Toru Nishimura wrote:

> > Did you say what version of the firmware your 5000/240 had?  We have
> > a list of versions and whether or not they can boot via tftp.  I'm
> > suspecting (as I think some others have suggested) that your board just
> > plain doesn't like bootp and we should make sure it's on the list.
> 
> I'm worrying about DECstation firmware version issue has been
> advertised too loudly.  The netboot issue in question preventing
> NetBSD/pmax kernel from loading is, some version(s) of DECstation PROM
> TFTP code don't like huge file like installation kernels which contain
> filesystem image inside, isn't it?

In this case, it sounds like a "boot 3/tftp" is failing before the first
packet hits the network - if that's the case then it's a problem!


I have a sort-of-working, but very kludged-up, mopd that can load a
NetBSD ecoff kernel.  However, it still needs a lot of work.  I suspect
that at the moment it only works on a pmax (right byte order, right
definitions in machine/ecoff_machdep.h) and the changes are far from
pretty.  Once this is finished, then hopefully netbooting pmaxes will
become easier, especially if the other server is a NetBSD machine.

For other non-NetBSD systems as a host, the tftp size limit (or worse
problems if some machines can't tftp boot at all) will still apply...

Simon.