Subject: Re: how to boot the installed system from a floppy?
To: None <port-i386@netbsd.org>
From: Bernd Sieker <bsieker@freenet.de>
List: port-i386
Date: 05/16/2002 09:29:40
On 16.05.02, 08:30:30, Pierre-Philipp Braun wrote:
> thank you for replying
> 
> > boot wd0a:netbsd
> 
> yes of course i'm sorry, that's what i do and it doesn't match, ans yes 
> 'mount /dev/wd0a /mnt' matchs since the boot disks are totaly loaded.

I'm still not sure what you mean by "match".

At the boot loader prompt, you can also use an "ls" command to see
what's on an ffs filesystem. Maybe there's still an old kernel,
netbsd.old or onetbsd that will boot.

If your / filesystem is not totally destroyed (the kernel, init and sh
should at least be ok), you should be able to "boot wd0a:netbsd -s" to
boot your normal installed system to single user mode, and have a look
at what's wrong, and possibly backup some stuff using dump.

If you cannot boot the system from hard disk, use the rescue-small.fs
floppy image to boot a small rescue system. It will include things
like dump/restore, so you can backup critical stuff.

You can also fsck and/or mount your normal system. If you're not sure
what's broken, mount them read-only. ("-o ro"). If the "chroot"
command is contained on the rescue disk, you can "mount /dev/wd0a
/mnt2" and then "chroot /mnt2" and mount all the other filesystems to
their usual place. (/mnt2 becomes /). I'm not sure if you can cleanly
boot to multiuser with a chrooted floppy boot.

> 
> So my question still there:
> i probably need a special boot-floppy/kernel to mount the installed system.

to just "mount" it you don't. That will work with the install
floppies. To salvage some stuff, use rescue-{small|tiny}.fs[.gz]

> 
> Does such a floppy allready exist ?
> If not, how can to make one ?
> 
> Thanks for your support
> 

-- 
Bernd Sieker

NetBSD: Pink fluffy chunks or green bits - the choice is yours.
		-- Andy Doran