NetBoot for Mac OS 9

[Protools5LEGuy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetBoot

NetBoot is a technology from Apple which enables Macs with capable firmware (i.e. New World ROM) to boot from a network, rather than a local hard disk or optical disc drive. NetBoot is a derived work from the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP), and is similar in concept to the Preboot Execution Environment. The technology was first announced as a part of the original version of Mac OS X Server at Macworld Expo on 5 January 1999.[1] NetBoot has continued to be a core systems management technology for Apple,[2] and has been adapted to support modern Mac Intel machines. NetBoot, along with USB, FireWire, are some of the external volume options for Mac OS re-install.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1192

http://support.apple.com/downloads/DL1192/en_US/NetBoot9.dmg

The NetBoot client image contains a default user that allows you to get to the finder when a Macintosh Manager Sever can't be found.

The default user name is NBUser with the password netboot.

BootMania is now freeware


http://vivapowerpc.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/bootmania-is-now-freeware.html

Every NewWorld PowerMac, PowerBook, iMac and iBook can boot from a boot server over local network, you just have to press the "N" key during startup. Unfortunately the boot server is included just in the Mac OS X Server, which is probably not the most widespread version of this system. BootMania from Beanz can make boot server from any ordinary Mac with ordinary OS X. You can boot various Linux or BSD installation media, downloaded as a image from the Internet, OS X installation media or even a working Mac OS X.

https://www.blogger.com/profile/09207881020533075721 venividivici24 says in comments:

Ok guys, this is how you license it. Obviously, download the BootMania v1.3.2.dmg and the BMLicenseFileMaker.zip off the website. Make a folder called "BootMania", or something similar, on your desktop. Copy the files from the DMG into that folder. Then, copy the BMLicenseFileMaker.zip to the BootMania folder and extract the zip.

Now for the fun part. Open a terminal, type in, without quotes, "cd ~/Desktop/BootMania"

"./BMLicenseFileMaker 003065E79AFE"
"
"mv BootMania_003065E79AFE.bzl BootMania.bzl"

Now, open BootMania, and there should be a button somewhere in the windows that says "License" or something similar. (It's been a while since I've done this) Click on it and select the BootMania.bzl and it should activate.
Finally, move the BootMania folder to "Applications" if you want to.

I hope this helped you all

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Regular-Mac-a-NetBoot-Server!/?ALLSTEPS

http://blog.steventroughtonsmith.com/post/83876050886/netboot-powerpc-intel-macs-from-mavericks-server

Folks, how do you netboot OS9? 

[devils_advisor]

Done that with my xserve but osx 10.5 is a bitch so i stick with 10.4 on the server. If network is to crowded you feel the impact in performance  right away.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Some updated links

https://web.archive.org/web/20070609132607/http://www.macgeekery.com/hacks/hardware/make_any_mac_a_netboot_server

https://web.archive.org/web/20070609102336/http://www.bombich.com/mactips/netboot.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20080706145146/http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/Articles/BootProcess.html

NetBoot for Mac OS 9: Information and Download https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1192?locale=es_ES

[Dogcow]

Olddddddd post, I know
What is the maximum Server OS that will serve up this OS 9 netboot image?
I'm only familiar with netboot images that are .nbi and not .dmg
Been running a netboot server that serves up 10.7-10.13 for a long time (host is High Sierra), will this be able to do anything with this OS9 image?
Cheers!

[IIO]

indestructables tutorial backup

free bootmania app anyone?

[V2EX]

Today I have successfully netboot an iMac G3 5521 with pure software running on a M1 Studio. Here are my steps:

1. Install Mac OS X 10.4 Server in UTM (a graphical interface of qemu) with this install image:

https://archive.org/details/0Z691-5228-A

2. Download this NetBoot9.dmg from Apple:

http://support.apple.com/downloads/DL1192/en_US/NetBoot9.dmg

3. Inside the emulated Mac OS X 10.4 Server, run the installer in NetBoot9.dmg, then NetBoot OS 9 will become available in Server Admin / NetBoot. In NetBoot settings, you can set MacOS92Default as the default image.

4. Start AFP and NetBoot services on the OS X Server.

5. Press N when starting iMac G3. According to the documentation, tray-loading models may also need the DHCP server running on the OS X Server, but I do not have one to test that now. For newer models, AFP+NetBoot seems enough.

[V.Yakob]

I found a cheat sheet on how to set up NetBoot for Mac OS 9 on OS X Server 10.5.
I started a virtual machine with OS X Server 10.5 (Intel) in Parallels and tested it. And it works!

[DieHard]

Hey V2EX,

I'm feeling a little lazy... is your QEMU image too large to throw up on a Google drive and share it ?

Would be a time saver

[V2EX]

Hi DieHard,

You can download the installed QEMU image here:

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/bafybeig2g3pxfwzgpoc624jtf4qmt7tsuqkalbzykgcqkou47kgg6fbgde/

If you have UTM, you can simply import it.

Enter the system with:

Username: admin
Password: password

[IIO]

link expired
https://web.archive.org/web/20191011144627/http://vivapowerpc.blogspot.com/2013/09/bootmania-is-now-freeware.html

[V.Yakob]

NetBoot for Mac OS 9 on OS X Server 10.5.

Today I tested it on Power Macintosh G3 Blue & White to test of Netboot ver. 1 -- it works. Yesterday, tests were performed on Power Mac G4 MDD Netboot ver. 2.

