Xebian

From Xbox-Linux

Image:debian-openlogo-75.png

Xebian (aka "Ed's Debian") is an Xbox-enabled version of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution (http://www.debian.org/). It is based on the standard x86 Debian, but the install process – and naturally the bootloader, the kernel and the kernel modules – are all customized for the Xbox.

Table of contents
1 How does it work in practice?
2 Future plans and development goals
3 Contacts
4 Links
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How does it work in practice?

Xebian comes as a bootable live CD which is used for installing the base system on the hard drive.

The live CD boots into a graphical X desktop environment. There is a virtual on-screen keyboard (http://member.nifty.ne.jp/tsato/xvkbd/) which you can use with the Xbox controller, but you could also use a real USB keyboard if you have one. It is possible to log in via SSH as well (192.168.0.10/255.255.255.0), and run the install script (XBOXLinuxInstall) that way. The distribution logs you in automatically as a user called "live", but there is also a "root" user available. The root password is "xebian".

Xebian installs a somewhat more preconfigured and customized base system than what comes with the mainstream Debian. Otherwise, Xebian behaves pretty much just like any x86 Debian system. You can use the standard Debian apt/dpkg package management tools (http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/index.en.html) for downloading and installing standard x86 'deb' software packages from any standard x86 Debian package repository. There are literally thousands of software packages (http://packages.debian.org/unstable/) to choose from. Since the Xbox is really just an x86 PC at its heart, it will happily run precompiled x86 executables just the same way as any desktop PC. There is no need to compile applications separately for the Xbox – the binaries inside the standard x86 deb packages will work just fine.

► See Xebian HOWTO for more information and detailed installation instructions.

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Future plans and development goals

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Caution

Development on Xebian has slowed down. Don't expect some or even any of these ideas/thoughts be completed.

Xebian development has been moved into the CVS repository (http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xbox-linux/debian/) to make the process more public and open, and a call for more developers (http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.ports.xbox.devel/5915) has been issued. These are the current short and long-term development goals:

Problem Goal People who are working or have been working on this Status
The current Live CD install system is hardcoded so that it only works when launched from a physical CD. Make it possible to start the install process just by copying the Live CD files on the hard drive and launching the the bootloader – without the need to burn a CD.
  • Terry Cole
  • Ryan Shoff
The goal has been achieved via manual modifications, but these modifications were never integrated back to Xebian.
The XBOXLinuxInstall script

does not know how to install the system on the F: FATX drive.

Add an install option for the F: FATX partition, using the same loopback file method as is currently used for the E: partition installs. 
  • Terry Cole
Finished; Included in Xebian 1.1.4
The current Live CD system has its boot files hidden inside initrd, making them hard to edit and maintain. Separate the install / boot scripts out of initrd for easier editing and better integration with the CVS.   Some preliminary work has begun.
There is no way to automatically build the install CD at the moment. Write scripts (Makefile?) for building the install CD.    Not started yet.
The current Live CD is quite a big download, and handles installing the base system in a different way than standard Debian. Make a split into a separate live CD system and a separate

bootstrap install system.

  Some preliminary work was started, but work on this aspect has apparently stagnated.
The XBOXLinuxInstall script does not work like a "real" Debian installer, and does not support the same kind of options for selecting the install source (for e.g. a network install.) Adopt dbootstrap (http://cvs.debian.org/boot-floppies/utilities/dbootstrap/)

for installing the base system; modify it to work in a resonable way on the Xbox. (See the description of dbootstrap (http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-powerpc/current/doc/ch-init-config.en.html).)

* Edgar Hucek It has been looked into, but never finished.
The install script is the first thing a beginner sees, but it is not graphically very slick and the user interface is subpar to commercial Xbox programs. 

First impressions do count, and Xbox Debian is for many users the first time they are actually installing and using a Linux system on their own.

The Xbox version of dbootstrap should  be prettyfied up and it can be provided with a slick pad-controllable GUI.

(The Xbox is a fixed hardware environment, so just like the commercial games, we can get away by assuming that we know what the video and audio hardware is present and that we know that the user has at least the  pad controller which came with the box.)

  GUI is using Fluxbox as WindowManager and styles. The current interface is user-friendly but still needs to be tweaked for total simplification (such as auto-mounting of CD-Rom's, inclusion of a file navigation system like Nautilus, etc.)
There are several Xbox-only tools which need to be packaged and maintained as deb packages for Debian, and some common packages which need to be preconfigured for the Xbox.

For example,

  • XFree86
  • xbv
  • xboxfbctl
  • raincoat
  • the Xbox patches for the Linux kernel
Create the necessary deb packages, maintain them.   Some Xbox deb packages used to be available on Ed's own deb repository, but this repository no longer exists.
There is currently no package repository for Xbox-specific deb packages. Create deb packages, maintain a repository.   No repositories at the moment.

Additional information is available in the CVS (http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xbox-linux/debian/), especially in the 'doc'subdirectory (http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xbox-linux/debian/doc/). Feel free to poke around. If you see something that could be implemented better, just join in and submit your ideas and patches! The developer mailing list is a good starting point for discussing your ideas.

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Contacts

Xebian is maintained by Edgar Hucek. Contact him for project-related questions or offers of assistance. For support and usage-related questions, please use the Mailing Lists or the IRC channel (#xbox-linux in OFTC.net (http://www.oftc.net/oftc/infrastructure/)) instead.

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Links

Retrieved from "http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xebian"