| 2) The machine came with no OS or drives, so I am attempting to netboot it using
| a linux system (Debian 2.1).  Using the nfsnetbsd boot image, the machine boots
| but fails to mount its root partition.  The error message is as follows:
|
| boot device: <unknown>
| nfs_boot: trying DHCP/BOOTP
| nfs_boot: DHCP server: 0x8ea0a521
| nfs_boot: my_name=tstsap2.mts.mb.ca
| nfs_boot: my_addr=0x8ea0a53d
| nfs_boot: my_mask=0xffffff00
| nfs_boot: portmap NFS, error=5
| cannot mount root, error=5
| root device (default le0):
|
| Are there any ideas as to why this is not working?

I suspect "root path is too long for BOOTP protocol".

Jonathan Stone once mentioned last year as;

| From the dhcpd.conf on one of my machines at home, which I've verified
| on a 5000/25 and 5000/20:
|
|     filename "netbsd.ecoff"  ;
|     # Warning! Some proms (KN02-CA v2.0m PROM) fail to get an IP
|     # address if option  root-path has a string of >= 16 chars.
|     # Use symlinks to keep the root-path <= 15 chars.
|     # OK:        option root-path "xxxxyyyyzzzzaaa";
|     # TOO LONG:  option root-path "xxxxyyyyzzzzaaaf";
|     # ALSO TOO LONG: option root-path "/export/nfsclient/pmax-root" ;
|     # OK ALTERNATIVE:  
|     #   (after doing "ln -s /export/nfsclient/pmax-root /pmax-root")
|     option root-path "/pmax-root" ;
|
| On that machine, 15-char pathnames works, 16-char pathnames don't.
| Maybe it depends on PROM versions?

Tohru Nishimura