FreeBSD 10.1 PPC64 on XServe G5 hangs at Openfirmware Loader [likely an example of a long standing problem]

[Britt Dodd]

Oh nice! How'd you get the G5 to boot the memstick image? I wasn't aware
that OF would boot non Mac-OS memory sticks...

On Fri, Dec 19, 2014 at 10:59 AM, Rob Ballantyne <robballantyne3 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I can confirm memstick 64-bit install worked on a G5 quad. I also note
> that I only tried the memstick after I failed to get the ISO to boot
> properly.
>
> Rob B.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> > On Dec 18, 2014, at 10:04 PM, Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn at freebsd.org>
> wrote:
> >
> > I believe there is a similar issue affecting sparc64. It seems like the
> ISO9660 support in loader may be broken on big-endian systems. Can you
> check if the ppc64 memstick image boots OK?
> > -Nathan
> >
> >> On 12/18/14 18:29, Bill Sorenson wrote:
> >>
> >> I can confirm that 10.1-RELENG and 10-STABLE will boot at least an
> XServe G5 when built from source on a running 10.0-RELEASE install. Problem
> appears specific to the iso from what I can tell. Although I've been wrong
> before. I'm not sure how the isos are generated in the release process so
> no idea if it makes sense.
> >>
> >> -Bill S.
> >>
> >> On Dec 18, 2014 8:22 PM, "Mark Millard" <markmi at dsl-only.net <mailto:
> markmi at dsl-only.net>> wrote:
> >>
> >>    I've included a reminder (a past exchange) that makes this report
> >>    sounds like a long standing problem with powerpc64 10.x-STABLE
> >>    .iso's burned to CDs for PowerMac G5's.
> >>
> >>    As I remember 10.0-RELEASE's .iso worked and is eventually how I
> >>    bootstrapped. 10.1-RELEASE did not work when I tried it. (See
> >>
> https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ppc/2014-November/007328.html
> >>    .)
> >>
> >>    I've never had 10.x-STABLE .iso's work in a PowerMac G5. (I've no
> >>    XServe access, just access to some desktop PowerMac G5's.) My
> >>    tries do not go all the way back to the first 10.0-STABLE .iso,
> >>    however. As I remember I started trying in 2014-Apr or so.
> >>    Eventually I stopped checking each new 10.0-STABLE but did check
> >>    some as time went on.
> >>
> >>
> >>    From: Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn at freebsd.org
> >>    <mailto:nwhitehorn at freebsd.org>>
> >>    Subject: Re: Running FreeBSD-ppc/ppc64 on emulators? [.iso based
> >>    CD boot problems exist for PowerMac G5's too]
> >>    Date: July 26, 2014 at 11:40:28 PM PDT
> >>    To: Mark Millard <markmi at dsl-only.net
> >>    <mailto:markmi at dsl-only.net>>, freebsd-ppc at freebsd.org
> >>    <mailto:freebsd-ppc at freebsd.org>
> >>
> >>    Interesting. It seems loader is broken. I just tried with a
> >>    10.0-STABLE image and can reproduce the problem -- 11 oddly is OK.
> >>    What really perplexes me is that the powerpc and powerpc64 loaders
> >>    are identical, since loader is built 32-bit in either case. Super
> >>    weird. I'll try to get it fixed. Thanks for the problem report and
> >>    reminder!
> >>    -Nathan
> >>
> >>    On 07/26/14 23:33, Mark Millard wrote:
> >>
> >>    To make clear about the "/" in the line:
> >>
> >>    and stops while displaying "/" from its progress indicator. The
> >>    fans then gradually spin up.
> >>
> >>    This "progress indicator" is the repeating sequence -, \, |, /. It
> >>    always stopped with / as I remember. But I've no clue for if that
> >>    is from the repeating sequence or is the leading / from
> >>    /boot/kernel/kernel. At this point I'm limited to reporting just
> >>    the visual result, not the internal stage it is tied to.
> >>
> >>    ===
> >>    Mark Millard
> >>    markmi at dsl-only.net <http://dsl-only.net>
> >>
> >>    On Jul 26, 2014, at 7:53 PM, Mark Millard <markmi at dsl-only.net
> >>    <mailto:markmi at dsl-only.net>> wrote:
> >>    First I quote what I wrote about when the hangups occur on the
> >>    G5's (combining quotes from the two messages so the overall notes
> >>    are easier to understand):
> >>
> >>    For a C-key style boot it hangs shortly after displaying
> >>
> >>    loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
> >>
> >>    and stops while displaying "/" from its progress indicator. The
> >>    fans then gradually spin up.
> >>
> >>    In other words: It hangs just before it would normally display the
> >>    line that includes the text: /boot/kernel/kernel
> >>
> >>    The original messages were:
> >>
> >>    http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ppc/2014-June/007029.html
> >>    and
> >>    http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ppc/2014-June/007056.html
> >>
> >>    Even the /b prefix from /boot/kernel/kernel did not show up even
> >>    though /boot/defaults/loader.conf did show up just fine.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    As for trying 11-CURRENT: I've not tried 11-CURRENT for anything
> >>    yet. And, unfortunately, I'm now away from the PowerMacs for weeks
> >>    so I will not be doing new experiments for several weeks. I can
> >>    try once I get back.
> >>
> >>    All the 9.2/9.3-STABLE's that I tried worked. And 10.0-RELELASE
> >>    worked. Any 10.0-STABLE from before about Apr-27 I've never tried:
> >>    Late April is about when I started the experiments with PowerMacs.
> >>
> >>    Also: I had no troubles with 10.0-STABLE for powerpc on PowerMacs.
> >>    PowerPC64 on PowerMac G5's is where I had problems. (I do not have
> >>    other kinds of PowerPC equipment available.)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    ===
> >>    Mark Millard
> >>    markmi at dsl-only.net <http://dsl-only.net>
> >>
> >>    On Jul 26, 2014, at 2:23 PM, Mark Millard <markmi at dsl-only.net
> >>    <mailto:markmi at dsl-only.net>> wrote:
> >>    This boot issue from .iso's (burned to CDs) is not specific to
> >>    emulation (assuming it is the same problem in both places).
> >>
> >>    I'm afraid that it sounds like PowerMac G5's hang the same
> >>    way/place whenever I've tried a fairly modern PowerPC64
> >>    10.0-STABLE .iso burned to a CD. I was able to boot 10.0-RELEASE's
> >>    .iso burned to a CD. I've not tried emulation.
> >>
> >>    Having an initial FreeBSD running I tend to use the MANIFEST and
> >>    .txz files with "bsdinstall auto" to make new from-scratch (not
> >>    buildworld/buildkernel) installations when I want such.
> >>
> >>    My notes on the G5 boot issue for the .iso's burned to CD's were
> >>    reported in: (I'm not near the PowerMacs, unfortunately)
> >>
> >>    FreeBSD 10-STABLE powerpc64 r266807 CD PowerMac7, 2 (and 7, 11)
> >>    boot hangs very early in the process
> >>
> >>    Has anyone booted a G5 PowerMac from a recent 10.0-STABLE .iso
> >>    burned to CD? A multi-processor one?
> >>
> >>    ===
> >>    Mark Millard
> >>    markmi at dsl-only.net <http://dsl-only.net>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    ===
> >>    Mark Millard
> >>    markmi at dsl-only.net <http://dsl-only.net>
> >>
> >>    _______________________________________________
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