In message <Pine.SOL.3.96.990721184109.18359A-100000@bitter.mit.edu>,
mcmahill@mtl.mit.edu writes:
>
>
>I'm slightly further:  I followed the Netboot-HOW-TO instructions and 
>gave le1 as the root device.  This produced:
>
>root device (default md0a): le1
>dump device: 
>file system (default nfs): 
>nfs_boot: trying DHCP/BOOTP
>nfs_boot: BOOTP server: 0xa000005
>nfs_boot: my_addr=0xa000004
>nfs_boot: my_mask=0xffff0000
>nfs_boot: getfh - no pathname
>cannot mount root, error = 5
>
>
>my_addr is right as is the BOOTP server.  Don't know what that "getfh - no
>pathname stuff is."

Did your bootp/dhcp config specify wher the machien should mount its
root from? It looks like it's saying it coudln't find the pathname to
mount as root, when it came time to turn that string into a filehandle.

>
>On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 mcmahill@mtl.mit.edu wrote:
>
>> 
>> 
>> I'm trying to bring my DECstation 5000/200 back to life with the pre-1.4.1
>> snapshot.  Since I managed to trash my drive a while back, I'm trying to
>> install via netboot. 
>> 
>> got as far as
>> 
>> >> boot 1/tftp
>> 993552+2142592+143892
>> Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
>>     The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.  All rights reserved.
>> Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
>>     The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
>>  
>> NetBSD 1.4 (RAMDISK) #14: Sun Jul 11 00:49:32 EST 1999
>>     root@vlad:/usr/src/sys/arch/pmax/compile/RAMDISK
>> DECstation 5000/200 (3MAX)
>> real mem  = 100663296
>> avail mem = 84406272
>> using 2457 buffers containing 10063872 bytes of memory
>> mainbus0 (root)
>> cpu0 at mainbus0: cpu0: MIPS R3000 CPU Rev. 2.0 with MIPS R3010 FPC Rev.
>> 3.0
>> cpu0: 64kb Instruction, 64kb Data, direct mapped cache
>> tc0 at mainbus0: 25 MHz clock
>> ioasic0 at tc0 slot 7 offset 0x0
>> dc0 at ioasic0 offset 0x200000
>> mcclock0 at ioasic0 offset 0x280000: mc146818 or compatible
>> le0 at tc0 slot 6 offset 0x0: address 08:00:2b:1b:c1:24
>> le0: 32 receive buffers, 8 transmit buffers
>> asc0 at tc0 slot 5 offset 0x0 (bus speed: 25 MHz) : target 7
>> le1 at tc0 slot 1 offset 0x0: address 08:00:2b:1a:80:19
>> le1: 32 receive buffers, 8 transmit buffers
>> Beginning old-style SCSI device autoconfiguration
>> rz0 at asc0 drive 0 slave 0 DEC RZ56     (C) DEC rev 0300
>> rz0: 634MB, 1632 cyl, 15 head, 53 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 1299174 sectors
>> md0: internal 2048K image area
>> boot device: <unknown>
>> root on md0a dumps on md0b
>> no file system for md0 (dev 0x1100)
>> cannot mount root, error = 79
>> root device (default md0a): 
>> 
>> 
>> and then it doesn't like anything I try.  I've tried hitting "enter" for
>> defaults, but that gives:
>> 
>> root device (default md0a): 
>> dump device (default md0b): 
>> file system (default generic): 
>> root on md0a dumps on md0b
>> no file system for md0 (dev 0x1100)
>> cannot mount root, error = 79
>> root device (default md0a): 

Oh, oh. It looks like Simon forgot to do the mdsetimage to write the
ramdisk-image into the space allocated for that. Either that or he ran
into a pmap bug which caused mdsetimage to not work. Simon?

(that aside, setting up a DHCP or bootp server with an entry tellings
the `root-on-nfs' machine what to mount as its root should work).