Yesterday I got a wild hair and decided to find a *BSD that runs on my
blue G3/350 (overclocked to 400). I currently run BSDI and FreeBSD in
Intel based systems and want my G3's tertiary OS compatible with it.
OpenBSD doesn't have anything for my G3 so I landed at the doors of
NetBSD. 

Since the blue G3 has no floppy drive and I wanted to install right away,
I saw the only way to do so was netbooting my G3. I followed the handy
instructions, set up a bootp, tftp, and NFS server and began attempting to
get my G3 net booted.

After spending all day reading mailing list archives, I installed Open
Firmware updates, found the infamous ofwboot.elf, learned I didn't need
it, tweaked NFS settings, and unplugged SCSI devices (and ultimately the
Adaptec 2930U card).

Now, I have a working bootp server, correctly configured NFS server, and a
netbooted G3, sort of. Here's what happens:

 I hit the power on key, and hold down CMD-OPT-O-F

Apple PowerMac1,1 1,1f4 BootROM built on 04/09/99 at 13:57:32
Copyright 1994-1999 Apple Computer, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

OpenFirmware 3.1.1

To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return.
To shut down, type "shut-down" and press return.

ok
0 > boot enet:0
CLIENT: 000502b74b94 208.246.108.6
SERVER: 005004188817 208.246.108.7 dns.michweb.net

Transfer FILE: /tftpboot/bootfiles/ofwboot.elf /
TFTP-actual=edbc TFTP-adler32=5705de6e loadsize=edbc adler32=5705de6e

Loading ELF

>> NetBSD/macppc OpenFirmware Boot, version 1.2
>> (wrstuden@waterdeep), Wed May 13 19:19:50 
Using IP address 208.246.108.6
root addr=208.246.108.7 path=/var/export/home/root
1856444|


WARNING: unable to find USB controller
Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
  The NetBSD Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
  The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
NetBSD 1.4 (GENERIC) #0: Tue May 11 00:01:04 JST 1999
  tsubai@mint.iri.co.jp:/usr/src/sys/arch/macppc/compile/GENERIC
CPU: 750 (Revision 202)
real mem = 201326592
panic: startup: cannot allocate VM for buffers
Stopped in at 0x230154:   lwz r0, r1, 0x14
db>

and there she hangs requiring a press of the reset button. So, I'm a
pretty clueful guy and I can tell that's a kernel panic so everything is
right except the kernel won't boot. This is the GENERIC kernel that I
untarred from the NetBSD/NetBSD-1.4/macppc/binary/sets/kern.tgz.

A little more poking around the ftp site and I find another kernel dated 
Jun 21 bearing the name netbsd-GENERIC and found at
NetBSD/arch/macppc/snapshot/19990620/binary/kernel/. I try booting that
and get similar results:

console keyboard type: USB
Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
  The NetBSD Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
  The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
NetBSD 1.4D (GENERIC) #1: Mon Jun 21 12:11:38 EDT 1999
  dan@frotz:/usr/src/sys/arch/macppc/compile/GENERIC
CPU: 750 (Revision 202)
total memory = 192MB
panic: startup: cannot allocate VM for buffers
Stopped in at Debugger+0x10:   lwz r0, r1, 0x14
db>

At least this time I can reset the machine with the keyboard reset
combination. Still with no luck, I kept rummaging around the ftp server
and found yet another macppc kernel to try:
   NetBSD/NetBSD-1.4/macppc/binary/kernel/netbsd-GENERIC_MD.gz
This one seems to be working a lot better. It did hang the first time I
tried booting right after probing my Adaptec 2930U SCSI card but after
removing the card, I get much further. It now asks me for a Terminal type.
After accepting the default vt100 it goes into an infinite loop asking for
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
(I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?

and will not respond to keyboard input at all. This is as close as I've
gotten to having a working NetBSD system. Anyone got any suggestions for
getting this thing working (preferably with my SCSI card installed)?

Matt

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  Matt Simerson                    http://users.michweb.net/~matt
  MichWeb Inc. - President         http://www.michweb.net   
  The Art Farm - Technical Wizard  http://www.theartfarm.com
  
  Better to dare Mighty Things and fail, than to live in     __o
    a gray twilight where there is neither victory or      _-\<,_
    defeat. -- attributed to Theodore Roosevelt     ......(_)/ (_)
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