(forked from original code exported from Google Code)
This bootloader works by embedding a Linux kernel/initrd into "mach kernel" that boot.efi loads. Right now it's very simplistic and will boot to login prompt. user = root, password = root.
parted is present as well as hfsplus tools for creating gpt partitions and formating them as ext2/3 and hfs/hfsplus. Also present is kexec to bootload another kernel. Typical usage is:
kexec --load vmlinuz --initrd=initrd.gz --command-line="root=/dev/sdb2 video=vesafb"
kexec -e
atv-bootloader does not require an efi enabled kernel nor the patched imac_fb framebuffer, only a vesafb is required for console output. Boot params are set in com.apple.Boot.plist.
There are some special switches:
- If
"video=imac_fb"is detected, atv-bootloader will assume a patched imac_fb is present. "video=efifb"assumes the 2.6.24 efifb frame buffer driver is present."video=vesafb"assumes the vesafb frame buffer.
Of special note, some installers are doing funny things like assuming a video bios (it's hiding in the AppleTV), these will hang and do bad things. So you might have to perform the actual Linux install on a doner box. Or if you only have Windows, burn a Linux LiveCD and boot your Windows box from that.
Make a recovery partition. 25MB in size is plenty. Copy boot.efi, mach_kernel and the contents of recovery.tar.gz into it. sync, unmount, stick it in the AppleTV, reboot (might need to hold IR remote "menu" and "-" buttons down. This should boot to a Linux login prompt. See LinuxUSBPenBoot for more complete instructions.
The first thing I did after forking this was dockerize the build environment for reproducable builds. It pulls the toolchain from The Internet Archive and installs it. The Makefile should Just Work™, producing a mach_kernel correctly.
I have not looked into how to build the kernel that it loads, but it seems pretty straight forward.
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Make a Linux based patchstick. Linux permissions and user IDs are similar to darwin. So you could create a bash stript that copies sshd into the AppleTV. Linux run the bash script but it moves and mods darwin stuff.
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Make a kexec bootloader. Make the recovery bits like normal, add a script at the end of "s/etc/init.d/rcS" that mounts your root partition and kexec into it.
- Special thanks to the original devleoper:
davilla - Special thanks to "Edgar (gimli) Hucek" for the 1st boot and original code (mach_linux_boot) and James McKenzie of Mythic-Beasts for mb_boot_tv.