This posting is exclusively concerned with NetBSD-pc532,
it has also been copied to pc532@bungi.com for:
	1) folk (like Stuart ;-) that have not yet subscribed
	   to port-pc532@sun-lamp.cs.berkeley.edu via  majordome@sun-lamp...
	2) minix/mach folk who are keeping an eye on NetBSD,
	   waiting to migrate :-)
=====

> "/sbin/bim" (boot image manager) does not set/change disklabels, but
> does do all the boot image manipulation.
Nice :-)

> Also, just in case you don't
> know, there is now a NetBSD boot program that can be used as a boot image
> and it will read and boot kernels from a NetBSD file system.
As you reminded me, I tried it ;-)
- Phil Budne's binary (ftp'ed from alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu) works fine :-)
- NetBSD's /usr/src/sys/arch/pc532/stand (when compiled) hangs on boot.
  (Stuart says he's compiled & used it though, with no problem ! )
- I've not tried compiling or comparing with Phil Budne's alpha. sources yet,
  'cos wanted to transfer, compile & use my `compare & delete' tool first.
- `file' reports same file type for both `boot's (ftp'd & compiled locally)
   (I had wondered about whether to strip an a.out header or some such)
- There's no Makefile install: label to hint if special treatment required,
  I guess remaking it & kernel & comparing gcc flags may provide a hint.

> This is 
> quite good IMO, first boot with a hard disk root in February, a release
> in July.
Yup, very good, Congrats :-)
Pretty stable too
	(though it crashes on multiple simultaneous finds as root,
	+ cd /sys ; make )
still, that's easily avoided :-)

Any chance of getting tape drive working soon ?
that seems to be the last major hurdle before reccomending mass migration
of all PC532 folk from Minix & Mach to NetBSD 
(Reason to migrate: full public sources + large NetBSD community)

Last problem - Parity & Stop bits (again ;-) :
- My freebsd kermit doesnt handle 2 stop bits required by pc532 netbsd,
  so I use `seyon' terminal emulator
- Freebsd Seyon Does handle 2 stop bits,
- Seyon uses Zmodem
- Zmodem manual says nothing about supporting Kermit
- Kermit manual says nothing about supporting Zmodem SZ RZ
So file transfer is problematic.
No doubt I can bounce through a 3rd machine or some such,
but this weird parity & stop bit stuff:
	Monitor				8	None	1
	Old Kernel			7	Odd	2
	Nu Kern before login		7	Odd	2
	Nu Kern after  login		7	None	2	
	Nu Kern after  login + script	7	Odd	2
is a nuisance, so I found:
	/etc/gettytab & termios.h for parity & CSIZE, but not for stop bits.
	/usr/src/sys/arch/pc532/dev/scn.c scn_config() for stop bits as well.
and am now recompiling a new kernel to test with
	static  
	int scn_config(unit, in_speed, out_speed, parity, stop_bits, data_bits )	...
	int parity;                     /* some parity */
	int stop_bits;                  /* 2 (110 baud) or 1 (other speeds) */
	int data_bits;                  /* 5, 6, 7, or 8 */
	{
	#ifdef SURFER
	        data_bits = 8 ;
	        parity = LC_NONE ;
	        stop_bits = 1 ;
	#endif
& ident SURFER in sys/arch/pc532/conf/`hostname`

--
Julian Stacey	<stacey@freefall.cdrom.com>
Alternates:	<julian@pcsbst.pcs.com>,<jhs@regent.e-technik.tu-muenchen.de>
Tel. +49 89 268616	TZ=GMT+1	Munich, Germany

------------------------------------------------------------------------------