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

> On Mar 1, 2007, at 6:31 AM, The masked-coder known as Randux wrote:
> 
> > Why won't NetBSD work on your box with the PPC upgrade card? I was  
> > hoping to run it on a similar box myself so hearing your news was a  
> > bit of a disappointment.
> Thanks for your feedback. The reason it will not run as far as I know  
> is that NetBSD/macppc requires Open Firmware to function. Obviously,  
> any mac68k machine that has been upgraded will not have Open  
> Firmware. The original Nubus 601-based PowerPC machines did not have  
> Open Firmware either which is why they cannot run NetBSD either. This  
> is the way it has been and I am not aware of any changes to this.  
> Parts for a 540c should be much easier to come by. I know there is a  
> softfloat build available. The archives will show links to this.
> 
> Bryan
> 

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. 

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.)

Cheers,
Rand