linux-kernel - QEMU limitations, was Re: [PATCH v4] powerpc: Use shared font data

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Message-ID: <492c13c9-666c-9578-6c66-0eb8fefc93dc@linux-m68k.org>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2025 15:13:09 +1100 (AEDT)
From: Finn Thain <fthain@...ux-m68k.org>
To: "Dr. David Alan Gilbert" <linux@...blig.org>
cc: Stan Johnson <userm57@...oo.com>, mpe@...erman.id.au, npiggin@...il.com, 
    christophe.leroy@...roup.eu, sam@...nborg.org, benh@...nel.crashing.org, 
    linuxppc-dev@...ts.ozlabs.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, 
    rdunlap@...radead.org, Cedar Maxwell <cedarmaxwell@....com>
Subject: QEMU limitations, was Re: [PATCH v4] powerpc: Use shared font data

On Mon, 3 Nov 2025, Finn Thain wrote:

> > OK, remember I don't think I've ever tried PPC via MacOS booting, so 
> > not familiar with it.
> > 
> 
> I will try to set up a MacOS guest in QEMU, to see if the hang can be 
> reproduced that way.
> 

QEMU appears to be incompatible with the Old World ROM from the Beige G3. 
'qemu-system-ppc -M g3beige -bios 78F57389.ROM -serial stdio' drops into a 
ROM diagnostic menu and won't boot.

I did get 'qemu-system-ppc -M mac99 ...' to boot into MacOS 9, by using 
OpenBIOS instead of Apple firmware. Unforunately, BootX is not compatible 
with this configuration, so it won't help.

BootX is compatible with beige powermacs, but 'qemu-system-ppc -M g3beige' 
with OpenBIOS fails to boot MacOS 9 ("MacOS: unable to find an interrupt 
controller node").

OpenBIOS wouldn't boot a MacOS 8.1 CD-ROM either, but for different 
reasons: both mac99 and g3beige failed with "No valid state has been set 
by load or init-program".