Installing FreeBSD 13.0 ppc64le in KVM on POWER9

bloudraak

bloudraak

I'm trying to install FreeBSD 13.0 ppc64le in KVM running on POWER9. Currently, it's failing with the following:

Code: 
Running: virsh --connect qemu:///system console freebsd13-ppc64le-01
Connected to domain freebsd13-ppc64le-01
Escape character is ^]
Populating /vdevice methods
Populating /vdevice/vty@30000000
Populating /vdevice/nvram@71000000
Populating /pci@800000020000000
                     00 0800 (D) : 1af4 1000    virtio [ net ]
                     00 1000 (D) : 1b36 000d    serial bus [ usb-xhci ]
                     00 1800 (D) : 1af4 1004    virtio [ scsi ]
Populating /pci@800000020000000/scsi@3
       SCSI: Looking for devices
          100000000000000 CD-ROM   : "QEMU     QEMU CD-ROM      2.5+"
                     00 2000 (D) : 1af4 1003    virtio [ serial ]
                     00 2800 (D) : 1af4 1001    virtio [ block ]
                     00 3000 (D) : 1af4 1002    legacy-device*
No NVRAM common partition, re-initializing...
Scanning USB
  XHCI: Initializing
Using default console: /vdevice/vty@30000000
   
  Welcome to Open Firmware

  Copyright (c) 2004, 2017 IBM Corporation All rights reserved.
  This program and the accompanying materials are made available
  under the terms of the BSD License available at
  http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php


Trying to load:  from: /pci@800000020000000/scsi@3/disk@100000000000000 ...   Successfully loaded
Consoles: Open Firmware console

FreeBSD/powerpc64le Open Firmware loader, Revision 0.1
Memory: 262144KB
Booted from: /pci@800000020000000/scsi@3/disk@100000000000000

Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
don't know how to load module '/boot/kernel/kernel'

can't load 'kernel'

Type '?' for a list of commands, 'help' for more detailed help.[/ICODE]

Here's the command I ran to create the virtual machine:

Code: 
virt-install \
    --name freebsd13-ppc64le-01 \
    --memory 2048 \
    --virt-type=kvm \
    --disk pool=default,size=64,format=qcow2 \
    --vcpus=1 \
    --network network=br0 \
    --os-variant freebsd13.0 \
    --graphics none \
    --cdrom /var/lib/libvirt/boot/FreeBSD-13.0-RELEASE-powerpc-powerpc64le-dvd1.iso \
    --debug \
    --force

Configuration
  • Talos II (POWER9)
  • Ubuntu Server 20.04 ppc64le
  • KVM
As a side note, I've been able to install powerpc64 in the same environment without any issue.

I've never really run into issues installing FreeBSD before and would appreciate some guidance as to getting it booting. This would allow me to use that configuration in my lab to build and test software.
 
Hi, I stumbled upon this while compiling notes for submitting about a similar boot bug with FreeBSD/Power8/Debian Bullseye

I have been trying for weeks to make a FreeBSD vm run on Power8 with originally PowerKVM from IBM and later a Debian from scratch build up on a ZFS root.

Today was the first time I managed to get an installed image to boot from a virtual hard drive ( for a long time it's seemed that booting from cdrom worked, but you couldn't reboot into the installed image due to bootloader issues )

https://download.freebsd.org/ftp/snapshots/powerpc/powerpc64/ISO-IMAGES/14.0/

I downloaded: https://download.freebsd.org/ftp/sn...werpc64-20211202-610d908f8a6-251253-disc1.iso

I used an MBR partition layout as I believe GPT is still failing, everything else seems to be working
 
Thanks, 13-STABLE installed fine. Is there an ETA when it will make it to the RELEASE? Only asking because I have no clue how to "patch" the existing system.
 
most likely in 13.1 which will come probably next summer
but you can update via source or just pull the loader and boot code
 
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