The 1996 Apple Network Server was designed to run Harpoon, Apple’s AIX-based Unix system, although prototype hardware had also demonstrated Mac OS. A recovered preproduction ROM makes it possible to boot both AIX and Mac OS on production servers. Unlike a later Mac OS ROM, it supports the L2 cache and AIX, but initially lacks working onboard video and MACE Ethernet and can fail to restart correctly. The project described here uses software extensions to address those Mac OS limitations, bringing onboard video and Ethernet into service and allowing reliable restarts while retaining the option to boot AIX.
The account also explains the hardware and software needed to try the setup: a replica of the 1.1.20.1 preproduction ROM, an external SCSI disk such as a BlueSCSI with Mac OS installed, and, if necessary, a compatible PCI video card or Ethernet card. Mac OS versions through 9.1 can boot directly, with 8.1 or later recommended. The technical background traces how PCI-era Power Macs used the Name Registry and native PowerPC drivers, a driver model derived from Copland and distinct from classic Mac OS extensions and 68K drivers. This framework matters because the fixes rely on the system’s native-driver mechanisms to support the server’s devices early in the boot process.
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A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report includes the clearest image yet of China’s reusable Shenlong space plane, captured by Maxar in 2024. The underside view shows rear-facing solar panel arrays, while details about the craft and its mission remain scarce. (popsci.com)
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency confirmed that China operates a secret spaceplane with a design resembling the U.S. X-37B. The confirmation highlights China’s expanding military space capabilities. (twz.com)
Ukraine is equipping ground robots with grenade launchers to attack Russian positions while keeping soldiers out of dangerous drone-saturated areas. The robots extend firepower in close combat as drones and machines take on more battlefield missions. (businessinsider.com)
BYD’s second-generation Seagull, priced around $9,900 in China, includes a system designed to stabilize the car during a tire blowout at speeds up to 140 km/h. A demonstration showed the electric hatch staying under control after a tire burst at nearly 87 mph. (electrek.co)
Device-tree files point to a Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W with a Pi 4-class BCM2711 chip and a new Pi 4 Model A. Raspberry Pi has not officially announced either board, and details such as clock speeds remain unknown. (bret.dk)
Ukraine’s Himera and Denmark’s GomSpace launched Obria Nano, a test satellite for a future Ukrainian military communications network, aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. The satellite is undergoing tests, with plans for a network providing coverage across Ukraine and reducing reliance on foreign systems. (pravda.com.ua)
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