Re: install help - mounting external firewire cd-rom drive

[Andy Ruhl <acruhl%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 8:28 PM, Glen Henshaw 
<glen.henshaw%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:
> I'm trying to save an ancient Apple iBook by install NetBSD 5.0.1 on
> it. Unfortunately the machine does not have a working floppy or CD
> drive, so my best option seems to be to install from an external
> FireWire CD-ROM drive I have. I can get the installer to run from this
> drive, but I stall at the point where the installer asks where to get
> the install sets. I can't figure out which device the external
> firewire drive is. It isn't cd0, cd1, cd2, sd0, sd1, or sd2, or any
> other reasonable entry in /dev I can think of. I've even aborted out
> of the installer and looked at /dev to see if I could figure it out,
> but I can't. Can anyone help?

I'm not entirely sure that firewire is supported by the install
kernel. You could check the dmesg to see if it got picked up, you
should be able to do:

dmesg | more

I think you're in one of those weird places where the firmware will
support loading a kernel from that device, but once the kernel is
booted it won't support the device it was booted from.

Your only option might be to netboot the install kernel, although I'm
not sure what that will get you if you don't have a network card. Does
it have USB? A USB cd device might work too.

Andy