Hands-on testing of the unreleased Apple Network Server 2.0 Mac OS ROM on a real ANS 700, using replica ROM SIMMs built by a community member.
Key Takeaways
The 2.0 ROM adds native drivers for the ANS-specific Cirrus Logic 54M30 graphics and dual Symbios 53C825A Wide SCSI controllers, enabling internal-drive Mac OS boot without PCI add-ins.
The ROM is visibly unfinished: the scsi-int device alias points to a nonexistent MESH path, AIX boot crashes the machine, the front LCD stays blank, and RAM parity is never marked.
Open Firmware version jumps to 2.0, bringing a color Happy Mac icon, a faster POST sequence, an io word for serial console redirection, and 57600bps serial by default.
The preproduction 1.1.20 ROM has a more complete device tree with named disk0-disk6 aliases, working AIX boot, LCD diagnostics, and correct parity RAM timing for the 604e.
Mac OS 9.1 boots cleanly from the internal CD and MACE Ethernet worked unexpectedly once the external SCSI and PCI video card were removed.
