# WANTED:  Mac mini users



## trev (Feb 18, 2019)

I am in the process of updating the FreeBSD Wiki and would like to hear from any Mac mini users with hardware models:

 * macmini1,1 (2006)
 * macmini4,1 (2010) 
 * macmini6,1 (2012)
 * macmini7,1 (2014)
 * macmini8,1 (2018)

Specifically:

 * Does the IR daemon utility aird(1) from sysutils/aird work?
 * Does the Bluetooth device work with ng_ubt(4) ?
 * Does the FireWire device fwohci(4) work? (macmini4,1; macmini6,1)
 * Is the wireless device supported? If so, by which device driver?
 * Is Ethernet supported? If so, by which device driver?
 * Is sound supported? If so, by which device driver?
 * Is xorg video supported? If so, by which driver?

And for the macmini6,1, macmini7,1 and macmini8,1 models - Would you be willing test a patched (by me) asmc(4) kernel module (allows setting of fan speed, reporting of fan RPMs and sensor temperatures) ?


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## wardbones (Jan 22, 2020)

Hello, *trev,*

I'm on a MacBookPro 8,1 and I find that a lot of the hardware tips are the same.  Just chiming in.  Things are going well.  I would like to see any progress on firewire and bcm4331 wifi.


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## jaysonwashere (May 14, 2020)

I am due to decommission my 2014 Mac mini 7,1 soon and will be installing FreeBSD onto it, I am happy to report back to you on these things if you still require this. trev


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## wardbones (May 14, 2020)

jaysonwashere said:


> I am due to decommission my 2014 Mac mini 7,1 soon and will be installing FreeBSD onto it, I am happy to report back to you on these things if you still require this.



A friend really wanted a Mac so I sold it!    Wishing you great success.  I had a ball setting up FreeBSD on that machine.


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## Butterfly (May 15, 2020)

Got a 2.1...want it?


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## Butterfly (May 15, 2020)

Hi trev , happy to hear some action around upgrading a mini mac. Mine is a 2.1...I tried just about everything short of shooting a sizable amount of bullets in it...  
If we can help each other out, I'm game.
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...
Melissa


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## trev (May 16, 2020)

jaysonwashere - Geez one has to be quick 

Butterfly - Yes Melissa, I have my very own 2,1 Mac mini.

Happy to help: Let's resume back at your thread.


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## Hakaba (May 16, 2020)

Whaou ! I have and old MBP (3.1 core 2 duo 2.4, 6go ram).
I will read this post with attention for FreeBSDify it...


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## trev (May 16, 2020)

The FreeBSD Wiki Mac mini page may be of some help. Unfortunately the FreeBSD Wiki Macbook page is probably somewhat out of date.


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## wa6vvv (Dec 19, 2020)

I have a number of minis in use running FreeBSD 12.x.  I believe they are all 7,1s but can't be sure as none of them have MacOS on them.  The only problems I encountered was FreeBSD 10.x.  I never could get that to boot.  9.x, 11.x, and 12.x all work just fine.  Note, I only use them as servers.  The only two connections are power and ethernet.  The ethernet driver is bge, I have seen bluetooth show up on other devices but have never needed it.  dmesg shows bluetooth devices as ubt and ugen.  I have no idea why there are two of those.  Likewise IR shows up a uhid.  I do have a 8,1 but it is my desktop and runs MacOS.  I do need to eventually try booting a FreeBSD stick.


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## wa6vvv (Dec 20, 2020)

I finally got around to trying 8,1.  The mfsBSD images do not boot.  They are not even recognized by the mini.  However, the 12.2 bootonly image does boot and run.  It's quite limited in what it can do so I can't provide any real information.  It was a lot easier before the T2 chips started being used.  Apparently you cannot install to the internal drive.  That drive appears to be hardware encrypted.


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