install files on mac UFS partition (mac mini G4)

[kristoff <kristoff%skypro.be@localhost>]

Hi all,

I am trying to install netbsd 9.2 (or 9.0) on a mac mini G4.


The box has been running macOSX years ago, then linux (debian) and also 
FreeBSD, so I do not have access to the mac software.


I would like to try netbsd to see if I get better software support.


The problem I have, if I see it correctly, is the apple openfirmware 3 
needs a HFS partition and -for some reason- the netbsd installer does 
not seems to create that.


In the end, I got the FreeBSD installer to create me a HFS partition, 
and I have netbsd installed on the 2nd partition.
(in openfirmware, I can do 'dir hd:,\' and see the files)


However, the problem now is that the files on the HFS partition are -of 
course- the FreeBSD tools (inside hd:,\ppc\...) and no the netbsd files 
(like 'ofwboot.xcf')


So what would be the best way to correct this,
I was hoping that booting into the shell with the netbsd install ISO CD 
would allow me to do that, but I do not find the tools to access the HFS 
partition. (hformat, hcopy, ...)


Is there some sort of 'rescue-disk' I can boot from that allows to do 
file-operations on the HFS partition? I guess I also need wget or curl 
to download ofwboot.xcf from some server and it not on the CD image.



While reading the archive of this mailing-list, I found some reference 
to using a MSDOS partition instead of a HFS partition.
What would be the best way to reformat the HFS partition into a MSDOS 
partition and copy ofwboot.xvf on it?


Any help appreciated.


Cheerio! Kr. Bonne.