Since AUX Penelope has been shut down, I’m going to jot down some details about where you can get A/UX software and commands you need to get going with your shiny old A/UX system.
Hardware:
- At this point you want a full 68040 Mac like the Quadra 650, 700, 800, or 9xx, they can still be had on eBay relatively easily. If you want to use a luggable you’re stuck with an SE/30 which is B&W. Get yourself a decent amount of RAM and a supported CD-ROM.
- KB/Mouse: Any ADB KB & mouse you can find should work like a champ. Im toying with picking up the GeeThree PS/2->ADB adapter so I can eliminate the old physical mouse as my KVM does support PS/2.
- Video: Unless you want to have a dedicated monitor for it, grab a DB15 to HD15 (AKA VGA) adapter from eBay as well.
Software:
- Boot from the boot floppy (yes, remember those?) and put the CD you burned in the drive. TODO: document writing the floppy image. For now, Google It!
- Configure the network:
- Run newconfig
- Add default route cmd to /etc/rc: “/usr/etc/route add default 192.168.1.1 1”
- Add nameserver to /etc/resolv.conf: “nameserver 192.168.1.1”
- Enable the telnetd server, by changing the inetd line in /etc/inittab to: “net9:2:respawn:/etc/inetd # set to “respawn” for networking”
- Get the pre-compiled /usr/local installation from ftp://ftp.asty.org/pub/mirrors/aux/robbraun/ using the default A/UX ftp program (make your life easier with “prompt off”, “mget *”). Put it somewhere out of the way, like /root.
- Extract the tarball, first getting gzip, tar and bzip2 setup
cd /
tar xvf /root/gzip-1.2.4a.tar
/usr/local/gzip-1.2.4a/bin/gzip -dc /root/bzip2-1.0.6.tar.gz | tar xvf –
gzip -dc /root/tar-1.12.tar.gz | /usr/bin/tar xvf –
/usr/local/bzip2-1.0.6/bin/bzip2 -dc /root/aux-usr.local-10172010.
tar.bz2 | /usr/local/tar-1.12/bin/tar xvf –
- Disable auto-login: rm /mac/sys/Login\ System\ Folder/Preferences/Autologin
- Enable color (glorious color!) if possible in Control Panels > Monitors
- Sharing files to your system over AppleTalk (won’t work over IP!) using netatalk:
- Debian/Ubuntu: set “ATALKD_RUN=yes” in /etc/default/netatalk.
- Uncomment the default info on the last line of /etc/netatalk/afpd.conf. Make sure to remove “-noddp” and use either “-ddp” or “-transall” to use both DDP and IP. You also have to add “uams_clrtxt.so” to the -uamlist arguments to even be able to login from A/UX, and if you want Guest login you also need to add “uams_guest.so”. Then restart: /net/init.d/netatalk restart and be prepared to wait.
- Configure SSH
- Get some fun apps and control panels
- WindowShade: http://macgui.net/downloads/?file_id=20329
- AfterDark (now free!)
- MacIRC (have to use the older v0.9.4 but it’s still great): http://www2.gol.com/users/ohama/MacIRC.html