The Forgetful CPU (Linux on M4)
A developer documents the technical challenges of porting the Asahi Linux project to the Apple M4 Mac mini. The post details the hurdles introduced by the new Secure Page Table Monitor (SPTM) and the debugging process required to resolve early-stage boot crashes.
Why it matters
This work represents a critical step in maintaining open-source hardware support for Apple Silicon, ensuring that Linux remains a viable alternative operating system on the latest high-performance hardware.
This blog post goes into quite some detail about how I first booted Linux on my M4 Mac mini. I encourage you to look up terms and concepts you don’t know, since I cannot explain all the background in this post ;)
Before saying anything further, I need to thank the entire Asahi Linux team for all their prior work and help during the journey. Please consider donating to the Asahi Open Collective if you want to see more mainline Linux on Apple Silicon work!
In November 2024, I bought an M4 Mac mini, gambling that it would be similar to the M1-M3 Apple Silicon machines and could be quickly supported in Asahi Linux. While the M4 was sitting on my desk for several months, more details started surfacing about this SoC.
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