> 
> /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/boot/boot.c
> 
>     The main part is changing the major number from 0 to 1.  This refers
> to the declaration in boot/disk.c
> char *devs[] = {"wd", "hd", "fd", "", "sd", 0};
> so that rather than defaulting to 0 (wd), it chooses 1 (hd).
> 

These changes look very tiny.
Could we change this to boot from DAT tape? I hear
AIX is able to do.. It then should read the DAT and create
a memory filesystem. The DAT tape should contain a
filesystem image that then is copied to the memory.

Is this possible?
This could be a very elegant upgrade or installing path
for people with a tape drive..
ciao
Carsten