On Mon, 5 Jun 2000, Bill Studenmund wrote:

> On Mon, 5 Jun 2000, Nathan Raymond wrote:
> 
> > Well considering my drive (a 2GB IBM Deskstar) generates SCSI #5 
> > errors when trying to use the installer (except for cpin), I figured 
> > once I get the system up and networked, the installer won't be much 
> > help anyway (I'd just be losing the installer's command line).

You might have some use for the experimental "sysinstall" install kernels
(instkernels). You can place the gzipped kernel in the Booter directory
(or anywhere in the HFS file-system actually) and choose "Boot from Mac OS
file" in the Booter dialog. Unfortunately, you can't get the files out of
the Mac OS as easily. One possible solution is to let your swap partition
serve as a (temporary) type 1 file-system -- run Mkfs over it and
"cpin" the sets, then let sysinst newfs and set up your /, with no swap,
then change the swap  partition back to a swap with Mkfs, and add it to
/etc/fstab from within NetBSD.

If that doesn't sound difficult enough, sometimes the 1.4.2 sysinstall
newfs's the wrong partition, especially if you try to use the partition
editor. This makes it a risky proposition if you only have a single disk.

> Don't forget, you might also loose the booter. :-)
> 
> People have had problems with custom kernels when they copy them to /.
> If the file is copied from somewhere else to /, folks have problems
> booting. The same file if then copied from / to / (say /netbsd.new to
> /netbsd), it works.

It's moving, "mv", that does that sometimes. "cp" always seems to work. I
have all the sources on a separate partition, now, and "mv" never gives me
any problem there, either. My / and /usr are on a single, 2G partition.

> I leaft my root partition a level 1, and just made /usr and the others
> more modern ones.