Install problem - "can't find package darwinports"

[Kevin Horton]

I'm having problems trying to install MacPorts on a G4 Dual, running  
OS X 10.4.8.  This machine currently has a Fink installation.  I'm  
running zsh 4.3.2 as my shell.

Based on the instructions on the Wiki:

http://trac.macosforge.org/projects/macports/wiki/InstallingMacPorts

I installed this file:

http://svn.macosforge.org/repository/macports/downloads/ 
DarwinPorts-1.3.1/DarwinPorts-1.3.1-10.4.dmg

I selected to not install MacPorts on my root drive - I selected a  
large second drive.  I then created a symlink on the root drive  
called opt, which points to the opt on the second drive.

% ls -al /opt
lrwxr-xr-x 1 admin admin 23 Jan 15 10:23 /opt -> /Volumes/Maxtor_300/opt

My path is:

/sw/bin:/sw/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/libexec:/usr/ 
X11R6/bin:/Developer/Tools::/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/usr/local/ 
bin:/usr/local/sbin:/Users/my_short_user_name/bin:.

I then tried to do a selfupdate, but it fails like:

% port selfupdate
can't find package darwinports
     while executing
"package require darwinports"
     (file "port" line 42)

I tried exporting a new PATH, to put the opt stuff at the start, and  
remove the sw items, but that didn't change the result.

I've searched the mailing list archives, but the only similar stuff I  
could find was from 2003, and it looked like that issue had been fixed.

Do I need to install something else?  If so, what?  Or, can MacPorts  
only work when installed on the root drive?

Thanks,

Kevin Horton
Ottawa, Canada