I've done a little more work on a bootblock loader and added a screen
display and input to allow alternate options.  I've also got an AmigaDOS
front-end that emulates the normal bootblock booting process, which
allows me to boot the kernel from any of my NetBSD partitions.

  If anyone would like to try these out, I can make them available for
testing.  I've found that my WarpEngine SCSI will use the bootblock even
when there is no filesystem loaded for the partition.  My GVP SCSI
requires having the BFFSFileSystem added to the RDB blocks to get the
bootblock loader to run.  My PPI Zeus SCSI doesn't work with the
bootblock loader though;  I haven't been able to figure out what is
wrong with it yet.

  The AmigaDOS front-end uses the exact same bootblock loader, but is
run from AmigaDOS and command line options can be used to select the
SCSI driver, unit number, and the partition name to be used for the
"boot".  It also allows specifying the "default" boot options ["/netbsd
-bsAS" is the current default I have coded into the bootblock loader]. 
This can be used as an alternative to loadbsd, and does not require
ixemul.library or the BFFSFileSystem, and will load any kernel present
on any NetBSD partition [as long as there are no links in the path - I
don't have link support yet].

  I was also thinking that this program could also be used for the
install or upgrade of 1.1 NetBSD.  The miniroot filesystems can be
expanded so that the kernel can be included in them.  The bootbsd
program can then load the kernel from the miniroot (and the kernel can
be copied from the miniroot filesystem to the destination root during
the install/upgrade).

Michael

-- 
Michael L. Hitch			INTERNET:  osymh@montana.edu
Computer Consultant
Information Technology Center
Montana State University	Bozeman, MT	USA