Im still hoping that at least one of R-Drive image clone or Carbo Copy are working fine and problem is elsewhere..

darry wrote on 2021-07-22, 18:05:

ruthan wrote on 2021-07-22, 17:18:

Too many variables, if would be sure that SSD is compatible i can try to experiment with other cloning software..
I found other small SSD WD Green SSD 120GB WDS120G2G0A - its using some silicon motion controller..

If you want to know if your SSD is compatible, why not do a temporary clean install on MacOS onto it just to test it first ?

I second this too! This helps you to know what your SSDs are compatible before attempting to clone existing OS install later on.

Cheers,

Ok, ok.. i tried new install, but result is as expected with Intel 530 disc, Disc utility doesnt see disk at all.. so it couldnt be installed. So i guess that is good test, without any data change.. I have Intel 320 SSD, but it has quite unique setup (Dos, Wind98x,WinXp + Dos data)for my test bench.. so i cant simply use it, replace it.. and copy that setup on other disk, was complicated in the past.. but i can try check ifdisk utility would see Intel 320 SSD.. it would be good test, but such disk is really somehow different..

Intel 320 SSD is visible by Disk utility, so it would be right one.

That WD Green is visible too, i will try to install clean OS on it later..

I have other theory, maybe its not about controllers, but about disk size, so far.. both 120 GB SSDs are visible, both 240 GB are not.. Some 240GB disk are reported as working, but threads are about G5 Macs, are lots of them, maybe iMacs have some other rules..

WD Green new install is booting, so this good enough.

Next i will try Carbon Copy clone of my installation and later my old R-Drive image, or same other way how to again add Linux partition.. There would be problem with R-Drive image, if im not work resize volume size its problem for it.. most of disk is freespace so there is more enough space for 160 to 120 but.. distribution of freeze space and partition resize especially HFS ones with Apple Partition Scheme could be too much for it..

Carbon copy is working too.

ruthan wrote on 2021-07-24, 10:49:

Carbon copy is working too.

Glad to read that you are making progress . The fact that you are documenting this will be helpful to others too .

I found also iPartition utility which could make some partitioning through boot cd, but im not sure.. what exactly probably at least live partition resize.,

Ok, I suggest getting Micron P300 100GB SSD. SLC ssd
Also Intel 710 series 100GB, based on intel designed controller.

Both are enterprise-grade SSD drives. And not too expensive these days.

I have tried to restore R-Drive image, its clever enough to shrink partition for small SSD, but during the process is Partition scheme change to PC one, so this is no go. So some deeper fiddling is needed.. I will try if R-drive would be able to restore at least one partition without changing Partition scheme format, otherwise i would need other tool(s).. Otherwise i checked Linux Gparted is there and its working.. its not solution for my problems, its good probably only for partition resizing without data loss on not active partitions (Linux should really make this better and que these changes to OS preboot process, without any live cds and terminal porn as all Windows tools).

R-Drive is no way, it make make Apple GUID disk backup and restore it on same disk, but if disk geometry is different, its not working.. I tried selection partition recover, but it cant recover Linux bootstrap and Linux main partition to free space, its not possible select it as target.. So it tried to create some empty target with iParitions and select them as target, i can move 1 step further, its valid target, but im getting error that target parition is too small or too big, so target partition has to have exactly same size.. so it reality is useless.. i dont want to play that partitioning game to setup exactly same partition on last digit..

So i would need some other tool to make it happens, so far i tried couple of PC partition and disk cloning utils, but that see partitions on Apple GUID disk at all, only Gparted does, but its not disk cloning utility.. There are same, but Intel based new Macs. I tried to google even CloneZilla powerpc and got very few results, i wasnt able to find some Live CloneZilla CD or something like that..

Some progress.. I was wrong about Gparted, it can copy partition- just by right click copy on source disk, switch the disk and paste. Because Linux is still stone age OS, it can copy it the on the fly, or in some preboot mod as Windows, is have to use for it Live Linux DVD - i used lubuntu-16.04-desktop-powerpc.iso it has Gparted included.

So i did it for all Linux partitions - bootstrap - 1 MB, main data Linux parition - 28 GB(5GB used) and Linux swap (1.3GB). After than is Apple Partition scheme still ok, MacOS still booting, so Gparted can to some extend edit Apple Partition Scheme SSD fine.

I was afraid that, after reboot new Linux boot options would be visible, when i press right ALT key, but it is here, so almost there.. Linux started booting, but stuck at the start, see picture some wrong bootstrap partition filesystem (Apple HFS vs. some Apple Bootstap FHS), flag.. Question is now how to fix?

iPartition boot cd, is failing too boot is getting reboots, so its not option.

Update:
I checked old and new disk with iPartition and its reports same, thing as Linux boot loader filesystem is of bootstrap is different.. So now i really need properly copy this 1MB partition..

Ok, i fixed that wrong partition type warning by add boot flag on it in Gparted.. but i this make that second error: Unknown or corrupt filesystem.

I mounted that boot partition and checked if that /boot/vmlinux files is there but it is not, so it searching in on Linux main partition, he it is.. or here is some symlink which pointing to file with same directory which exist..
But on bootstrap partition, is yast.conf files.. which classic Linux hell configuration file with hardcoded ids and some disk dev ids etc.. which needs somehow fix.

