# Looking for a FreeBSD repository for PowerPC32...



## Bouzzi (Jul 7, 2017)

Where can I find the right repository for FreeBSD:10: powerpc to get the best results?

At home in a closet I found a Mac mini running Mac OSX 10.4. THis little computer seems to work nicely it's a PowerPC with 512 MB memory with a hard drive of 128 GB. I was looking for a new project to give a purpose to this antique. Someone told me that this kind of computer support other OS than Mac...

So I asked my friend, Google, and he showed me lots of information about Linux distributions, specially FreeBSD...

I have worked a lot with Ubuntu, Centos and SUSE, why not give a try on FreeBSD, I don't know how it works but my good friend Google will show me how...!

I got some information about what would be the best and most stable version of FreeBSD :10.3... 

Great! I found a tutorial showing how to install it. I didn't have to look far to find the ISO file. So, I've downloaded it, I burned it, put it in the computer and started it...

The installation didn't quite follow the tutorial but a installation was (I thought) a success...

I got a very basic OS installed, I have access to my network and internet, that's good... But I don't have a GUI yet so I have to use an other computer to search for more information about how to make this thing working... Obviously, most of the commands I knew of Linux won't work on FreeBSD. So I have to find a way to get the packages I need to have something cute to work with. 

I could use a good tutorial : FreeBSD for Newbies...!

I found the pkg command, exactly what I needed to built my new FreeBSD box. But the pkg would not work...  

On FreeBSD.org you can find FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE's installer images for PowerPC... But the repositories (..../pub/FreeBSD/FreeBSD:10: powerpc/) written inside the installation scripts don't exist anymore...


I have tried to give my computer an other repository using the "setenv PACKAGESITE" 

The repository I found would not work :
(https://joshcummings.net/pub/FreeBSD/FreeBSD:10:powerpc/)
I get fetching and authentication error messages...

Where can I find the right repository for *FreeBSD:10: powerpc* to get the best results?

Thanks!

Bouzzi

P.S,
Would it be easier or/and useful If I had my own repository server? 
How do I do that and Where do I find all files needed?


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## drhowarddrfine (Jul 7, 2017)

ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/releases/powerpc/

https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/

You should have read the Handbook first. You should have installed FreeBSD version 11 since 10.3 will soon reach end of life.


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## SirDice (Jul 7, 2017)

Please note that PPC is a Tier 2 platform. So it doesn't get the attention i386/amd64 has.


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## Chmeee (Jul 7, 2017)

Currently there is no repository for powerpc pkgs.  There is an ongoing effort to generate packages, and improve package building for PowerPC, and we hope to have it public soon.  There are some roadblocks to reaching that, so please contact the ports team (freebsd-ports@) for further information, and if you would like to participate in the effort.

Personally, I use a PowerMac G5 to build ports for both powerpc and powerpc64, and run my own private repository within my home network, to support my machines.  This is probably the easiest way for you to do it as well.  If you do not have a beefy powerpc machine, you can also run powerpc64 inside of qemu, and build there (it won't be nearly the same as physical hardware, due to the levels of emulation involved, but if you have a powerful enough machine it may not be prohibitive).

Also, as others have said, you really should upgrade to FreeBSD 11, the current stable release.  A lot went into it, and I, personally, was very lax with merging back to FreeBSD 10, so it may be missing some things you want and/or need.


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## stast (Oct 6, 2017)

Some packages for powerpc32 available at 
http://stasyan.com/devel/packages-powerpc/11.1-RELEASE-Latest/


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## tobik@ (Oct 6, 2017)

stast said:


> Some packages for powerpc32 available at
> http://stasyan.com/devel/packages-powerpc/11.1-RELEASE-Latest/


That's a weird looking pkg repository. It's missing all metadata. How would I use it?


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## stast (Oct 7, 2017)

Oops, sorry. 
Yes, it were only files from /usr/ports/packages/All. 
I made metadata (digests.txz, meta.txz, packagesite.txz) and uploaded it now.
Is it better now ?


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