Booting NetInstall OS X 10.4

Code: [Select]

Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: BSDP INFORM [en0] 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac1,1
Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot: [1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e] BSDP ACK[LIST] sent 192.168.53.12 pktsize 338
Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: DHCP INFORM [en0]: 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e
Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: reply ciaddr 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: ACK sent NetBoot002 192.168.53.12 pktsize 300
Jan  5 12:36:08 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.002141 seconds
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: BSDP INFORM [en0] 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac1,1
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetInstall Mac OS 10.4 (PPC).nbi/booter
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot: [1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e] BSDP ACK[SELECT] sent 192.168.53.12 pktsize 376
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: DHCP INFORM [en0]: 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: reply ciaddr 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: ACK sent NetBoot002 192.168.53.12 pktsize 300
Jan  5 12:36:09 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.002413 seconds
Jan  5 12:36:32 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot[BOOTP]: [en0] 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e NetBoot002
Jan  5 12:36:32 192 bootpd[233]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetInstall Mac OS 10.4 (PPC).nbi/booter
Jan  5 12:36:32 192 bootpd[233]: replying to 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:36:32 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot[BOOTP]: reply sent 192.168.53.12 pktsize 401
Jan  5 12:36:32 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.002623 seconds
Jan  5 12:38:13 192 bootpd[233]: DHCP REQUEST [en0]: 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e
Jan  5 12:38:13 192 bootpd[233]: replying to 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:38:13 192 bootpd[233]: ACK sent NetBoot002 192.168.53.12 pktsize 304
Jan  5 12:38:13 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.002572 seconds

Booting NetBoot Mac OS 9.2.2

Code: [Select]

Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: BSDP INFORM [en0] 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac1,1
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBoot Mac OS 9.2.2.nbi/Mac OS ROM
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot: [1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e] BSDP ACK[SELECT] sent 192.168.53.12 pktsize 486
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: DHCP INFORM [en0]: 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: reply ciaddr 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: ACK sent NetBoot002 192.168.53.12 pktsize 300
Jan  5 12:41:45 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.152813 seconds
Jan  5 12:42:08 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot[BOOTP]: [en0] 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e NetBoot002
Jan  5 12:42:08 192 bootpd[233]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBoot Mac OS 9.2.2.nbi/Mac OS ROM
Jan  5 12:42:08 192 bootpd[233]: replying to 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:42:08 192 bootpd[233]: NetBoot[BOOTP]: reply sent 192.168.53.12 pktsize 509
Jan  5 12:42:08 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.129719 seconds
Jan  5 12:43:37 192 bootpd[233]: DHCP REQUEST [en0]: 1,0:50:e4:30:b7:3e <NetBoot002>
Jan  5 12:43:37 192 bootpd[233]: dhcpd: 192.168.53.12 lease extended to INIT/REBOOT client
Jan  5 12:43:37 192 bootpd[233]: replying to 192.168.53.12
Jan  5 12:43:37 192 bootpd[233]: ACK sent NetBoot002 192.168.53.12 pktsize 304
Jan  5 12:43:37 192 bootpd[233]: service time 0.001727 seconds

I'm happy, I've wanted to try it for a long time.

P.S. I wonder if it will be possible to adapt the Mac OS 9.2.2 community image to run over the NetBoot?

[DieHard]

P.S. I wonder if it will be possible to adapt the Mac OS 9.2.2 community image to run over the NetBoot?

Lol, that was exactly what I was going to try if time ever permits

[IIO]

which choices for "macmini" and "unsupported"

[V.Yakob]

I tried to do it myself, but my skills and knowledge are not enough. Nothing worked out.

[vad12]

@V.Yakob, glad to see you are still around and you've gotten your Mac OS 9 to boot up!

And it looks like we've been working on similar things this month! I've succeeded to netboot Mac OS 9.2.2 with the help of Netatalk and my Mikrotik router, after going through a handful of BSDP and original BOOTP tutorials I found in the WayBack Machine. All of them had extra steps and settings I did not need after all, so I trimmed those away yesterday, and now the setup doesn't look too overly complicated.

Now, there are still 2 more things I have not yet figured out.

1) I'm not doing full BSDP handshakes between the Mac and the router, so I wonder if I can get multiple OS choices in the bootpicker if I do this. I read about the netboot versions and am not fully sure whether my PowerMac is on version 1.0 or 2.0. From what I gathered, only Netboot 2.0 can do this.

2) How to make changes persist outside Application HD . I tried changing some system settings and dragging a PDF into NetBoot HD, but all those changes and the file went away after rebooting. I have a shadow image that some netbooting documents talked about, and I can tell that changes have been happening inside it. I even saw what might be the resource fork for the PDF I dragged in, but the icon for the PDF doesn't show. I'm not too sure yet whether that Macintosh Manager in X Server has anything to do with this.

Because of these 2, I might have to try setting up a Server 10.5 hackintosh on VMWare, and figure out how the machines are talking then, and then try to recreate the process with my router and Linux box.

Regardless, I think it's so cool I can do this now. I've been eager to try out Mac OS and some software in the other languages, and I think the netbooting method is a nice way to do this without messing with my SSD.

[joeykork]

it looks like Apple finally killed their download page for the OS9 Netboot image.

archive link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201025052424/http://support.apple.com/downloads/DL1192/en_US/NetBoot9.dmg