Subject: Netbooting again (DECStation 5000/25 from Linux)
To: Pmax Netbsd Mailing List <port-pmax@netbsd.org>
From: Douglas S. Meade <doug@inforum2.umd.edu>
List: port-pmax
Date: 01/02/1999 11:20:09
Hi,

I'd like to thank Bill and Simon for their helpful suggestions,
as well as to report on the resolution of my problem.  

I used tcpdump to try to see what was happening (or not happening)
between my two machines.  Since their is so much traffic on our 
network (Univ. of Maryland), I told tcpdump to only report on 
traffic issueing from these two hosts.  There I found that right
after the client made its TFTP request, the host Linux machine tried
to resolve the client's name, but was unsuccessful.  You see, I had
decided to use a free IP address in our building, and had assigned
it a name in the hosts file.  However, this name was not known to 
the nameserver.  The host machine chose to check the nameserver 
first, even though I have "order host, bind" in the host.conf file.

If I had used ip numbers only, instead of host names, it probably
would have worked, but instead I took down another machine on our
network, and stole its name and ip.  After that, it worked like a 
charm, and I had the installation up and configured in less than 
two hours.

I managed to scrounge up several of these old boxes.  I rather like
them, even though they're slow.  Only problem is, they were only sold
without monitor or keyboard.  I finally managed to get a monitor and 
keyboard, by buying a full system from somebody on comp.sys.dec.

Yesterday, I installed on to a second machine.  I verified that it 
can be booted with keyboard only, and then the keyboard can be 
removed, and I can work it headless via ethernet.  However, it 
seems that you cannot then use the keyboard again.  Plugging the 
LK-201 back in puts the machine into a spasm, and it locks up.
So, when I shut it down, this must also be via ethernet.

I'd like to also install Linux on one of the machines.  The linux
port doesn't seem to be as far along as the NetBSD.  Does anybody in 
this group have experience with it?

Doug
doug@inforum2.umd.edu
Inforum - University of Maryland