[Feature] Support ppc64el bootloader installation via Open Firmware (powerpc-ieee1275) and PReP partitions

Metadata

Project: imagecraft
Number: #380
Type: issue
State: open
Author: lengau
Labels: —
Created: 2026-07-21 03:45 PM UTC
Updated: 2026-07-21 03:45 PM UTC
Closed: —

Current evaluation

Adds a scoped design for booting ppc64el images with GRUB Open Firmware and PReP partitions; code still lacks ppc64el GRUB/PReP support, and the issue has no triage.

Suggested action: needs triage

Reason: The request provides exact MBR and GPT identifiers, the powerpc-ieee1275 GRUB invocation, and the raw PReP write procedure. Repository searches found ppc64el only in packaging/test fixtures, with no powerpc-ieee1275, PReP type, or ppc64el entry in the bootloader architecture specs; the absence of labels and comments means it still needs maintainer prioritization.

Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot

Impact: 55 Quick Win: 14 Complexity: 68 Confidence: 93 Actionability: 82

Issue body

### Feature Description Add support for installing bootloaders on IBM POWER 64-bit Little Endian (`ppc64el`) systems using Open Firmware (IEEE 1275) and PReP boot partitions. ### Implementation Details 1. **PReP Boot Partition**: - Ensure partition schema includes a dedicated PPC PReP Boot Partition (MBR type `0x41`, GPT GUID `9E364D55-E44C-544E-A938-35AABCF5A403` / `prep` flag, size ~8MB). 2. **Open Firmware ELF Build**: - Build Open Firmware ELF image using `grub-mkimage -d /usr/lib/grub/powerpc-ieee1275 -o /tmp/grub.elf -O powerpc-ieee1275 -p /boot/grub ...`. 3. **Raw DD Installation**: - Write `/tmp/grub.elf` raw into the PReP boot partition node (`dd if=/tmp/grub.elf of=/dev/loopXp<part_num>`).

Evaluation history

Date	Model	Scores	Action	Summary
2026-10-02 08:31 PM UTC	stealth/space-bunny-alpha	Impact: 55 Quick Win: 14 Complexity: 68 Confidence: 93 Actionability: 82	needs triage	Adds a scoped design for booting ppc64el images with GRUB Open Firmware and PReP partitions; code still lacks ppc64el GRUB/PReP support, and the issue has no triage.
2026-09-24 09:19 PM UTC	stealth/space-bunny-alpha	Impact: 52 Quick Win: 13 Complexity: 70 Confidence: 78 Actionability: 81	needs triage	Requests ppc64el Open Firmware and PReP bootloader installation support, including a prep partition, powerpc-ieee1275 GRUB ELF build, and raw image write; awaiting triage.
2026-09-05 10:15 PM UTC	qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6	Impact: 45 Quick Win: 22 Staleness: 55 Complexity: 50 Confidence: 55 Support Request: 15	needs triage	Feature request to add ppc64el bootloader support via Open Firmware and PReP partitions; no maintainer response or labels after 46 days
2026-07-21 03:53 PM UTC	qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6	Staleness: 5 Complexity: 65 Confidence: 90 Support Request: 10	needs triage	Feature request to add bootloader installation support for ppc64el systems using Open Firmware and PReP partitions. Currently unlabelled and awaiting maintainer triage.

Update history

Date	Change
2026-07-21 03:45 PM UTC	created

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