I personally dont undestand why is there parition=4 and on line under it is UUID.. which should be replacement, but its partition number (it is numbered form 0 or from 1 as starting point?) for something else.. /dev/disk/by-id is from old disk so its wrong for sure.. and i dont understand that device=/ht@.. line at all

So now i would ne some Linux guy to help with some commands to discover magic strings, which know these things more fluently, man is not made for people like me.

Otherwise i looked in Gparted there is slight difference between disk - old one has - Linux partition as sdb4.. new one as sda5.. otherwise are paritions same, it probably about creation order sda4 is now swap, on second is swap sb5.. so its replaced..

Ok, i done it, its booting.. but this text configurations hell is something why year of desktop Linux is still far from us..

First of all i dont understand why it needs so many hints (3 or4) for 1 thing - UUID should be good enough for everyone.. and why is there not some good text gui fallback, instead just type dear user write help for help command.. and some crazy commands.. something like ids is not match.. i found other Linux partition with different ids, what to try it press ESC or Enter, would be much better that terminal black screen of death.

You have to mount that bootstrap partition for write, im now on other machine, so commands maybe are exact, i refuse to remember them or rewrite them exactly from screenshots, its Linux way, bad user unfriendly way.. and i will not support it:
.. you need at start mount bootstrap volumen for read/write access
mount -rw /dev/sda5 /media/bootstap // that disc name /sda5 could be different on your system, because is Linux is not so system like \Windows.. check numbers with with Gparted (it has GUI luxury!), or sudo blkid command, or sudo fdisk -l
.. but because it is old Unix terminal hell.. you have to first create that mount point by other command too mount it, command is: mkdir /media/bootstrap // This is related to used Lubuntu 16.4 Live CD, other distro my have not /media , but some other basic mount directory.. but you can mount it as everything for example "/abomination"
.. and because you can get really unlucky and its is Linux 🙁 you may need other command for unmounting volume, which could be automounted during boot: unmount /dev/sda5 // There is also remount command to make previous steps in once, you remember syntax..
.. if want to backup this file you need do make mounting porn for other volume (ie sda4).. and use: sudo cp {source} {target} command // to make backup copy of original config
.. now you need to open that conf file.. but if do it by normal way as human through GUI... its read only and you cant change anything.. so you need to start text editor as better person:
leafpad /media/bootstrap/yaboot.conf
- make your edits (bellow).. save file and reboot..

I changed- maybe only 1 or these changes is needed:
1) partition number to partition number much sda partition with Linux sda{number} so for my case it was partition=5
-- Because Gparted is better than some other partition tools (Im looking at you Minitool), Linux partiton UUID is clonned same as from target, you can keep it.
2) end of that /dev/disk/by-id line with name of new disk and partition (its partX)
You can get these values by command like this:
sudo cd /dev/disk/by-id // to get it that virtual device pseudo directory
ls -la // to list all thing which are there.. right ones you recongnize by your SSD name..

Only small problem which i now have is how to reclaim few gbs of unused space for MacOS partition (because i made its size by guesswork).. without SSD removal and placing original disk back and resize it as secondary disk by iPartition i hope without data lost. Because there even Gparted is not able, its able to move partition, maybe shrink it, but not expand..

This is reason why a good clone utility cost money if it was for Mac due to Apple being a bastard and complicated.
Even this vintage Mac OS is very complex to create partitions and bootable by hand. This why I preferred good clone utillity that can do everything. For PC I like AOMEI backupper.

Cheers,

Just a thought, but would connecting the drive to an x86-64 machine and using Clonezilla on that x86-64 machine have been an option ?

This is reason why a good clone utility cost money if it was for Mac due to Apple being a bastard and complicated.
Even this vintage Mac OS is very complex to create partitions and bootable by hand. This why I preferred good clone utillity that can do everything. For PC I like AOMEI backupper.

That is why i own lots of commercial Pc cloning utility because of multiboot, but some of them are older version.. But for powerPC mac, they probably dont exists, for Intel base Macs are now Acronis and others, but its thing few last years.
That cloning utility would have to be pretty clever and search for yaboot config files and updatem them, as some Windows utilities are updating boot.ini and bcd files. For Linux there is Boot repair disk, which is usually working, but afaik there is not PowerPC port..

Just a thought, but would connecting the drive to an x86-64 machine and using Clonezilla on that x86-64 machine have been an option ?

Yeah maybe, i dont have best experience with it even for x86 systems, it depends if supports Apple Partition scheme at all, it would be nice, if there would be some other guinea that me.. But again i really doubt that it would be able to update yaboot config file.. and not even sure, if it could shrink or expand partitions..

One point to iPartition boot cd, when its created it ask for MacOS install disk to make image, i used 10.4 (10.3.5-10.5.8 is range for G5 Macs), maybe with some other boot disk i would work, im using 10.4 because it has Classic MacOS options, i thing that it is not working with Mac 10.5 last supported which is last for G5. Im using iPartition 3.3.1 im not sure about other versions too, it needs some research, im not big in Mac, i owned few for iOS development and now i have some Hackingtoshes for it and some MacOs gaming progress checking.. It one time, before Proton it was better user experience than Linux for me, from point of view of second best OS after Windows.. But you know its like second best in love..

BTW, I have now ClassicOS 9, but for gaming seems to be better Classic MacOS 8, so downgrade is my test project..