On Wed, 5 Nov 1997 17:23:02 -0500 (EST),  Rob Deker <deker@digex.net> writes:


>I've been away from the NetBSD mailing lists for a while due to work and I
>was wondering if the install procedure for PMAX has gotten to the point 
>where an Ultrix helper is unnecessary? I've got a DS3100 (ok, a BUNCH
>really, but only RAM for one) and would LOVE to put NetBSD on it, but
>I don't have any OS for the DS at all. Is there any hope for me?

Sorry, I don't recall your exact circumstances.

If you have another machine -- any machine that can run bootp/dhcp and
tftp and NFS -- to act as a diskless-boot server, you can netboot and
install over the network. If you wait a couple of days, you can even
use sysinst to label a local disk and unpack tar sets over NFS.

If you don't have a network for your DECstation but you have acess to
a machine, you can dd the diskimage onto the beginning of a disk, move
the disk to the DECstation, and boot.  

You don't need to change anything on the diskimage or futz with the
disklabel any more.  The kernel now detects it was booted from a
diskimage, ignores the diskimage label, and uses the real disk size
and a a faked-up disklabel.

If you have just a machine with no OS at all, then I don't see how you
could even expect to install Ultrix, either.  All ULtrix has that
NetBSD is missing is tape boot (TK-50? ugh, *no* thanks) and CD-rom
distribution.