From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Dec 14 15:07:14 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 89B8916A421 for ; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:07:14 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from freebsd-questions@m.gmane.org) Received: from ciao.gmane.org (main.gmane.org [80.91.229.2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1207513C468 for ; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:07:13 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from freebsd-questions@m.gmane.org) Received: from list by ciao.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.43) id 1J3C12-0000uJ-H6 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:59:52 +0000 Received: from feistyd.lsw.okstate.edu ([139.78.110.83]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:59:52 +0000 Received: from joines by feistyd.lsw.okstate.edu with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:59:52 +0000 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org From: Jason Joines Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:49:10 -0600 Lines: 61 Message-ID: References: <18272.27362.622233.540876@almost.alerce.com> <476259C2.4020502@evotex.ch> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: feistyd.lsw.okstate.edu User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.6 (X11/20070728) In-Reply-To: <476259C2.4020502@evotex.ch> Sender: news Subject: Re: will freebsd run on apple intel xserve X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:07:14 -0000 Gabriel Rossetti wrote: > George Hartzell wrote: >> Jason Joines writes: >> > I'm a Linux guy who has inherited some apple xserve boxes. >> > Surprisingly I've discovered that I really hate os x. For the intel >> > xserve boxes, Linux isn't an option. The CPUs are amd64 architecture. >> > AMD64....on an Intel X-Serve box? I think you got it wrong there....... > Anyways, EFI support for Xeon CPUs should work without a problem, even > for linux. > I'm not sure about EFI support, I think it's fine in CURRENT, from what > I've read on the net. > > Good luck, > Gabriel >> > The EFI capable Linux bootloader, has had beta support for amd64 since >> > July. However, the Linux kernel just got support to boot via EFI and >> > amd64 in a release candidate patch this month. It'll probably be quite >> > a while before a distribution has an installer with what I need. >> > >> > At any rate, I've always wanted to try one of the BSDs. Will >> > FreeBSD install on an apple intel xserve? If not does anyone know if >> > another BSD or some other open source NIX will work? >> >> I can't give you a direct answer, but I was running 6-STABLE on an >> 8-way mac pro up until a couple of weeks ago (I had to give it back to >> it's owners and I'm waiting until after the next wwdc to buy my >> own...). >> >> I used bootcamp to partition a spare disk, then just booted from a >> freebsd cd and installed onto that partition. I ended up using refit >> as a boot doohickey (initially from an refit cd, eventually taking a >> chance on installing it onto the disk itself). >> >> There wasn't anything too surprising. >> >> g. Nope, it is the AMD64 architecture on apple intel xserve. Intel cloned it and called it Intel 64 and EM64T among other names. More vendor neutral names are x86-64 and x64. At any rate, many Linux distributions, and FreeBSD, release a version they call amd64 that runs on CPUs with this instruction set regardless of whether AMD or Intel created it. EFI support may be fine for amd64 xeon's but the elilo boot loader wouldn't work with amd64 until the latest beta. Even though the boot loader became capable in that beta, the Linux kernel wouldn't work with elilo on amd64 until 2.6.24-rc4. It may be fine with x86 xeons and it has always worked with ia64, just not amd64. I just don't know enough about FreeBSD to know if it or the bootloader(s) it uses have any of the same issues Linux does or not. Hopefully I'll get to go onsite soon and give it a try. Jason ===========