RE: FW: grub-efi with latest mac mini

[John Frankish]

> > > >>> -----Original Message-----
> > > >>> From: address@hidden
> > > >>> [mailto:grub-devel-
> > > >>> address@hidden On Behalf Of Vladimir 'f-
> > > >>> coder/phcoder' Serbinenko
> > > >>> Sent: Monday, 11 June, 2012 01:39
> > > >>> To: address@hidden
> > > >>> Subject: Re: FW: grub-efi with latest mac mini
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Can you give as exact reference about your mac?
> > > >>>
> > > >>> --
> > > >>> Regards
> > > >>> Vladimir 'φ-coder/phcoder' Serbinenko
> > > >>
> > > >> From dmesg:
> > > >>
> > > >> DMI 2.4 present.
> > > >> DMI: Apple Inc. Macmini5,3/Mac-7BA5B2794B2CDB12, BIOS
> > > >> MM51.88Z.0075.B00.1106271442 06/27/2011 Mac mini server - quad-
> > core
> > > >> i7 - 8gb ram - single 250gb ssd
> > > >
> > > > For some reason, I don't seem to be able to leave this alone...
> > > >
> > > > Some more testing:
> > > >
> > > > 1. I can boot from a usb stick on a dell latitude e6220 using uefi
> > > > without problems. If I take the same usb stick and try to boot on
> > > > the mac
> > > mini using efi from power-on <alt gr>, it boots to X, but the usb
> > > keyboard/mouse do not work.
> > > >
> > > > 2. Using the same version of grub2.00~beta6, installed in the same
> > > > way, on the first (gpt) partition of the mac mini hd (ssd), it
> > > > appears to start
> > > booting, but the screen remains blank.
> > > >
> > > > 3. With both usb stick/hd (ssd) boot on the mac mini, the grub-efi
> > > command line works and the following switches video mode:
> > > >
> > > > insmod font
> > > > loadfont unicode
> > > > insmod efi_gop
> > > > insmod gfxterm
> > > > set gfxterm=auto
> > > > terminal_output gfxterm
> > > >
> > > > With the usb stick boot, nothing is echoed to the screen after
> > > > boot from the grub prompt until the kernel kmode driver loads,
> > > > with the hd
> > > (ssd) boot nothing is echoed to the screen at all.
> > > >
> > > > What I have difficulty understanding is that the usb stick boot
> > > > fails in one way and the hd (ssd) boot fails in a different way on
> > > > the same machine. Note that grub.cgf was copied from the usb stick
> > > > to the hd
> > > > (ssd) and the only change made was the location of the
> > > > kernel/initrd
> > > > -
> > > > (hd2,gpt2) -> (hd1,gpt4)
> > > >
> > > > Any ideas?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Did you modify the UUIDs in grub.cfg?
> > >
> > Sorry, but what do you mean by that - I've tried referencing the usb
> > stick UUID in the kernel boot line on the usb stick, (it didn't change
> > anything) but not on the hd (ssd) boot.
> >
> > ..Perhaps you mean something else?
> 
> Ah - I presume you meant something like this:
> 
> search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root e94de7a3-149b-4554-bc02-
> 6129467534a9
> 
> menuentry "core" {
>   linux /boot/vmlinuz quiet noswap
>   initrd /boot/core.gz
> }
> 
> ..where the uuid refers to the 2nd, ext2, partition on the usb stick.
> 
> This makes the usb stick "portable" between dell laptop and mac mini, but
> doesn't solve the problem of the mac mini not booting

As I could boot without problems from a usb stick on a dell laptop in uefi boot 
mode,
I hadn't thought of recompiling the kernel.

Recompiling the 3.0.21 kernel with:

CONFIG_EFI=y
CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
CONFIG_EFI_VARS=y
CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y

..the mac mini will now boot from hd and usb stick in efi boot mode.

Thanks for the help and pointers.