Re: Processor Module for PB 550c

From: Bryan Vyhmeister <netbsdbsdjournal.net>
To: The masked-coder known as Randux <randuxSafe-mail.net>
Cc: port-mac68knetbsd.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

* The masked-coder known as Randux (randuxSafe-mail.net) wrote:
> From: Bryan Vyhmeister <netbsdbsdjournal.net>
> To: The masked-coder known as Randux <randuxSafe-mail.net>
> Cc: port-mac68knetbsd.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

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Hello,

On Mar 1, 2007, at 13:39, The masked-coder known as Randux
wrote:

> 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.)

NetBSD/macppc:
- - NEEDS OpenFirmware, not just for the boot loader
- - doesn't support NuBus

The 550 is a NuBus machine and it doesn't have
OpenFirmware.
Support for NuBus PowerMacs would probably not share much
code with 
macppc that's not shared with mac68k as well.

Of course it's always possible to add support for hardware
like this 
but that requires the right hardware in the right hands -
someone with 
both the knowledge and the time to do it.

have fun
Michael
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Hello,

On Mar 1, 2007, at 14:16, Claudio Leite wrote:
> 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.

That would be the sanest approach in my opinion, that's also
where 
support for NuBus PowerMacs would go.

have fun
Michael
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> > 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.

did you tried booting a kernel from booter:
htt
p://www.netbsd.org/Ports/mac68k/booter-manual/

get the booter here:
http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/mac68k/th
eobald/#getting-started_download-files

bye,
rafael diniz

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