Fienix is by Casey Cullen, not Christian Zigotsky. Likewise for the instructional video.
On May 1, 2019, at 9:00 AM, Stephan Hubers wrote: > Hi, > > From what I know about Macintosh and it’s Open Firmware, FireWire is > set as a default boot-option since OF 2. Therefor any G3 or G4 > Macintosh will boot from firewire using the Command+Option boot-key. > The Open Firmware will recognize the FireWire boot-sector by > default. So, yes… trying different images works best on a FireWire > drive. > > However, PowerMac 6,4 should be abled to boot from USB. What I am > thinking is going on with your system, is that the USB-stick does > not have a valid AFS boot-sector for Apple; which is definitely > needed to boot from USB. Christian Zigotsky has done extended > research on this issue with his Fienix distribution. He also > explains it very clearly in his YouTube video on booting his G5 from > USB. > > I hope this’ll help you along a bit further. > > Regards, > > Stephan > >> Op 1 mei 2019, om 12:18 heeft aggaz <[email protected]> het >> volgende geschreven: >> >> Thanks for all the information you are providing. >> >> Despite my efforts I still am not able to boot my eMac G4 (Apple >> PowerMac6,4) by USB. >> >> After reading your email I was able to see that with a USB stick >> inserted at boot a disk device indeed shows up in the device tree >> (visible by using the command "dev / ls"), but I am still not able to >> list its files by using the command "dir". >> >> By the way, the USB stick contains a dd'ed debian ISO image and it is >> possible to browse its files on a PowerMac G5 (PowerMac11,2). >> >> I think I am using the correct OF path, derived by looking at the >> device >> tree and by comparison with the working path on the G5. >> >> I can confirm it has OpenFirmware 3 as shown by the following >> command on OF: >> >> 0 > dev /openprom >> 0 > .properties >> name openprom >> device_type BootROM >> model OpenFirmware 3 >> relative-addressing >> supports-bootinfo >> boot-syntax 00000001 >> >> >> This is not the first time I bang my head against OF and USB boot. >> Eventually I ended up using NetBoot for a G3 and this G4 (which was >> not >> easy anyway especially on the G3). >> >> For what is worth, I think that a developer in need to test several >> CD >> images without burning them should consider investing in a FireWire >> HD. >> As far as I know booting from FireWire should be much easier, but I >> never tried it. >> >> Regards >> A. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Il 30/04/19 21:56, Linux User #330250 ha scritto: >>> Am 30.04.19 um 12:54 schrieb John Paul Adrian Glaubitz: >>>> Hello! I have dug out one of my iBook G4s now so I can perform >>>> installer tests on the PowerMac target. While the machine has a >>>> built-in optical drive, I would avoid having to burn CDs for every >>>> installation test run (even when using CD-RWs), so I was >>>> wondering how >>>> well booting from USB sticks works on these machines. Does anyone >>>> have >>>> experience creating bootable USB media for PowerMacs to install >>>> Debian? Adrian >>> >>> Despite what others said, it should really work with every Macintosh >>> that has the NewWorld bootrom and thus at least Open Firmware 3.0, >>> i.e. >>> starting with the iMac "Bondi" 1998 and the PowerBook G3 "Lombard" >>> 1999. >>> >>> And, it's all already written down in a nice way.[1] Don't read on >>> when >>> you are happy with this official guide. >>> >>> Or read this: >>> * http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060301112336384 >>> * https://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/2012/08/msg00042.html >>> * >>> https://sites.google.com/site/shawnhcorey/howto-boot-apple-powerpcs-from-a-usb-drive-in-open-firmware >>> >>> >>> The long read: I wanted to share my own experience as well... >>> >>> Apple did not provide an easy way, like holding a key for this >>> kind of >>> boot selection. The possible keys are, a selection[2]: >>> * c – boot from CD-ROM (or any other /internal/ optical drive) >>> * d – forces boot from first hard disk drive (like it normally >>> would anyway) >>> * n – network boot, looks for suitable BOOTP or TFTP network boot >>> source >>> * r – (PowerBooks) resets stored screen size to internal default >>> * t – target disk mode >>> * mouse button held down – forces eject for media in internal >>> optical drive >>> * option – shows Open Firmware boot selection >>> >>> Sadly, Apple decided to include FireWire in the automatic search for >>> bootable volumes but to leave out USB. The capability is there >>> nonetheless, only that there is no key for it to press and hold, >>> like in >>> easy, quick and comfortable... >>> >>> The solution is to enter the Open Firmware (OF) command prompt by >>> holding Option + Command + O + F until you can read the Open >>> Firmware >>> greeter on your monitor. Then you need to find the device and load >>> the >>> boot file