At 3:36 PM -0700 9/16/02, Bill Studenmund wrote:
>On Sun, 15 Sep 2002, Donald Lee wrote:
>
> > (snipped - about booting unattended OF 3.0 ....)
> >
> > 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. ;->
>
>There is only one tool you should not use when using Apple partitions, and
>that is installboot. It will trash an apple partition map. Other than
>that, all works well. All of the disks I use use Apple partition maps.
>sysinst hasn't got it instrumented, but an update should work (I think).
>
>Take care,
>
>Bill

OK.  I just want to be clear, this is what I understand.

OF needs an HFS partition to load ofwboot.
ofwboot needs installboot to poke a sector number for the kernel in a
"magic place".

Can OF still find the hfs part. containing ofwboot after installboot
trashes the APM?  If I don't run installboot, how do I complete the
boot?

I still don't see how I can get an unattended boot on a single drive unless
I do something like leave a CD in the drive on OF 3.x machines.  I could
also simply have a second HD, but that's hard on a machine like an
early model B&W G3 where the ATA bus doesn't work right if you try to attach a
second drive.

Am I way off here???.

Thanks,

-dgl-

P.S.  I've seen the more recent posts about using dd to write raw partitions
directly to parts of the HDD.  I'm a wimp, and I want to avoid this
sort of ..ahem... operation. ;->