Subject: Re: Suggested Installation
To: der Mouse <mouse@Collatz.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
From: Matt Ragan <matt@ibmoto.com>
List: port-sparc
Date: 02/28/1996 21:10:48
der Mouse wrote:
>
>> The last method suggested was installing from SunOS, however this
>> requires a second hard drive
>
>It doesn't, actually.  It's just easier and more idiot-proof if you do.
>
>You can run SunOS off one or two partitions, set up NetBSD (using SunOS
>bootblocks) on two more, boot NetBSD with -a (and probably -s too) and
>make it put root where you put it, and then once NetBSD is up, move it
>to the usual partitions.  If you're careful you can probably do the
>copying with dd, but be careful about destroying the disklabel and
>bootblocks if you do that.
>
>> Valinor is running SunOS 4.1.4 (I can also load Solaris 2.3 if need
>> be) I currently don't have anything installed other than what comes
>> off the SunOS 4.1.4 CD.
>
>Do you have the CD?  Then you have a recovery mechanism in case you
>manage to render it completely unbootable, so you don't need to be
>quite so paranoid. :-)
>

If you have CD media, it's possible to boot off of the CD and install
NetBSD from there.  You even have your choice of doing it via tar files
on disk, tape, or NFS.  (NFS is actually easiest, if you can use this
option, since you can get access to more binaries this way)  I installed 
a 1.1 system today using this method, since I didn't have a disk with 
SunOS loaded on it, and didn't particularly feel like loading it so that 
I could copy over the top of it.  The biggest caveat is that you either
have to build a standalone version of gzip that you can put on floppy
or an NFS partition, or you have to uncompress the tarfiles before you
start.

If anyone wants instructions on doing this, and can't figure it out,
let me know, and I'll put together some more detailed instructions.

-- 
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Matt Ragan  (matt@ibmoto.com)  Motorola/IBM Somerset PowerPC Design Center
Network Administrator          Systems/Network Engineering  (512) 795-7298
9737 Great Hills Trail         Austin, Tx  78759        FAX (512) 795-7519
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