Hi,

> I've run into a number of problems using the 1.6 iso for my powermac 8500
> (ofw 1.0.5)
>
> The first is that
> boot scsi-int/sd@3:0 prints DEFAULT CATCH!, code=FFF00700

Have you tried:
boot scsi-int/sd@3:0 NETBSD.MACPPC

> console keyboard type: ADB
> [netbsd ELF symbol table not valid]
> [no symbol table formats found]
>   and it hangs there

Are you trying to use ADB and a video console instead of a serial
terminal? It might be easier (ie, more predictable) to deal with the
serial console now and worry about keyboard / video later.

> Its been such a painful 20 odd hours trying to get this going.

In my experience, OF 1.0.5 machine have been far easier than others, such
as the beige G3 and the blue and white G3.

Using a serial terminal, I can usually boot the ISO with:
boot scsi-int/sd@3:0 NETBSD.MACPPC
Then I boot the installed drive with:
boot scsi-int/sd@0:0
(see below regarding your wd)

And to autoboot, I set these:
setenv auto-boot? true
setenv boot-device scsi/sd@0:0
setenv boot-file netbsd
setenv boot-command catch 5000 ms boot
reset-all

On my colocated server, I use a PCI SCSI controller that does not have Mac
firmware, so isn't recognised by OF. So I have a small SCSI drive on the
motherboard SCSI that has the kernel and a small emergency filesystem, and
I've compiled the kernel with this in the kernel config file:
config netbsd root on sd0a type ffs
(where sd0 is the first drive of the SCSI card which the NetBSD kernel
finds; the drive on the internal SCSI becomes sd5)

Since you have problems with your SCSI drive, you can do the same; put
just the kernel compiled with root pointing to wd0a or wherever on the
SCSI disk.

Hope this helps,
John Klos