# MacBook Air and FreeBSD 9.0 x64



## Wowi (Oct 16, 2012)

Hello everybody,
*I*'m here, because *I* have a little problem with my installation of FreeBSD on my MacBook Air 2012. First time, *I* will give you some informations :

I have installed FreeBSD 9.0 x64 and *I* don't have any problem to boot on them
I have 2 networks interface, one bcm43224 for wifi, and one thunderbolt ethernet interface
So actually *I* don't have internet on this laptop
Have you some information about the bcm43224?
*I* have read some informations here, so *I* go on this website, but *I* don't have any information to install firmware on FreeBSD.
I don't find information about Thunderbolt-Ethernet, have you some informations?
Thanks a lot


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## sysliquid (Oct 16, 2012)

What you are looking for is called the 'brcmsmac (PCIe/AXI) driver', which is a driver that covers BCM4313, BCM43224, BCM43224, BCM43225 broadcom chips.

While I can't cite sources from broadcom, it does appear that they released they released this open source in 2010, and you can find more information about the linux version here:

http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/brcm80211BCM43224

The end of the trail seems to be that someone was attempting to port the thing over to FreeBSD from linux in february of 2011:

http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=154851

The project appears to be suspended, so you could try contacting Theo and see if he has anything to work with, but beyond that I wasn't able to dig anything up for you.


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## gentoobob (Oct 16, 2012)

You will probably have better luck just putting FreeBSD in a virtual box setup.  From what I've heard, linux, especially unix is going to lack in the drivers for the thunderbolt port.  Just Google search "linux support thunderbolt", you'll find plenty of articles.  

But I did find this...http://wiki.freebsd.org/FreeBSD10.   Looks like 10 might support it.


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## sysliquid (Oct 16, 2012)

You might consider Debian FreeBSD too, their repos could have something along the lines of a working driver for you.


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## wblock@ (Oct 16, 2012)

Or just run the Mac OS, which is much like FreeBSD but supports all the proprietary hardware.


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## gentoobob (Oct 17, 2012)

Don't be like Linus Torvald http://meta.slashdot.org/story/12/10/11/0030249/linus-torvalds-answers-your-questions... and have a Macbook Pro just to have linux on it.  You buy a Mac to use its OS since it pretty much sits on proprietary hardware like wblock@ said. Personally, its a waste of money otherwise.  You can find the same spec in hardware from another vendor a heck of a lot cheaper.


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## sysliquid (Oct 17, 2012)

Aren't we assuming just a little bit too much? We're assuming he's bought this thing outright and is just tinkering with it. But he may very well have got it for free and want a better operating system on it then what would have come with it, or doesn't own a disc and doesn't want to pay money for a proprietary BSD system with malware all over it. I just think it's a little strange to tell him not to do what he's trying to do rather than either offer what assistance there may be, or not responding to the thread for lack of information. :/

As for Wowi, I did manage to dig up this thread:

http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=2477&page=8

which perhaps we should merge this one into as it seems to have a lot of related information and may be pertinent to your issue.


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## wblock@ (Oct 17, 2012)

AFAIK, every Mac comes with a license to run Mac OSX.  Maybe not the latest version, but at least some version of it.  Due to the proprietary hardware, running that operating system on it will give better results than FreeBSD.  Also, OSX is at least half FreeBSD anyway.

So no, it's not assuming too much.  We're not assuming it was free, or came without an OS, just trying to give the best answer with the information that was stated.


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## kclark (Oct 18, 2012)

From my experience when you have a computer that's powerful enough to run FreeBSD and a host at the same time that's usually best.  My host OS is Win7 for work though I run FreeBSD 9 amd64 as my primary OS and love the setup.  While I'm at work I have one screen Win7 and the other FreeBSD via emulators/virtualbox-ose and it works perfectly.


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## fredrik (Dec 29, 2012)

Wowi said:
			
		

> Have you some information about the bcm43224?
> *I* have read some informations here, so *I* go on this website, but *I* don't have any information to install firmware on FreeBSD.



Hi Wowi, and others

I am also trying to run FreeBSD natively on my MacBook Air mid 2012. I have the same problem with my wireless. Did you manage to solv this issue, or is it a dead end?

Already running FreeBSD in VM, but would much rather have it all the other way around.

Regards
Fredrik


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## freeeagle (Jan 16, 2013)

gentoobob said:
			
		

> Don't be like Linus Torvald http://meta.slashdot.org/story/12/10/11/0030249/linus-torvalds-answers-your-questions... and have a Macbook Pro just to have linux on it.  You buy a Mac to use its OS since it pretty much sits on proprietary hardware like wblock@ said. Personally, its a waste of money otherwise.  You can find the same spec in hardware from another vendor a heck of a lot cheaper.



I have a Macbook Air and I'm so very pleased to have it, best investment so far, but I would love to have Linux on it also if possible.


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## atmosx (May 14, 2013)

freeeagle said:
			
		

> I have a Macbook Air and I'm so very pleased to have it, best investment so far, but I would love to have Linux on it also if possible.



I have a MBA too. I run MacOSX on it and FreeBSD/Debian Linux on vbox machines. That said, since I got the MBA I really see so much difference from other 'conventional' laptops in usability, speed (SSD), lightweight and build quality that even if I should choose a laptop to run FreeDOS I'd pick the Air...


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