, Video-DVD, and up to two memory cards of up to 128MB in size for game saves. The Emotion Engine is a 64-bit MIPS Little Endian CPU, with support for 128-bit addresses. The PS2 uses a single core "Emotion Engine" CPU, clocked at 295MHz in the original fat models, and 299MHz in newer slim models. This guide will cover some basics about the PS2's native hardware, and it's hardware compatibility, and then we'll move on to how to install Linux on a wider variety of PS2. However this requires the acquisition of several things, and can be quite expensive, especially when it comes to the Sony Linux Kit itself. Now don't get me wrong, if you want to use the original Sony Linux Kit, or one of it's updated open source releases on a fat PS2 with a network adapter and an IDE hard disk you can find plenty of info. Whatever your situation there are a surprising number of reasons to install Linux on a Playstation 2, even sixteen years after it's release (boy do I feel old all of a sudden.), yet an equally surprising lack of documentation about it or how to install it. Looking to learn about game development? Are you a Linux enthusiast looking to test the claim that "Linux runs on everything"? Perhaps you are a software developer who is looking to release for multiple architectures, and you don't have another MIPS Little Endian machine on-hand for testing your programme.
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