# Mini needs to grow up ;)



## Butterfly (May 6, 2020)

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


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## SirDice (May 6, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> is the info still up to date?


It looks fairly recent, I mean it mentions 12.0-RELEASE. So it can't be _that_ old.


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## trev (May 6, 2020)

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.


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## kpedersen (May 6, 2020)

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).


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## trev (May 6, 2020)

kpedersen said:


> 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


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## kpedersen (May 6, 2020)

trev said:


> I'll take that as a compliment



Haha, yes, please do. Whilst I am not a fan of Apple, I am a big fan of detailed information and documentation


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## Butterfly (May 6, 2020)

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!


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## Butterfly (May 6, 2020)

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)


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## Sevendogsbsd (May 6, 2020)

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.


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## NapoleonWils0n (May 6, 2020)

Im running Freebsd 12.1 on a 2014 macmini 
and it kicks mac osx crapalina's arse up and down the street and back again


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## Butterfly (May 6, 2020)

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


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## NapoleonWils0n (May 6, 2020)

normally i just hold down alt and then select the drive or disc marked efi boot


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## trev (May 7, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> 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.


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## trev (May 7, 2020)

NapoleonWils0n said:


> normally i just hold down alt and then select the drive or disc marked efi boot



Unfortunately the mid-2007 Mac mini has a 64 bit processor but a 32 bit EFI which means that an EFI boot with a FreeBSD CD is out of the question.


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## Butterfly (May 7, 2020)

In all honesty, is it even feasable? Is it even worth it? Considering the piece of antique I have here?


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## trev (May 8, 2020)

<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.


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## msplsh (May 8, 2020)

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.


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## trev (May 9, 2020)

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.


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## trev (May 11, 2020)

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


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## Butterfly (May 15, 2020)

trev said:


> 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:
> 
> ...


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?


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## trev (May 16, 2020)

> 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)


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## Butterfly (May 19, 2020)

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...


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## trev (May 20, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> 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...


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## Butterfly (May 20, 2020)

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:



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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## trev (May 20, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> Edit - I fried her up! She does'nt boot from the harddrive anymore...



Get out the putty knife and replace the drive. Only nerve-wracking the first time you do it


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## Butterfly (May 20, 2020)

trev said:


> Get out the putty knife and replace the drive. Only nerve-wracking the first time you do it


No options? This has been the most toxic experience of my entire IT life. It's as if this thing is haunted...
- "boot off the CD rom" - that mac does'nt
- "boot off a USB stick" - not on this mac
- "hit Alt-R to get in recovery" - yea sure
- "insert the disk and hit Alt to see and select the other medium" - you kiddin'
Yep...I'm cured of mac for good 
Edit - wait a screw-ball minute  can I replace the disk? Looking at the specs...it is SATA..I mean, then the whole mac joke is gone...clearly, I can...if I follow the instructions...how utterly exciting 
Edit - I got the OS back on it...wow...what a (joy) ride...


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## msplsh (May 20, 2020)

If you can't boot off the CDROM or USB, particularly with original media, it's not the "mac", it's that the thing is broken.

I hate breaking into those things to change the drive.


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## Butterfly (May 20, 2020)

msplsh said:


> If you can't boot off the CDROM or USB, particularly with original media, it's not the "mac", it's that the thing is broken


Hmm, much as I suspected.


msplsh said:


> I hate breaking into those things to change the drive.


Eh, I always imagine hurting the thing as it lies helplessly on its back 
I am, however, beginning to wonder if it will be worth it - even if only for the victory moment - regarding the low specs these things had (still have) and if replacing the harddrive will be of any help...


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## Butterfly (May 21, 2020)

So, after some this-n-that, the mac OS is back on-disk. So, now on to the real beef: a real OS called FreeBSD.
I tried the tutorial, and already, the first step fails. I'm afraid msplsh was right, this thing Is broken...
Even if I get to replace the harddrive...it may nog solve anything.
I did try to clean the drive, though (cleaning CDrom)...
To no avail...


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## Menelkir (May 21, 2020)

When the mac turns on, right after the sound, if you hold only alt/option, the mac is supposed to show you the internal bootloader. Probably anything plugged on usb ports will shows up. Even if you unplug and plug the device from the usb port, the bootloader will redetect and shows the new boot devices. Perhaps you should try with a pendrive or external drive/cdrom and see if it works?


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## Butterfly (May 21, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> When the mac turns on, right after the sound, if you hold only alt/option, the mac is supposed to show you the internal bootloader. Probably anything plugged on usb ports will shows up. Even if you unplug and plug the device from the usb port, the bootloader will redetect and shows the new boot devices. Perhaps you should try with a pendrive or external drive/cdrom and see if it works?


Well, it does show the available bootables. Except my own home cooking. And I'm beginning to...suspect my own (in)abilities, here  to properly set up a UEFI bootable thumbdrive...there is something *essential* I need to learn, here... 
Tomorrow (almost midnight, here) I take the mac back out of the electronics trash and give that a go, thanks


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## trev (May 22, 2020)

The 2,1 Mac mini will not boot in EFI/UEFI mode with a FreeBSD release image because the mini uses a 64 bit CPU but 32 bit EFI. I believe someone posted that they had managed to do it on a Mac Pro model which suffers the same issue, but I don't believe they ever returned to say how.


