Subject: Re: status of the port
To: None <port-next68k@NetBSD.ORG>
From: None <dbj@NetBSD.ORG>
List: port-next68k
Date: 06/12/1998 11:55:00
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to write a FAQ, a web page,
or even an announcement of the port yet.  I'll try to get something
up next week.  (I'm out of town this weekend)

Meanwhile, I'll try to answer questions if you have them.

>You'll need a serial cable in order to talk to the NeXTstation, you'll
>need a net host system, e.g. NetBSD/i386 box (there is an i386->m68k
>toolchain in the snapshot from what I can see), you'll need to be able
>to configure dhcpd to allow the NeXT box to netboot... but having yet
>to try all this, I really should let the snapshot README speak for itself.

It needs either bootp or a patched dhcpd to boot.  It netboots the
same way that nextstep does, but you must use the first stage
bootloader from the snapshot instead of the one from nextstep.

Although I provide the i386->m68k toolchain in that directory, you
shouldn't need it to get the snapshot booted.  It was what I was using
to cross compile it before it self hosted.  Now I just do development
and compiling on the NeXT itself.

Currently, I only have access to 25Mhz 68040 NeXTs.  I have one
report from someone with a 33Mhz (turbo) machine, and it doesn't
appear to work.  The net bootloader may have trouble and the turbo
memory configuration isn't probed correctly.   I expect to have access
to a turbo machine to hack on soon, and should be able to fix those
problems.

Darrin