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

[Mark Millard]

Also for my non-XServe context: buildworld, kernel, installworld from source always worked for every 10.x-STABLE that I tried it with (up to known, intermittent boot-time issues on PowerMac G5s). 10.1-RELEASE too. (I've not tried 10.1-STABLE yet.) The same for using the .txz files and MANIFEST file with "bsdinstall auto" to create media from an already working FreeBSD powerpc64 context.

(I've updated a couple of different ways: using the .txz files and MANIFEST file with "bsdinstall auto" vs. svn based. I normally use svn based these days both both were reliable whenever I've tried them.)

But to get powerpc64 started I used 10.0-RELEASE's .iso as I remember. After that for .iso's I just was checking if the .iso status had changed. (Summarizing much history: It was my first FreeBSD use.)

The powerpc (non-64) .iso's work fine in the same PowerMac G5s but I wanted to allow the G5's to use the extra memory that was in place. (But that extra memory may be tied to the powerpc64's intermittent boot-time issues for PowerMac G5s. I've never tried <= 4GB but others have reported the extra memory as required to see the intermittent boot problems.)

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Mark Millard
markmi at dsl-only.net

On Dec 18, 2014, at 6:29 PM, Bill Sorenson <instructionset at gmail.com> 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.