Update of NetBSD bring-up

[Udo Möller <udo.a.moeller%web.de@localhost>]

Hi,

Matthias was right with his suggestion to create a more complete emulation of 
the DUART. After adding the second
channel the install kernel started and showed the prompt "#" !

The next step was to learn more about installing. Simple execution of the 
"install" script does not work. The script
wanted to write something on the ram-disk but this device is read-only. Again 
Matthias helped me and suggested
to do the work of the script by hand.

I did the following :

disklabel -i -I sd0 :            created 2 partitions , one 4.2BSD and the 
other boot
bim :                                  "add /usr/mdec/boot boot"
newfs /dec/rsd0a hallo
mount -v /dev/sd0a /mnt

And the sd0a is alive ! I could copy, do ls and it is fascinating to watch in 
the emulation where it is reading and writing.

Then I prepared the disk for booting :

cp /tmp/.hdprofile to /mnt/.profile
put the netbsd.GENERIC kernel of the web on it
cp instbin to /mnt/instbin

This instbin is a container with a lot of usefull programs in it. Therefore I 
think it is necessary for further work until the
rest is installed. The install.html document does not tell any details about it 
. In the install script I found a command

pax -Xrwpe . /mnt

It did not work because pax is missing in the install package. Is it necessary 
? Another question is FSTAB : what is it ?
The install script did something (with the help of sed .... brr) and creates an 
FSTAB.

I did a reboot which started the Autoboot ROM Monitor. Then "boot" ...

Unfortunately it stop booting and jumped back in the ROM Monitor. Two messages 
may be critical :

Warning : no /dev/console
init : not found
panic : no init

I assume that the things I put on the sd0 are not sufficient to start the 
system. The install.html does not helped me.
What is missing ? Do I have to extract the etc-package before I reboot ?

My plan for the next time has changed : I to stop the emulation of the hard 
disk. After gaining some experience with the
software I have already written I expect serious problems when the emulated 
hard-disk is not fully put into main memory.
Then the host system has to read and write data from the real HDD and at the 
same time the PC532 is sending data. To
get this done errorfree might take a while and will be potentially frustrating.

I choose the direct way : I will attach a 2,5 inch HDD directly to the FPGA . 
This is possible without buffers because the
FPGA has 5V tolerant IOs. In the FPGA I will keep the SCSI IF for the PC532 
software. The host will only sent commands,
the real data transfer will happen inside the FPGA. This solution should be 
faster too. The databus between the
FPGA and the NS32532 is 32 bits wide and the IDE has a 16 bit databus. I will 
use a simple 2,5 inch to 3,5 inch cable with
connectors and rework the 3,5 inch side. From a hardware point of view it 
should not be so much work.

But first I want to do a succesfull boot from the SW emulation ...

Regards,
Udo

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