from there. In essence it is the manual way of what the >>> other >>> options do for you automatically. >>> >>> >>> The syntax is like this: >>>> boot <dev>:<partition>,<file> >>> >>> >>> Examples for <dev>: >>> 1) /pci@f4000000/ata-6@d/disk@0 >>> 2) /pci@f2000000/mac-io@17/ata-3@20000/disk@0 >>> 3) bridge/ACARD,6280M@4/@2 >>> >>> Only, on most Macs there are aliases for this long and complicated >>> device paths. So, for example, all of those above could be just: >>> 1) hd (is set to the faster first HDD, should be the same as ultra0) >>> 2) cd (set to internal optical drive, e.g. ide0) >>> 3) ide0, ide1 (ATA bus) >>> 4) ultra0, ultra1 (UltraATA bus) >>> 5) usb0, usb1 >>> 6) ud0, ud1 – only on later PowerPC-Macs (like the Power Mac G5 or >>> the >>> iMac G5, starting around 2003) >>> >>> So, to replicate the boot from CD-ROM (holding the "c" key on system >>> start-up) from the default partition (automatic), you can use the >>> following from the Open Firmware prompt: >>>> boot cd: >>> >>> To choose a specific partition, with a specific file as the initial >>> bootloader: >>>> boot cd:2,yaboot >>> >>> To use the blessed bootloader on a specific parition, in this >>> example >>> partition 3 from the hard disk drive: >>>> boot hd:3,\\:tbxi >>> The <file> "\\:tbxi" is not a real file, instead OF will look for >>> the >>> one file that is blessed on this partition, that is the one file >>> that >>> has specific attributes to it. For Mac OS X this will be bootx, for >>> Linux normally yaboot or grub2. To my knowledge this only works on a >>> partition with HFS. >>> >>> >>> So, now we want to boot from USB. First you need to identify the >>> path of >>> the USB device you want to boot from. Then you need to know the >>> partition number. And, maybe, also the name of the bootloader (or >>> try >>> :tbxi). >>> >>> To find out what aliases your Mac already has defined, run the >>> following: >>>> devalias >>> >>> To see the full device tree without aliases: >>>> dev / >>>> ls >>> >>> Other usefull commands in Open Firmware: >>> * lsdev >>> * .properties >>> * devalias, devalias <alias> <device-path> >>> * nvalias >>> * printenv, printenv <variable> >>> * set-env >>> * set-default <variable> >>> * set-defaults >>> * dir <devicepath or alias>: >>> * eject cd: >>> * mac-boot (will boot the standard) >>> * reset-nvram (same as Cmd+Opt+N+V) >>> * reset-all (will reboot) >>> >>> >>> If you somehow messed up your Open Firmware settings, you can always >>> reset/zap the NVRAM and the parameter memory (PRAM): >>> * Hold Cmd+Opt+P+R to zap the PRAM >>> * Hold Cmd+Opt+N+V to zap the NVRAM >>> hold the keys until you hear the startup chime. I always held the >>> keys >>> until I heard the chime /again/ and /again/ 3 times in total. It's >>> said >>> that it has to be done this way. >>> >>> >>> I think that on my Power Mac G5 (PowerMac11,2) from 2005 I was >>> able to >>> boot from the USB drive with: >>>> boot ht@0,f2000000/pci@4/usb@b/disk@2:2,\\:tbxi >>> or >>>> boot ht@0/pci@4/usb@b/disk@2:2,\install\yaboot >>> I found some notes, this must have been last year or so. >>> >>> >>> I just tried 2019-04-24/debian-10.0-powerpc-NETINST-1.iso on my >>> iBook G3 >>> (original Clamshell, 1999) and it did not boot with: >>>> boot usb0/disk@1:2,\\:tbxi >>> I got "can't OPEN: cd:,\install\yaboot" >>> I then tried >>>> boot usb0/disk@1:2,\install\yaboot >>> and this worked. >>> >>> BTW, in yaboot I get this warning: >>>> WARNING: Bootstrap partition type is wrong: "Apple_HFS" >>>> type should be: "Apple_Bootstrap" >>> >>> >>> One more note on the USB boot front: I use one of those sticks >>> that can >>> be write-protected by a physical slider on the side of the stick. >>> WHEN >>> the stick is read-only, OF is unable to access it properly. Not >>> even the >>> dir command works. Without write-protection everything works fine >>> with >>> the same stick/same data on it. >>> >>> >>> For what it's worth, USB booting on a Power Mac is alwayy trial and >>> error. Write down what works. I heard that it should be possible to >>> define a new devalias somehow... Also, setting boot-device in >>> nvram[4] >>> could make the boot selection permanent (until the PRAM is zapped >>> or the >>> battery dies). >>> >>>> setenv boot-device usb0/disk@1:2,\install\yaboot >>> Only, in the case of an external USB pen drive, I would advice >>> against >>> it...But I can confirm that this also works! >>>> mac-boot >>> will then boot from the USB pen drive, as will every restart as >>> long as >>> the stick remains plugged in. >>> >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Linux User #330250 >>> >>> >>> >>> [1]https://www.debian.org/releases/sarge/powerpc/ch05s01.html.en >>> [2]https://whircat.centosprime.com/startup-keys-boot-options/ >>> [3]https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/2019-04-24/debian-10.0-powerpc-NETINST-1.iso >>> [4]http://www.macfreek.nl/memory/Open_Firmware >>> >> >
