>At 9:59 AM -0500 9/12/02, Donald Lee wrote:
>>I'm wanting to upgrade my production server to something a little faster,
>>and I'm looking at the "new world" macs.  (B&W, G4)
>>
>>Currently, my server is an OF 1.x machine, which I can reboot with one
>>button press.  Can the OF 3.x machines be
>>made so they boot NetBSD unattended?  I suppose leaving a CD in the
>>drive would count....
>>
>>I'd like my root on the internal (faster) drive, of course.
>
>Shouldn't be a big deal.  Once you know how to boot into netbsd you just can the settings into the environment variables.
>
>OF 3 used by the new machines doesn't have the space limitations that OF 1 machines have.  Also they can (need to?) boot off of a MacOS partition so install accordingly.
>--
>The opinions expressed in this message are mine,
>not those of Caltech, JPL, NASA, or the US Government.
>Henry.B.Hotz@jpl.nasa.gov, or hbhotz@oxy.edu

I have seen postings here that indicate that there are wrinkles, though.

For instance, if OF 3.x _needs_ to boot from HFS, and it is hard to get
a disk formatted for NetBSD with *both* HFS and Netbsd partitions, might
I not have to do something odd, like leave a CD in the drive specifically
for booting?

My understanding is that HFS partitions need Apple's tools to create them,
and they insist on some "magic" partitions "up front".  NetBSD tools trash
the "magic" partitions sometimes, so you can do it, but you have to be
(as Elmer Fudd would say) "vewwy, vewwy carefuw.... heh heh heh"

I've read the threads on doing this, and the process sounds slightly
twisted, and not really supported. ;->

Have people out there done this with reasonable success and without
undue pain?

-dgl-