Re: Issues with NetBSD 11 install on macppc

[Valery Ushakov <uwe%stderr.spb.ru@localhost>]

On Wed, Oct 08, 2025 at 23:17:14 +0000, John Klos wrote:

> Finally, I noticed that ofwboot.xcf can't boot a GENERIC kernel, which is
> 12,997,380 bytes, but can boot after gzipping to netbsd.gz, which is
> 5,815,530 bytes. Is it because of the size? Or does ofwboot.xcf expect
> gzipped files?

This is a recurring theme.  There are some PRs and a few threads on
port-macppc.  As far as I can tell this is not size, but some
numerology.  In my experience using ofwboot.elf instead of
(ofwboot.xcf) helps, but may be I've just been lucky with my kernel
sizes :).  The same kernel is booted fine by ofwboot.elf and fails to
boot with ofwboot.xcf (which is exactly the same object code plus a
jump around the header or something like that, IIRC).

thorpej@ did some fixes related to the way kernel deals with mapping
OFW memory once booted, that might be related as well.


> The disk is set up with an HFS (not +) partition at the beginning of
> the disk with ofwboot.xcf, netbsd-INSTALL.gz, and netbsd copied to
> it.  netbsd-INSTALL.gz booted fine, netbsd didn't, then when I
> gzipped netbsd and copied it there, that booted.  This is a Mac mini
> G4, BTW.

OFW in Mini G4 groks FAT and I've been using FAT partition for boot
(just the ofwboot*, the kernels are in the netbsd root fs) for ages
now.  Plain MBR, no apple partition map.  /boot can be mounted
natively.


-uwe