Hi,

I've become the proud owner of a VAXstation 4000/90, 64MB and a 1GB-ish
RZ26B disk, with OpenVMS 6.0 currently scaring me, hence I'm attempting
to make the box useful with NetBSD.

I'm having some trouble getting the install started, my first effort
being the combined MOP/BOOTP/NFS technique. I'm using a Linux box as the
server, with the mopd-linux-2.5.3, ISC dhcpd, and knfsd from the 2.2.20
kernel.

Everything works so much in that the VAX will retrieve its MOP boot
image okay, get the IP and NFS mount info, and for a time it wouldn't
NFS mount properly, I'd just get the following repeatedly logged:

May 10 17:15:10 server rpc.mountd: authenticated mount request from 192.168.1.7:1023 for /export/cougar/root (/export/cougar/root)

...but somehow that's cleared itself, (I forced NFSv2, but it didn't
seem to make a difference, maybe something got cached), and now the VAX
starts trying to boot the kernel and gets stuck here:

-EZA0
>> NetBSD/vax boot [Aug 19 2001 05:57:49] <<
>> Press any key to abort autoboot 0
> boot
Trying BOOTP
Using IP address: 192.168.1.7
myip: cougar (192.168.1.7)
root addr=192.168.1.1 path=/export/cougar/root
706204+1205216Boot failed: Input/output error
> _

I tried to follow the VAX Network Booting HOWTO, and tried to make it
fit where possible, (I don't seem to need RARP, etc.). I've only put the
kernel in and the /dev/console device, as I'm guessing this is all I
need to get the install going, I'll use a local SCSI disk, either the
RZ26B or a similar ex-Sun Seagate of some size.

Does anyone know what's caused the hang here? I'm not having much luck
with Digital boxen at the mo' with a misbehaving Alpha giving me grief
as well.

I've read something about NetBSD b0rking some firmware in the 4000/90
models in the archives. Has what I've managed so far triggered this yet
or am I still safe to take a backup of it? (Providing some kind soul
tells me how to do it ;-)

Cheers

Matt

PS. This box deserves to live just 'cos the warbling noise it makes
after the memory check :-) Do other VAXen do this too?
-- 
"Phased plasma rifle in a forty-watt range?"
"Hey, just what you see, pal"