Mini needs to grow up ;)

Hi all,
Spring is in the air, and so is love...
So, in this theme, I bring love to my mini mac 2.1 and embrace it with FreeBSD..
I found an instructive page already (is'nt FreeBSD cool? I think so...) and I wondered...is the info still up to date?
Thanks
Melissa
Stay safe and sane...the latter within reason :)
 
I updated it only a day or so ago to mention 12.1-RELEASE, so yes, it is as up to date as I can make it using my stable of Mac minis. I haven't tried installing the 12.1-RELEASE on my 2,1 mini yet, but I very much doubt that it would be any different to the 12.0-RELEASE.

Melissa: if you do install 12.1-RELEASE on your 2,1 mini, let me know and I'll update my Wiki table. [EDIT] However, I don't think you will be able to do so due to the LUA loader bug which may be fixed in 12-STABLE or 13-CURRENT. I installed an earlier version (11.2) and then source upgraded to 12.0 but I guess you could use freebsd-update for a quicker binary upgrade.
 
That wiki page would have been really useful back in 2007 when I was trying to recycle an old mac mini.

As an observation, I find it fairly annoying that Apple being such a toxic company ends up with such a decent and detailed page on the FreeBSD wiki just for their hardware.

I am assuming that this is due to the small number of different hardware configurations of their products. So it really shows that when it comes to hardware, having a small choice, although risky tends to be the better option XD

That said, of course I am glad FreeBSD supports the hardware, otherwise most of them will be landfilled as soon as macOS-CURRENT no longer runs on it (due to artificial restrictions no doubt).
 
As an observation, I find it fairly annoying that Apple being such a toxic company ends up with such a decent and detailed page on the FreeBSD wiki just for their hardware.

I'll take that as a compliment :)

I am assuming that this is due to the small number of different hardware configurations of their products.

Actually, it's due to my stable of Mac minis which get re-purposed for FreeBSD when I succumb to the latest mini shiny ;)
 
Well, I have ordered the Snow Leopard (as a Mac installdisk is required and this is the highest thebox can digest) so, as soon as that hits the mailbox...kabahm...FreeBSD! yay! :)
 
Just as an aside...is FreeBDS viable as a day to day desktop? I mean...if the mini loves FreeBSD (and I have no doubt on that)...I may coonsider a MacPRO to do the same (cost E355...that...is a pullback)
 
It is viable as a day to day. Takes more work than say Ubuntu to install the required bits, but once done, works fine. I personally shy away from big desktop environments and only use a window manager because they are much simpler but I have no issues. If you game, another platform would be better, but for surfing, writing, coding, it works perfectly.
 
Well, in preparative anticipation, I burned a composition on 11.2 to see if I can get it to boot...and...it does'nt...
*** mac :mad:
🤣🤣😂😂
 
Well, in preparative anticipation, I burned a composition on 11.2 to see if I can get it to boot...and...it does'nt...

I'm assuming you followed the instructions to the letter... in which case, what happened?
What operating system is currently installed?
What version BootROM and SMC? Mine is BootROM: MM21.009A.B00; SMC version: 1.19f2

Looking back at my notes, I see that with the FreeBSD 9.1-RELEASE amd64 disc (http://ftp-archive.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD-Archive/old-releases/amd64/ISO-IMAGES/9.1/):
* set from Tiger OS X for the system to boot from the internal optical drive works and boots into the installer
* booting into the Startup Manager (holding down ALT/Option key while booting) and selecting the Windows disc option works and boots into the installer

Note: I didn't test the 9.1-RELEASE i386 disc at the time, but it should probably also be ok.

I didn't have any luck with the FreeBSD 10.x series.
 
In all honesty, is it even feasable? Is it even worth it? Considering the piece of antique I have here?
 
<sshh> It's not an antique, it's a mature piece :)

Feasible? It should be - mine is happily chortling along with 12.0 at the moment. And it has the advantage that its Atheros WiFi (ath) is actually supported.
 
I have a 2009 Mini, trev, and while it currently runs older versions of OS X for testing purposes, thank you for your work on the Wiki.
 
msplsh: You're welcome.

