On Tue, 16 Feb 1999, International Man of Mystery wrote:

>On Tue, 16 Feb 1999, Allan Kelly wrote:
>
>> Hi, I've been using my Sun 3/60 dual-headed (mono w. salvaged cgfour
>> retro-fitted) and booting from Linux using Xkernel. I'm very
>> interested in NetBSD, and so I was delighted to see that a NetBSD
>> Xkernel has been assembled. Luckily I was familiar with the procedure,
>> as there's no instructions! I've got (I believe) to the same point as
>> Wil, but unfortunately I don't understand your solution. I'd _really_
>> appreciate some hand-holding here!
>
>I had problems when I tried to use Xkernel, but then again, that might
>have been because I didn't understand how the booting process worked. I've
>been intending to put together an updated Xkernel using binaries from the
>latest release, but haven't gotten around to it.

Me too. But I've had this running very well with Sun binaries.

>
>> netboot loads via tftp, netbsd loads and boots. At this stage I have
>> messages in /var/log/messages telling me that the root directory has
>> been mounted by the Sun, but the Sun says (repeatedly) RPC timeout for
>> server 0x81d7461a which is indeed my server's IP. So, following from
>> Wil's lead I try tcpdump, as follows: (The Sun 3/60 is
>> dunbar.ucs.ed.ac.uk, the Linux box is lammermuir)
>
>Do you have bootparamd running and configured (according to the
>Netboot-HOWTO) on lammermuir?  What does the config file look like?

Um, I don't have the Netboot-HOWTO. All I have of NetBSD is the Xkernel package
+ netboot binary. Certainly, bootparam works on initial system startup, but
appears to be consulted again, in order that the kernel can mount the
filesystem. So we have:
- bootparamd consulted (by netboot) for instructions to 'fetch' netbsd
- netbsd boots + bootparamd again consulted for instructions to mount the root
  filesystem.

The Sun says
server path: /usr/export/root/Xkernel.sun3/
Just before fetching + booting netbsd and just before the infinite loop is
entered, it says
root on lammermuir:/usr/export/root/Xkernel.sun3/

so, bootparamd is working (?). /etc/bootparams says:
dunbar root=lammermuir:/usr/export/root/Xkernel.sun3/

So, AFAI can tell, the issue is "what is the difference between how netboot and
netbsd 'deal with' NFS ?"

Is there (was there ever!) any docs on exactly what the Sun netboot process is
doing/expecting? Which NetBSD docs should I read (evidently the Netboot-HOWTO is
the first)? I'm particularly interested in the nasty details of the process, in
for a penny in for a pound etc...

Thanks again, al.