# ZFS on a PowerMac G5



## lamawithonel (Jan 11, 2012)

Is it possible?

I've installed freebsd-zfs on a sparc64 using a ufs boot partition, and I can get a working system using pure UFS, but I'm running into troubles with this error when I try to do ZFS on ppc:


```
Trying to mount root from zfs:zroot []...
Mounting from zfs:zroot failed with error 2: unknown file system.

Loader variables:
  vfs.root.mountfrom=zfs:zroot
```

The second line of the kernel output says the zfs module loads correctly.

Procedures are a mashup of the txt from the platform page, the UFSBoot article on the wiki and the guided procedures of the new install interface.

I'm using FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-powerpc64-release.iso from ./releases/powerpc/powerpc64/ISO-IMAGES/9.0/ on the mirrors.  Is that RC3?


----------



## sossego (Feb 29, 2012)

This is a late reply with a common answer.
Have you posted this on the mailing list?


----------



## lamawithonel (Feb 29, 2012)

I never posted, but I searched the archives-- before posting here.

I ended up mounting rootfs from a ufs slice.  Everything else is as described in the ufsboot guides with a separate /bootdir slice.


----------



## sossego (Feb 29, 2012)

Go ahead and try posting there. Nathan Whitehorn or someone else may have a setup with ZFS already on it. If you're going to be the first, here's something for you to remember. The boot loader looks for the first UFS(2)/FreeBSD partition right after it. The root / must be this partition and it must be formatted as such. Look at the howto for setting up ZFS in the tutorial section. You'll want to follow that tutorial for the remaining bit of the system after / and swap. Keep your progress posted both here and in the FreeBSD PowerPC mailing list to get the most help possible. We will be better able to guide you this way. It will also allow both you and the community to document what happens which is a benefit in itself to all.


----------

