= Debian ppc64el port =

<<TableOfContents>>

== News ==

The IBM POWER platform, code name ppc64el, is an official architecture since DebianJessie.

== Required Hardware ==

Debian/ppc64el requires, at minimum, a POWER8 processor machine. Although Debian was initially bootstrapped on a POWER7 set of servers, this class of server is not supported anymore, and you are not able to run Debian/ppc64el on a POWER7 processor without hitting an illegal instruction fault.

There are, at this moment, a plenty of POWER8 machines being sold by different companies.

The ppc64el port is not aimed for old Powerpc Macintosh machines, and, at the moment, there is no way to install it on this class of machines.

POWER9 hardware is also supported on unstable branch (kernel 4.15+).
 
== Installation ==

See the [[ppc64el/Installation]] page.

== Development ==

=== Development Team ===

See the [[ppc64el/DevelopmentTeam]] page.

There are significant contributions by people from open-source communities and companies.

If you are a Debian Developer, Maintainer, New Member, or enthusiast, and is interested in this port, please let us know.

=== Development Machines ===

==== Porterbox ====

DebianMachine:platti

==== Other ====

See the [[Hardware/Wanted#Available_hardware|available hardware]] for all architectures.

=== sbuild on ppc64el ===

Most of the information in this topic can be found at [[sbuild]] wiki.

==== Create the chroot ====

{{{#!highlight bash
sudo apt-get install sbuild
sudo sbuild-update --keygen
sudo sbuild-adduser $LOGNAME
 ... *logout* and *re-login* or use `newgrp sbuild` in your current shell
sudo sbuild-createchroot --include=eatmydata,ccache,gnupg unstable /srv/chroot/unstable-ppc64el-sbuild https://deb.debian.org/debian
}}}

Try to use a local mirror so the builds run faster https://www.debian.org/mirror/list

==== Update the chroot ====

{{{#!highlight bash
sudo sbuild-update -udcar unstable-ppc64el-sbuild
}}}

The arguments '-udcar' will tell sbuild-update to run an apt-get update, dist-upgrade, clean, autoclean, and autoremove in the chroot.

==== Building packages ====

From the source directory:

{{{#!highlight bash
sbuild
}}}

Using the .dsc file:

{{{#!highlight bash
sbuild <package>_*.dsc
}}}

To download and build the package:

{{{#!highlight bash
sbuild -d unstable <package>
}}}

With parallel:

{{{
DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=parallel=4 sbuild
}}}


==== Cleaning up schroot ====

Warning: This will end all sessions, including the ones you might have created manually.

{{{
sudo schroot --end-session --all-sessions
}}}

To find the specific schroot to remove, find it with {{{schroot -l
--all}}}, then:

{{{
sudo schroot --end-session --chroot=<chroot>
}}}

Where <chroot> is the name of the chroot to be removed.


=== Technical Documentation ===

 * [[https://openpowerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ABI64BitOpenPOWERv1.1_16July2015_pub4.pdf | Power Architecture 64-Bit ELF V2 ABI Specification]]
 * [[https://www-355.ibm.com/systems/power/openpower/posting.xhtml?postingId=01F8EF905EC4A2CD85257EAF0069612D | Power ISA 2.07 and 3.0 (for POWER8 and POWER9) ]]
 * [[attachment:An Overview of the Open Power ELFv2 ABI.odp]] 
 * [[https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/cauldron2014#Slides_and_Notes | GNU Tools Caldron 2014]] slides & video
 * [[https://wiki.raptorcs.com/wiki/Category:Documentation|POWER9 documentation]]

=== Bugs ===

[[https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=debian-powerpc@lists.debian.org;tag=ppc64el|Usertags: ppc64el]] ([[https://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/bts-usertags.cgi?tag=ppc64el&user=debian-powerpc%40lists.debian.org|udd view]])

[[https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=debian-powerpc@lists.debian.org;tag=ppc64el;status=done| Done/Closed bugs]] 

[[https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=debian-powerpc@lists.debian.org;tag=ppc64el;status=done;archive=both| Done/Closed bugs - archived included]]

[[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/linux.debian.bugs.dist/ppc64el| News on ppc64el bugs]]

== Contact ==

 * Mailing list: [[https://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/|debian-powerpc]]
 * IRC channel: [[ircs://irc.oftc.net/debianppc|#debianppc on OFTC]] ([[https://webchat.oftc.net/?channels=debianppc|webchat]])

== References ==

 * [[https://openpowerfoundation.org/|OpenPOWER Foundation]]
 * [[ArchiveQualification/ppc64el|Debian Archive Qualification for ppc64el]]
 * [[attachment:Debian_ppc64el_debconf14_presentation.odp]] 
 * [[https://www.power.org/documentation/comprehensive-pmu-event-reference-power7/|POWER7 Performance Monitoring Events Reference]]
 * [[https://ppc64el.wordpress.com/|Running on ppc64el architecture blog]]

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CategoryPorts