Subject: Re: NetBSD Guide help
To: None <port-dreamcast@netbsd.org>
From: Andy R <quadreverb@yahoo.com>
List: port-dreamcast
Date: 02/10/2003 10:09:36
--- Michael Robinson <mhr_54@cox.net> wrote:
> I have a few questions about the NetBSD DC setup
> guide.
> 
> "Configure dhcpd to pass the correct information to
> the Dreamcast. On the
> NetBSD machine used for testing purposes, enabling
> dhcpd was as simple as
> adding "dhcpd=YES" to /etc/rc.conf and creating an
> /etc/dhcpd.conf (<1k)
> file containing the necessary information for the DC
> to know where the root
> file system exists. The provided example works for
> the setup used for this
> guide, but final configuration will vary."
> 
> For /etc/dhcpd.conf does it mean put dhcpd.conf in
> the dreamcast's world
> /etc directory or in the nfs server's /etc
> directory?
> 
> 
> "Configure nfs shares. The example setup required
> two nfs shares,
> /mnt/exports/dc and /mnt/exports/dcswap.
> /etc/exports (<1k) was used on the
> NetBSD nfs server. Other nfs implementations may
> require extra
> configuration."
> 
> I don't understand the purpose of this step, what's
> it trying to tell me to
> do?
> 
> This may not be directly related to this guide, but
> what editor should I use
> to create these two files? This may also not be
> related but what is dhcpd,
> is it some type of dhcp program?

I had said a while ago that putting up a fairly
detailed chronology of events on what has to happen to
get a diskless client to boot, and what the Dreamcast
needs in particular, would probably help. That way we
could refer to it, and then posts like this could be
more focused than what we have here.

In the beginning I kept reading "Go and read the
diskless manpage" over and over, but it wasn't making
sense. If I had a list of what needed to happen step
by step in order for something to boot off the
network, which I didn't have then, it would have
helped because I could analyze each step and learn
about what I needed to do to make each happen
successfully.

I thought I wrote something simple and sent it to the
list a while back, but I can't find it. I'll try to do
this again. I think adding something like this to the
NetBSD FAQ and possibly even the diskless doc may
help. It would certainly give us more "ammo" against
questions like this as far as RTFMing advice. I wanted
to know what FM to read too! Reading the man page for
dhcpd doesn't give much connection to nfsd, not
obvious anyway in the context of a diskless client.
See what I'm getting at?

For the person in the original post, please, at least
read the man pages! The man page for dhcpd is quite
straightforward as to the explanation of what it does.
Here's where you go:
http://netbsd.gw.com/cgi-bin/man-cgi/man?+ANY+NetBSD-current

As far as what editor to use, this isn't a question to
ask here. But I can say that if you need to ask a
question like this, you have a long way to go. You're
going to have to sweat out reading manuals and
learning the hard way like the rest of us when we
first got a hold of unix. Sorry, it's a rite of
passage... Don't take people telling you to read
manuals as blowing you off. It's the right answer,
you'll find this when you gain more experience.

Andy

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