Linux kernel for GameCube/Wii/vWii
DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, I WILL BE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN THIS ANY FURTHER. I WILL ATTEMPT TO CLEAN UP WHAT'S HERE AND MAKE ONE FINAL UPDATE IN THE FUTURE, BUT THAT'S THE BEST I CAN OFFER.
This is the GC/Wii Linux kernel master branch. Single branches of this repository can be downloaded by following the instructions in the README.md of any of the GC/Wii Linux branches. To reduce the size of the download significantly, a shallow clone can be performed by adding " --depth 1" to the end of clone command, but this will make the history inaccessible and prevent pushing to the repository. A full copy of this repository can be downloaded by using git to clone it. Retrieving the entire repository is usually only needed for developing so it's recommended to only clone required branches rather the whole repository. For those who require a copy of the whole repository, it can be retrieved by entering the following command:
git clone https://github.com/DeltaResero/GC-Wii-Linux-Kernels.git
For those who are using a version of Git prior to 1.8.X on Debian/Ubuntu based operating systems should able to easily update to at least an 1.8.X version via ppa. The alternative is to compile Git from source (https://github.com/git/git). By default any Linux operating system prior to Debian 7 and Ubuntu 13.10 use a version of Git that will require updating. For Debian based systems, use the following commands to update Git (assuming git is already installed):
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pdoes/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git
Check which version of git is installed with the command: "git --version".
Compiling this kernel will has some dependencies that must be installed. On a Debian based system, these dependecies can be installed by running the following command:
sudo apt-get install advancecomp autoconfig automake bash build-essential bzip2 ccache coreutils fakeroot file gcc g++ gzip libmpfr-dev libgmp-dev libnurses5-dev make strip
*** **_About the Kernel_** ***
PLACEHOLD FOR FUTURE INFORMATION
Known Bugs
SEE THE BUG SECTION OF EACH BRANCH FOR MORE INFO
General Information:
- Both IOS and MINI also still suffer from the same hardware limitations that they did in 2.6.32.y. For example, wireless and disc support for Wii consoles is still limited to MINI mode. Also, DVDs can be mounted as they were in version 2.6.32.y, but due to hardware limitations, it's unable to write to any disc and is unable to read CDs and certain types of DVD's
- Support for DVD-RW and DVD-DL disc seems to vary. Currently, -R and +R (both mini & full-size) DVDs are know to work on both GameCube and Wii consoles. All WiiU as well as some of the newer Wii disc drives, lack support for DVDs as they don't contain the same type of disc drive. In other words, support will vary on the age of the console, but most standard GameCube consoles should be able to read mini DVDs (full-sized DVDs are too big for unmodified Gamecube consoles, but they can be read).
- To mount a disc in a GameCube/Wii Linux distribution, try doing the following:
Create a "dvd" folder (as root) in the "/media" directory (only if the folder doesn't exist) with the command:
mkdir /media/dvd
Then run the following (also as root):
mount /dev/rvl-di /media/dvd
DVDs can be inserted/switched anytime but should be unmount prior to ejecting and then remount again after to prevent errors. To unmount a disc, enter the following command as root:
umount /dev/rvl-di /media/dvd
Note: Playing DVDs using a video player such as Mplayer or Xine will likely require that the disc be unmounted. Instead of playing using the mount point, configure them to use the device "/dev/rvl-di" directly.
Additional packages such as libdvdcss & libdvdread may need to be installed for DVD playblack (may need to search package manager as naming standards aren't consistant). Mplayer and Xine seem to work the best but support will vary depending on the operating system.
(Cross) Compiling the Kernel:
- Remember to edit the corresponding dts file (arch/powerpc/boot/)when not using the default boot method. Also, enabling zcache/zswap require editing the dts bootargs. See this for more info: https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/27267 & http://lwn.net/Articles/552791/
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A basic Linux shell script was created to help in building the kernel and should work with most CPU types. To run this script, open a terminal and run (either "sh " or "./" followed by the name of the script):
./build-gc-wii-kernel.shA basic menu should show if this script starts successfully. The script & kernel both have a few dependencies (such as GNU Make) that are briefly mentioned near the top of this readme.
- For other basic (cross) compiling methods, see the following Wiki webpage at:
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Building_a_GameCube_Linux_Kernel_%28ARCH%3Dpowerpc%29
Compiled Filesystem/Kernel Demos
Wii IOS/MINI kernels: WILL LINK ROOT FOLDER HERE WHEN IT BECOMES STABLE...
Debian: https://spideroak.com/browse/share/DeltaResero/wii/Linux/Filesytems/Demos/Debian/
Ubuntu: PLANNING...
Mint: PLANNING...
- NOTE: Debian Sid/Jessie is not currently recommended, it's recommended to use (stable) Wheezy or (old stable) Squeeze.
Fully customized (more complete) desktop distributions images:
Debian Wheezy: PENDING...... (still UTC clock bugs)
Debian Jessie: NOT READY YET (waiting for stability)
Mint: PLANNING... (won't be ready until after Debian Wheezy) release
Ubuntu (ICEWM): NOT READY YET... (13.10 is completely unstable [non-kernel related])
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Once the disk image is download and extracted, it can be copied to devices (such as SD cards) in Linux with the command:
sudo dd if=4gbWheezyWii.img of=/dev/sdx#
Where x is the drive mount point letter (typically "b" or "c") and # is the partition number (usually "2"). Be careful, using the wrong sdx# device may result in lost data. (Replace "4gbWheezyWii.img" with name of the actual disc image if not using this one)
The above links and Debian disk images use the following credentials:
Username: wii
Password: delta
*Root password is the same (delta)
For those who are looking to create their own Debian setup and prefer an interactive GUI, take a look at Farter's blog in the link below:
http://fartersoft.com/blog/2011/08/17/debian-installer-for-wii/
For those who are having networking issues, take a look the links below for more help:
http://www.linux-tips-and-tricks.de/overview#english
http://www.linux-tips-and-tricks.de/downloads/collectnwdata-sh/download
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:Wifi_Configuration
http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?29,68339,68339
Notice(s):
- Reportedly most (if not all) GC/Wii Linux kernels (partially) work on WiiU in virtual Wii mode with proper setups. Virtual Wii mode lacks support for non Wii hardware, Bluetooth, wireless, disc drive. As with Wii consoles, currently USB support is currently broken. For more information, see: http://gbatemp.net/threads/vwii-tri-core-linux.351024 and http://code.google.com/p/gbadev/