Subject: Re: Processor Module for PB 550c
To: None <port-mac68k@NetBSD.org, port-macppc@NetBSD.org>
From: The masked-coder known as Randux <randux@Safe-mail.net>
List: port-macppc
Date: 03/02/2007 16:28:50
-------- Original Message --------
From: Claudio Leite <leitec@tx0.org>
Apparently from: bounces-port-macppc-owner-randux=safe-mail.net@NetBSD.org
To: port-mac68k@NetBSD.org, port-macppc@NetBSD.org
Subject: Re: Processor Module for PB 550c
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 14:16:37 -0500

> * The masked-coder known as Randux (randux@Safe-mail.net) wrote:
> > From: Bryan Vyhmeister <netbsd@bsdjournal.net>
> > To: The masked-coder known as Randux <randux@Safe-mail.net>
> > Cc: port-mac68k@netbsd.org
> > Subject: Re: Processor Module for PB 550c
> > Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 10:20:26 -0800
> > 
> > The 550c is listed as a supported platform for the Mac68k port. If the issue is booting, then presumably they found a way around it. I don't know why a machine that's supported under Mac68K shouldn't be able to get going with MacPPC. The 540c I've got is not supported in its native form because of the 68LC040 processor, not because of OpenFirmware. 
> 
> NetBSD/macppc is quite different--it supports PCI, and doesn't support
> Nubus. That alone will make it unable to set up any of the hardware on
> your machine, even if you were to find a way to make it boot.
> > 
> > I think you may be alright here. Hopefully the platform maintainers or people with similar machines will be able to help.
> > 
> > I should say for the benefit of anyone who's interested, that I am able to boot Mac OS disks from an external 600e CDROM drive on both my 540c and 3400c. I don't understand why we can't boot NetBSD MacPPD disks as well, but I haven't had any success here. (I downloaded and burned a CD for macppc-3.1 but I could not get it to boot.)
> 
> Again, it requires OpenFirmware. NetBSD/macppc won't boot even on more
> modern PPC machines without getting into OF and issuing some manual
> commands (i.e. not just holding down "c" when booting). The bootloader
> is made specifically for OF, in addition.
> 
> I suppose it'd be possible to make a port for PPC-upgraded 68k macs that
> would load a kernel using the standard NetBSD/mac68k loader, but as far
> as I know no such work has been done.
> 
> -Claudio

This begs the question then why we can't just scavenge the Mac OS bootloader and do whatever it does?  I should think If Mac OS can boot from CD, we should all be able to boot from CD.