> For entertainments sake I've also tried netbooting it from this linux
> box..
> 
> Mar 23 16:48:51 nothus tftpd[12521]: tftpd: trying to get file:
> CB1CF01B.SUN4C 
[...]
> It looks strangely like the IPX is refusing to accept the file, after
> making the request.
> 
> The first attempt is a correct boot attempt by the IPX, the subsequent
> to are me messing about with the dload command in OpenBOOT.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing from you.
> 
> Bear in mind, this is my only Sparc, and it currently doesn't have a
> usuable OS installed on it (things tend to break if you don't upgrade
> the correct files in the correct order). I have NetBSD 68k on a Quadra
> 700 if thats of any help, but any compiling or running of mksunisoboot
> or whatever is going to be a tad on the difficult side.

For what it's worth, I just (as in yesterday) installed 1.4.2 on an
OS-less Classic, without any problems.

I suggest you do a network install, using the Quadra as the server.  You
don't need a particularly meaty machine to act as the boot server - I
used a 486 with 4MB of RAM running NetBSD-current!  I've used NetBSD
as a boot server to install a number of machines (MacPPC, various Sparcs)
and never had any problems, so personally I'd be quite willing to
blame Linux :*).

The 'Diskless How-To' and NetBSD-Sparc installation notes are enough
documentation to set up the rarpd/tftpd/bootparamd/nfs exports
needed.

The only caveats are to make sure that your kernel has Berkeley Packet
Filters enabled for rarpd, and (of course) also has NFS server support
compiled in.  (On my 4MB machine the kernel is pared down to
the bone so I had to go through a couple of kernel rebuilds...)  A
GENERIC kernel should be fine.

> Matt.

Best of luck!


On a side note, I asked last week whether or not people thought
sunsunsun.net were reliable...  I made the plunge, and they shipped
my Classic all the way from Roswell to the UK in less than a week
and it arrived in perfect condition.  So thumbs up to them from me
(I shall be emailing them suggesting they might like to put a
link to NetBSD on their site :-).

Cheers,
Tim.

-- 
Tim Walls