install AROS hosted i386 on linux ubuntu

This is quite simple, but requires to follow some important steps.

After done, you’ll be able to get an AROS window opening just after the login screeen.

I’ve seen many tutorials or posts where they explain how not to have to care about the password, but I think that if you want to get to the Desktop directly without making profit of the multi-users possibilities of linux, so, the best is to install IcAROS.

I personally like to type a password before opening my session. At least, I can have an envirronement and other users an other.

Prerequisites :


You must install your ubuntu in the way described in this article.

For me, it runs pretty fast on an oooold Dell Optiplex GX280 (Pentium D) with 2 Gb RAM.

You also have to get AROS hosted there. Search for the line “i386….” (the last compilation should be ok)

Preparing the environnement :


I unzip the file inside the directory

~/amiga/aros-hosted

make the sound work :


AROS hosted requires alsa-oss for AHI to get a device to send the sound to.

So install alsa-oss first :

sudo apt-get install alsa-oss

Unfortunately, in ubuntu 12.04LTS, the kernel does not handle alsa-oss anymore. The best way is to install another kernel that does.

Liquorix Kernel does the job very well.

To begin, we have to install gcc 4.7

Then add the repository for the liquorix kernels

Install the kernel and headers

the AROS launch bash script :


To allow AROS hosted to share the network through linux, you have to install the uml package :

sudo apt-get install uml-utilities

and make a script AROSlaunch.sh

#!/bin/bash
# tap unit number. This should match the UNIT= parameter in
# AROSTCP/db/interfaces
tap_unit=0
# IP address for the tap interface. Inside AROS, this will be your default gateway.
# NOTE: Make sure it is in a different network than your Linux host.
tap_ip=192.168.254.254
# create the interface
iface=$(sudo tunctl -b -u `whoami` -t aros$tap_unit)
# bring it up
sudo ifconfig $iface $tap_ip up
sudo chmod 666 /dev/net/tun
# turn on NAT
# (NOTE: make sure that the network interface you are using is named “eth0”.
# Otherwise adjust the following line to your needs.)
sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
# Turn on IP forwarding
sudo sysctl -w net/ipv4/ip_forward=1
# start AROS
cd ~/amiga/aros-hosted/AROS-20140222-linux-i386-system/boot
#./boot/aros-unix -m 512
~/amiga/aros-hosted/AROS-20140222-linux-i386-system/boot/AROSBootstrap -m 512
# aros has finished, so kill the interface
sudo tunctl -d $iface &> /dev/null

make it executable

test it : sudo /home/[yourusername]/AROSlaunch.sh

“net0 is now online” should appear in the terminal window

test the sound :

you can test the sound with AHI clicking on “play a test sound”

configure the network inside AROS :

Open Prefs/Network

change the device for tap.device

configure the IP as 192.168.254.2

mask 24

router 192.168.254.254

dns 192.168.254.254

test it in pinging google for example, in a shell window (inside AROS !)

An AROS window without decoration :

AROS can now be launched from a terminal, but it is hosted inside a window, so it’s not very pretty if you want to have the look and feel of a real GUI.

To allow the AROS window to open without decoration, you must modify the openbox rc file :

~/.config/openbox/rc.xml

Add the following lines at the end (correct the code):

<application name=”AROS”>
<desktop>all</desktop>
<maximized>yes</maximized>
<decor>no</decor>
</application>

To know what name you have to put as the app name, type this in a terminal :

obxprop | grep “^_OB_APP”

and then click on the AROS window, you’ll get the result for the app name. It normally should be “AROS”.

disabling the openbox multi desktop capability :

adding 1 pixels borders to the openbox windows :

autolaunch when loging in :

add this to the ~/.config/openbox/autostart file

sudo /home/oanemous/AROSlaunch.sh &

add this line in /etc/sudoers, using sudo visudo

[yourusername] ALL= NOPASSWD: /home/[yourusername]/AROSlaunch.sh

be carefull, if you get stuck, try “psexec visudo” to modify back the file

advice : you also should follow the advice to disallow the possibility of modifying the AROSlaunch file in making it owned by root. this is your choice.

mount devices in AROS :

modifier devs/mountlist

et ajouter mount … à user-startup

Here is my mountlist

making OWB work :

download it from aros archives, and copy it wherever you want. me it’s in sys, in a drawer called “User Apps”

require sys:classes/Zune/Listview.mcc

making amistart work :

download it from aros archives

add this to s/user-startup

cd “sys:/User Apps/Amistart”

run Amistart <NIL: >NIL:

last step :

To simplify, get IcAROS iso file, mount it inside AROS and copy drawers C, Libs, Classes and devs.

issues / requirements / future enhancements :

– don’t minimize the AROS windows !!

– don’t automatically mount usb drive and cdrom

– list errors when accessing an hosted filesystem… maybe it is a regretion, and will be fixed in future versions.

– keyboard mapping change when using [alt-tab] (solution : after getting back to AROS windows, use [ctrl+alt] combination to get back to the right keyboard. it’s ennoying but not deadly.

Useful materials :

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Aros/Platforms/Installing_on_*nix

http://aros-exec.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8235&forum=4&post_id=81806#forumpost81806

http://doc.ubuntu-fr.org/oss4

http://aros-exec.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=78991#forumpost78991

http://askubuntu.com/questions/218382/installing-the-liquorix-kernel-on-ubuntu-12-04-x64bit

http://askubuntu.com/questions/271388/how-to-install-gcc-4-8-in-ubuntu-12-04-from-the-terminalr8169:

tint2 start menu http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=19277

http://www.upubuntu.com/2012/04/how-to-add-application-launchers-to.html

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EUAEAmigaEmulator

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-12555.html

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Aros/Platforms/Installing_on_*nix

http://aros.sourceforge.net/documentation/users/howto.php#how-to-access-aros-disk-images-from-hosted-flavors-of-aros

http://aros-exec.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8235 <- installation icaros

http://askubuntu.com/questions/159007/how-do-i-run-specific-sudo-commands-without-a-password

http://askubuntu.com/questions/150241/run-script-as-root-without-password

for a long time amiga & demos lover and musician.
Beta tester for icaros for some years now (since icaros 1.5), i do it as much as i can.
i'm a computer scientist, managing the computer infrastructure in a big company (won't tell the name there).

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