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## lowphive (May 22, 2020)

FWIW I was able to install OpenBSD 6.6 on a similar Mac mini, might be a 2006 or so. I haven't tried 6.7, but I've been running OpenBSD on this guy since like 5.4 or something, just OpenBSD, no dual-booting. Also, granted, this is related to PPC machines and might not help at all but here's a page on getting into open firmware and mucking about to allow booting from USB on older Macs.  Boot PowerPC Macs via USB 2.0 drives


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## Butterfly (May 22, 2020)

trev said:


> The 2,1 Mac mini will not boot in EFI/UEFI mode with a FreeBSD release image because the mini uses a 64 bit CPU but 32 bit EFI.


Hmm yes, that is why I choose the 32 bit flavor of FreeBSD, in the hope that the 64 bit component not being there, the rest would go smoothly...


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## Menelkir (May 22, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> Hmm yes, that is why I choose the 32 bit flavor of FreeBSD, in the hope that the 64 bit component not being there, the rest would go smoothly...



I'm pretty sure the UEFI boot is 64-bit only (and afaik, apple devices only boots in EFI mode since some years ago). You need a bootable media that have something like BOOTX32.efi in the efi partition.


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## Butterfly (May 29, 2020)

Done.
I have a doorstop with an apple logo


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## Menelkir (May 29, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> Done.
> I have a doorstop with an apple logo
> View attachment 7928



In the worst case scenario, you can put a raspberry pi inside with a harddrive.


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## Butterfly (May 30, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> In the worst case scenario, you can put a raspberry pi inside with a harddrive


 hey! that is a super idea! That is not even half silly! At least the performance would be better and it would let me get to know the PI...
Hmm, the very thought: gutting a mac to put a PI in it...a bit scifi innit?


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## Menelkir (May 30, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> hey! that is a super idea! That is not even half silly! At least the performance would be better and it would let me get to know the PI...
> Hmm, the very thought: gutting a mac to put a PI in it...a bit scifi innit?



Well it's a bit cruel if the machine works, I did with a Apple Time Machine case and a rapsberry pi 2 some years ago.
Anyways, did you tried rEFInd? I did a quick seach here and Ive found this.


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## Butterfly (May 30, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> Well it's a bit cruel if the machine works, I did with a Apple Time Machine case and a rapsberry pi 2 some years ago.
> Anyways, did you tried rEFInd? I did a quick seach here and Ive found this.



Hehe, I have a cruel streak  
I tried A refind, clearly, not the one I should try, as the behaviour differen. I'll dig it up again and try...that...version


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## Butterfly (May 30, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> Anyways, did you tried rEFInd?


Tried it just now. No bootables. The CD I have put in, can be boot off a normal PC (makes mac an abnormal PC...hehe)...
Edit - I even tried to uninstall (the mac way) something and that even fails. I'm woindering if that thing has'nt been flashed (rom -wise, I mean) and needs to be unflashed.
I mean...anything I throw at it...it fails...
I dont get it...thins thing defies all reason...


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## Menelkir (May 30, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> Tried it just now. No bootables. The CD I have put in, can be boot off a normal PC (makes mac an abnormal PC...hehe)...
> Edit - I even tried to uninstall (the mac way) something and that even fails. I'm woindering if that thing has'nt been flashed (rom -wise, I mean) and needs to be unflashed.
> I mean...anything I throw at it...it fails...
> I dont get it...thins thing defies all reason...



Maybe the cd is lacking the proper refind_x32.efi?


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## msplsh (May 31, 2020)

Do you not have a copy of Snow Leopard or something to boot the machine with so you can verify that the hardware even works properly?


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## Butterfly (May 31, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> Maybe the cd is lacking the proper refind_x32.efi?


Hmm, what if I unpack the ISO ands append to it by way of copying and then DD the whole folder t a menium?


msplsh said:


> Do you not have a copy of Snow Leopard or something to boot the machine with so you can verify that the hardware even works properly?


Yes, I do. Once booted, got any idea how to check the hardware?
Thanks


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## msplsh (Jun 1, 2020)

Run system profiler, check the SMART status on the drive.  I'm not sure how to run AHT on it, that usually only came with the original discs.


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## Menelkir (Jun 1, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> Hmm, what if I unpack the ISO ands append to it by way of copying and then DD the whole folder t a menium?



Or maybe installing a tiny linux (arch linux is easy to do this) with refind into a pendrive with some tools (refind, network, etc) so you can boot this pendrive (since it'll have the proper refind_x32 at ESP partition) and then copy this ESP folder into the mini hard drive and install refind with efibootmgr. 
That should work but you'll end up having to set up your partitions manually to install freebsd, but hey, it'll work.


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## Butterfly (Jun 1, 2020)

Menelkir said:


> but you'll end up having to set up your partitions manually to install freebsd, but hey, it'll work.


...the FreeBSD way...read:"consolework" (flexing my fingers as I drool at the very thouhght)...neat!


msplsh said:


> Run system profiler, check the SMART status on the drive.


I could/should do that...after all, it's totally atypical how this thing behaves. Basically nothing sticks to it...if it were a pan, it'd be a perfect Tefal pan


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