I have been thinking of how to install NetBSD for the first time on a
system.  While this message is i386 specific, I could see it working
in theory for pmax, and more than likely many others too.

One of the problems facing NetBSD right now is the lack of a pretty
installation program.  By pretty I mean automated, not something like
a full GUI.

It seems an easy way to install NetBSD for a PeeCee would be to use
one of these methods:

>From the ``native OS'' (i.e, DOS):

	Run a program which will disklabel and partition (BIOS and
	NetBSD) the drive correctly.  This could be anything from a
	simple command line interface to a Windows application.

	This program would then install a miniroot in the swap
	partition.

>From floppies:

	Boot the kernel disk, then the install disk.  From that, if
	the miniroot fits on one disk, nothing would change (the
	floppy is the miniroot in this case.)  If the miniroot is
	larger than a floppy, have enough on the install floppy to
	install a multidisk miniroot into swap.

	The install disk should at least partition the disk like the
	DOS side would do...

If the miniroot is in swap:

	Teach NetBSD to use the swap drive as a file system, and not
	to swap, of course ;)

	This miniroot would then newfs the partitions, configure the
	net, prompt for floppies, etc.

This is very close to how IRIX installs, for example.  It could make a
one-disk network based install possible even...

The pmax side should be a simple replacement DOS/Ultrix.  :)

Also, the nice thing about this is the miniroot is more or less the
same for each port -- only the bootstrapping information would change.

Thoughts?

--Michael