Until a few months ago my main desktop system was a 2009 Mac mini running FreeBSD, but the mini developed spontaneous reboot issues and so I've moved on to my 2011 Mac mini.
 
Butterfly (Melissa) I've been corresponding with another user who has just installed FreeBSD on a 2,1 mini. He confirmed the 11.2 i386 CD works and that the 11.3 does not.

His 2,1 mini also has the same firmware as mine:

* BootROM: MM21.009A.B00
* SMC version: 1.19f2
 
Butterfly (Melissa) I've been corresponding with another user who has just installed FreeBSD on a 2,1 mini. He confirmed the 11.2 i386 CD works and that the 11.3 does not.

His 2,1 mini also has the same firmware as mine:

* BootROM: MM21.009A.B00
* SMC version: 1.19f2
Thanks trev , I'll see if I can whack the 11.2 on it! :)
Edit - the CD does'nt stay int he internal drive... 😢 - maybe I'll try the external drive...but I'm doubtfull...
Edit - the CD stays in the external drive, but is not recognised...
Edit - the CD boots up nicely....on a PC...
I was taken in by the ads...but now I have severe doubts... 😁
Edit - I wonder if my media are actually EFI bootable? 🤔
 
It has specs, it seems a mac's specs can be traced via its serial number : YM833200YL1 (that was new to me) though mine has 320Gb disk and 3Gb RAM...it seems to have had some form of upgrade...
I'd love to hear from you...

Yes - to have 3G RAM is must have been upgraded. Mine has 4G, but only 3G is usable.

I wonder if my media are actually EFI bootable?

No - the 2,1 has a 64 bit CPU but only 32 bit EFI. I suspect Apple 'cheaped out" when it upgraded the previous model 1,1 which had a 32 bit CPU and 32 bit EFI.

Edit - the CD does'nt stay int he internal drive... 😢 - maybe I'll try the external drive...but I'm doubtfull...
Edit - the CD stays in the external drive, but is not recognised...
Edit - the CD boots up nicely....on a PC...

We need to establish what BootROM and SMC versions you have on your 2,1. I had forgotten that there has been a previous unsuccessful attempt to install FreeBSD 11.2 on a 2,1.

Successful with:
* BootROM version MM21.009A.B00 and SMC version 1.19f2 (two confirmed instances)

Unsuccessful with:
* Boot ROM version MM21.009A.B00 and SMC version 1.19f0 (one case confirmed)
 
Super, I should try to establish what BootROM it is. Dont tell me (yet) how to find out...I want to learn.
If anything...you'll come to find that I enjoy a challenge...and this...is a challenge :)
edit - here's the info : BootRom : MM21.009A.B00 and SMC 1.19F2, so..I'm partying tonite :)
edit - I gave it one last go, following all the instructions. the memstick was not even visible. The mac will be destroyed...
ScaredMac.png
 

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edit - here's the info : BootRom : MM21.009A.B00 and SMC 1.19F2, so..I'm partying tonite :)

Excellent. FreeBSD can be installed successfully, guaranteed.

edit - I gave it one last go, following all the instructions. the memstick was not even visible.

Oh no, you DID NOT follow the instructions! You are supposed to boot from a FreeBSD 11.2-RELEASE CD-ROM disc.

The mac will be destroyed...

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
Hi,
Well, the mac is still intact. One last task I tried (last night) was BOINC, before I went to bed :)
Okay. What I do not yet have is the CD rom disk.
I'll burn one and try.
PS : the cartoon in my previous post was silly stuff...I'd rarther just put the mac in "archive"...
I have done that before, and the results are stunning:
WorkingMac.jpg

That lilthe sweet thing is from the mid eighties...and it still works :)
That "brown log" underneath is the external drive.
Maybe the mini will end up like that: a relic with no further use...after I'm done with it...
Edit : nope, tries to see the disc and ejects it, Pressing ALT at boot (chime) only shows one volume...what is weird is that no matter what I try, I never end up in recovery...
Edit - I fried her up! She does'nt boot from the harddrive anymore...
 
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