> Especially given that the installboot manpage (at least on i386) is flat out
> wrong right now - if you install bootxx_ffsv1 with /usr/sbin/installboot,
> your system Will Not Boot. I have an old 80386 here that I recently wanted
> to switch to serial console, and tried to installboot the new bootblocks (I
> found that there are no biosboot_com<whatever> bootblocks in -current
> anymore, apparently) and the system came up saying something about not being
> able to run BASIC, in a gross 40x25 font on the monitor.

You need to see the error mssage aoutput just before you bios decides that.
(most use that bios call as a 'boot failed' entry, although it is indeed
a request to run the ROM resident BASIC interpreter in order to boot
from cassette tape!)

Most probably you forgot to copy /usr/mdec/biosboot to /boot

> What is the proper method for making an i386 machine boot serial console
> now? (without reverting to bootblocks that, from all i can tell, are no
> longer built)

installboot -o console=com0 -o speed=9600 /dev/rwd0a /usr/mdec/bootxx_ffsv1

	David

-- 
David Laight: david@l8s.co.uk