Perry writes:
> David Hopper writes:
>> 	2.  How would I go about replacing the kcoth11.fs kernel with the new 
>> 	    one?  (cp ./netbsd /dev/fd0a)?

>That would work if the new kernel was small enough to fit (an
>increasing problem).

No, that would in fact _not_ work, netbsd kernels don't work like the
linux zImage[*]. A floppy which contains a kernel _needs_ a standard bsd
filesystem and bootblocks. The "kcoth11.fs" is (as the extension suggests)
a FileSystem .. 

The (easiest) thing to do is to write kcoth11.fs to a floppy, then mount
it and replace the "netbsd" file with your new kernel (wherever you get
it from) on that partition.

Of course, as Perry pointed out a moment ago, cross-compilation of 
kernels isn't exactly easy (if its even possible with the current NetBSD
setup, I'm not an expert on these things).

Cheers,
Phil

[*] For those not following, the linux zImage file is a short executable
with a completely compressed kernel piggybacking it, and the beginning
of this executable is suitable for writing to the boot sector and beyond
of a floppy and bootstrapping the piggybacked kernel... thus it is easy
to build a kernel and then just "cp zImage /dev/fd0" to make a bootable
linux disk. NetBSD kernels won't work like this..

Going even further off topic, I've often thought it would be nice if this
could be done .. how difficult is it?

--
Phillip F Knaack               flipk@iastate.edu
Database Programmer, NCREMP    Student Development Group
ISU Extension                  Project Vincent, Iowa State University