Re: booting iBook G4 - kernel panic

[David Brownlee <abs%absd.org@localhost>]

On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 at 22:39, Riccardo Mottola
<riccardo.mottola%libero.it@localhost> wrote:
>
> Hi David,
>
> Before reading your email, I did some other tests.
>
> First, I booted the CD and mounted the hard disk on /targetroot
> That allowed me to inspect the directories, everything looks fine.
> I did a chroot to /targetroot
> I could execute some basic commands, run "file" on netbsd and it
> confirms a 9.3 kernel for PPC.
> That proves the disk is not damaged,  the architecture is correct, etc
> (well it came from a PowerBook, but doble-checking is always good).
>
> Then I used install to reinstall the basic sets on the hard disk, that
> should rewrite the kernel, it should do.
>
> However, it still refuses to boot the same way.
>
>
> David Brownlee wrote:
> > You should also be able to write the ISO image to a USB key and boot
> > it (if that helps)
>
> Well, I have a 9.3 bootable ISO, that should be enough for now!

Definitely, but if you need to test anything else it should save some
disk burning :)

> > You say that the 9.3 CD boots. Are you able to boot from it passing
> > "netbsd -a"? That should stop and prompt for the root file system, at
> > which point you should be able to give wd0 and boot the installed
> > system?
> >
> I did try what you suggest (although after the reinstall) and I am not
> lucky, the kernel from the CD boots fine, asks for the the root
> partition, but I cannot type. The USB keyboard is possibly not yet
> initialized or working correctly?

That is... annoying. One possible immediate nasty workaround while
looking for a real fix: Create a custom boot CD (or USB :) with the
kernel configured to have root on wd0a. That should allow you to boot
from the CD/USB and have it come up automatically.

> I wonder if I have to give up and reinstall with a reformat, but I fear
> it wouldn't help much.
>
> I remember, in that case, that partitioning is not that easy. I just
> need a pure NetBSD disk. I could also just reformat the root partition
> and leave partitioning as is- since it did boot on the PowerBook.

It is really puzzling that it worked on the powerbook but not the G4
iBook. I assume different OpenFirmware versions - will one possibly
boot with ofwboot.elf and the other with ofwboot.xcf?

David