Re: writing cdhdtape to CD

[Ray Phillips <r.phillips%uq.edu.au@localhost>]

Thanks for replying Michael.

> > (boot dkc400.4.0.11.0 -flags a)
> > block 0 of dkc400.4.0.11.0 is a valid boot block
> > reading 82 blocks from dkc400.4.0.11.0
> > bootstrap code read in
> > base = 1d8000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = a400
> > initializing HWRPB at 2000
> > initializing page table at 1ca000
> > initializing machine state
> > setting affinity to the primary CPU
> > jumping to bootstrap code
> >
> > NetBSD/alpha 5.0 ustar Bootstrap, Revision 1.3
> > (builds%b4.netbsd.org@localhost, Sun Apr 26 05:45:58 UTC 2009)
> >
> > VMS PAL rev: 0x1000000010114
> > OSF PAL rev: 0x1000000020116
> > Switch to OSF PAL code succeeded.
> >
> > Boot flags: a
> > 9784992@@@@@@@@@read text: Input/output error
>
>   This would appear that it started reading the kernel, and I 
> believe the '@' symbols indicate errors while reading the media.
>
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.gz: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.bak: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.bak.gz: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.old: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.old.gz: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open onetbsd: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open onetbsd.gz: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.alpha: Input/output error
> > @@@@@@@@@open netbsd.alpha.gz: Input/output error
>
>   After getting errors reading the kernel, the boot program falls 
> back to a list of other potential kernels, and gets errors reading 
> them.

That makes sense.  I've tried to eliminate the possibility of faulty 
media and CD drives by using a few different CD-R and CD-R/W discs 
and three different drives, and this happens consistently, so I 
wonder why such errors would be occuring?

> > I wonder if there's something wrong with the way I'm burning the 
> > cdhdtape file to the CD?
>
>   Have you tried using the alphacd.iso instead?  I don't think I've 
> ever tried using the cdhdtape image since the iso images were being 
> generated.

I hadn't tried using an iso file recently but have in the past and they worked.

I was just wanting to burn cdhdtape to a CD and boot from it because 
I hadn't tried it before and because this document says it's possible:

  ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.0/alpha/INSTALL.txt

Just to check, yesterday I downloaded

  ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.0/iso/alphacd-5.0.iso

and burnt it to CD and I am able to boot into sysinst(8) using it.

> Another thing I found (quite some time ago) was that burning the CD 
> images at single speed worked better in the various DEC machines I 
> have. This may only be applicable when using the original CD drives 
> in the DEC systems.

I've been been burning the CDs on a NetBSD/i386 5.0 using 
Cdrecord-ProDVD-ProBD-Clone 2.01.01a59 installed from source and a 
Plextor PX-W8432T drive and the burnproof option activated.  I think 
I've also tried writing cdhdtape to CD using cdrecord on a Windows XP 
machine.

By the way, can you say which block size value should be used when 
copying cdhdtape to a hard disk with dd?  This file:

  ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.0/alpha/INSTALL.txt

says to use bs=16k, whereas this one:

ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.0/alpha/installation/diskimage/README.files

says 18k.  Both values seem to work.


Ray