So taking advice passed on my Soren from one of the Linux lists (Thank you
for remembering my quandry and passing it on!!), I wrote the ECOFF version 
of the NetBSD kernel into the volume header and lo! it booted to the point 
of starting auto-configuration.

This is a months-old kernel, and one that was a result of my hacking large
pieces of O2 stuff out, so it craps out pretty early (there may also be the
issue of L2 cache), but at least I got something to boot.

Not I just need to find out why the heck my PROM times out TFTP'ing large
files, as otherwise I'm stuck writing things into the volume header.  Also,
anyone here have a quick lesson on reading the tracebacks, or why they're
purely numeric?

Boot messages follow,
--rafal

>> netbsd
1043840+26352+149328 entry: 0x88002000
Mem block 1: type 0, base 0, size 1
Mem block 2: type 1, base 1, size 1
Mem block 3: type 5, base 32770, size 298
Mem block 4: type 3, base 33068, size 1556
Mem block 5: type 6, base 34624, size 192
Mem block 6: type 3, base 34816, size 30720
Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
    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 1.5I (INDIGO2) #15: Tue Nov  7 00:14:21 EST 2000
    root@cyclops.metatel.office:/extra/src-current/sys/arch/sgimips/compile/INDIGO2
128 MB memory, 116 MB free, 768 KB for ARCS, 6656 KB in 1664 buffers
mainbus0 (root): SGI-IP22 [SGI, 6907c83c]
cpu0 at mainbus0: MIPS R4400 CPU (0x450) Rev. 5.0 with MIPS R4010 FPC Rev. 0.0
cpu0: L1 cache: 16KB/16B instruction, 16KB/16B data, direct mapped
cpu0: L2 cache: unknown size/128B mixed, no snooping
cpu0: disabling IP22 SysAD L2 cache
imc0 at mainbus0 addr 0x1fa00000
trap: TLB miss (load or instr. fetch) in kernel mode
status=0x20040002, cause=0x9008, epc=0x880e6398, vaddr=0x1f8
pid=0 cmd=swapper usp=0x0 ksp=0x8812dcd0
Stopped in swapper at   0x880e6398:     lw      a2,0(v0)
db> tr
880e6374+24 (0,0,a874909c,0) ra 88026168 sz 24
88025de0+388 (c0015fc0,0,880fddc0,880e6190) ra 880e6160 sz 72
880e60dc+84 (c0015fc0,0,880fddc0,880e6190) ra 88025a80 sz 40
88025a0c+74 (c0015fc0,0,880fddc0,880e6190) ra 88025b58 sz 32
88025ab4+a4 (880e60dc,0,880fddc0,880e6190) ra 880e60c4 sz 72
880e5fb8+10c (880e60dc,0,880fddc0,880e6190) ra 88026168 sz 32
88025de0+388 (0,0,880fddc0,0) ra 88025d64 sz 72
88025d0c+58 (0,0,880fddc0,0) ra 880e64f0 sz 32
880e64d0+20 (0,0,880fddc0,0) ra 880259e0 sz 32
88025990+50 (0,0,880fddc0,0) ra 8800f370 sz 24
main+430 (0,0,880fddc0,0) ra 88002098 sz 88
User-level: pid 0

----
Rafal Boni                                               rafal.boni@eDial.com
 PGP key C7D3024C, print EA49 160D F5E4 C46A 9E91  524E 11E0 7133 C7D3 024C
    Need to get a hold of me?  http://800.eDial.com/rafal.boni@eDial.com