Dear All,

as you may have read i've just recently got a used DEC 3000/500, wich runs
OSF/1 fine.

I'm trying to install NetBSD/alpha (1.4.1 and last snapshot), but ran into
a lot of trouble, and would like to remark the following : 

1) The install kernel works ok, but DEMANDS a serial console .... why
can't it use the PROM for screen/keyboard ? then the serial console would
be a choise and supported for free even.... 

2) The installation kernel runs fine, but the kernel it installs DOESNT... 
it keeps printing "Bad I/O address".... so it's not workable... typically
with keypresses/printing over serial (....) 

3) After some boot hassle like starting an install kernel and then chroot
it to the harddisc, i managed to build a new kernel (-current) on
TCWSCONS. This went ok, but this kernel keeps printing "Bad I/O address"
too .... say allmost at maximum rate... starts during scsi-initialisation
or just before (!!!).  Typically after the first SCSI interface is found

4) After some fiddling and grepping the source code, i decided to switch
off the `DIAGNOSTICS' flag.... this at least gives a working kernel
without the messages, but doesn't it slow down the machine ??  ... systat
gives me a 1024 interupts per sec... (clock) 

5) wscons is quite slow :(( it sometimes looks like the PROM is faster :((
... Nice font though :))

6) X isn't running on the wscons ... so i guess it's back to a serial
console *sigh* and use Xdm

7) Sysinst reports it needs at least 1Gb to install base ... but why does
it install X too in say less then 500 Mb ? (haven't got it only to see) 

8) There are no commonly found discs in /etc/disktab in the install kernel
... i had to use OSF/1's disktab to at least restore a disclabel on my
second SCSI harddisc on wich i had put a `cdhdtape' image ....

9) netbooting gives trouble ... see my former mail

Well, i think i can call myself reasonably familiar with NetBSD, since i
allready run a NetBSD/arm32, NetBSD/sparc, NetBSD/pmax and a NetBSD/i386,
but i must say installing NetBSD/alpha was one of my big challenges!! :-) 
I like the challenge, but i don't think others will appreciate it that
much :(


Well, enough ranting, i hope we can work on these problems and support the
DEC 3000/500 once again :) 

Feel free to contact me,
(i'm not subscribed to this mailing list yet)

Take care,

Reinoud