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I have installed (and reinstalled multiple times) Ubuntu Server 14.10 on a Mac Mini 6,2 (late 2012).

The install media is a USB drive. The computer is connected to the internet through ethernet cable. There is nothing substantial to report from the installation[1].

After finishing the installation and rebooting I am presented with the blinking image of a folder with a question mark. I can use the same USB drive and go into recovery mode.

Using a different USB drive I have created a rEFInd drive. If I leave this USB drive connected to the computer it will automatically boot to grub and then load Ubuntu. Yet having the computer depend on this external USB drive is less than ideal.

I have attempted to use gptsync to fix the issue as I remember that this solved the problem on a different mac I also own(MacBook 4,1 - early 2008).

$ sudo gptsync /dev/sda

Current GPT partition table:
 #      Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1           2048      1050623  Unknown
 2        1050624   1920161791  Unknown
 3     1920161792   1953523711  Linux Swap

Current MBR partition table:
 # A    Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1              1         2047  ee  EFI Protective
 2           2048      1050623  83  Linux
 3 *      1050624   1920161791  83  Linux
 4     1920161792   1953523711  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Status: GPT partition of type 'Unknown' found, will not touch this disk.

Other encantations I have attempted:

  • sudo grub-install /dev/sda - after reboot, goes back to flashing folder with question mark
  • sudo grub-macbless /dev/sda - flashing folder with question mark
  • sudo update-grub - same folder as before

For now I am only able to boot the computer if the rEFInd USB drive is connected.


[1] the keyboard detection fails to automatically recognize the keyboard. I am sure of this as I retried multiple times.

2 Answers 2

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The system is unbootable because the Mac bootloader expects the EFI partition to be formatted as HFS+, the typical Mac filesystem, while the Ubuntu installer actually formats it as VFAT.

Refer to my earlier answer for detailed steps to install Ubuntu properly on a Mac.

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As you may have noticed from the list of "encantations" I attempted I do not know what I am doing.

The fact that the rEFInd drive was able to boot and then load Ubuntu tipped me to think that rEFInd had something right that Grub/Ubuntu did not, yet GRUB/Ubuntu was not so messed up as not being usable. So I insisted on trying to fix the issue by tweaking the parameters for EFI/GPT/MBR/etc.

At some point yesterday while seeking answers I came across a #! (CrunchBang) forum discussion(http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=21510). And reading through it I found what looked to be another lead.

efibootmgr

$ sudo efibootmgr
BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 5 seconds
show_boot_order(): No such file or directory
Boot0000* ubuntu
Boot0080* Mac OS X
Boot0081* Mac OS X
BootFFFF* 

On the above paste the BootCurrent line might not match what I actually had originally, that is long lost as my terminal buffer is too small.

Somewhat afraid I'd mess the system and have to reinstall one more time I first tested with the -n flag for boot next. and set it to the ubuntu value of 0000 (this may be different on other systems). Rebooted the system without the rEFInd drive connected and the computer booted into Ubuntu.

Now that I had some clue of what was happening and how to fix it I went back to the terminal and set the boot order straight. And after a few attempts this is what I got.

$ sudo efibootmgr -o 0000,0080,0081,FFFF
BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 5 seconds
BootOrder: 0000,0080,0081,FFFF
Boot0000* ubuntu
Boot0080* Mac OS X
Boot0081* Mac OS X
BootFFFF* 

I now have a working system with Ubuntu 14.10 running on a Mac Mini.

Now that your system is running you might want to look into making it better, starting with this question: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/111227/how-to-transform-an-apple-mac-mini-intro-a-reliable-ubuntu-server The bit about getting the fans to work is rather important.


A note for future readers: Please try and document as much as possible of the steps you try and what solutions work and don't work for you. Our testimonies may be of use for our future selves and others.

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