> Jay D. Allen skrev:
> 
> >> Jay D. Allen skrev:
> >>
> >> >    Is there anyone else working on a secondary boot loader
> >> >for the DECStations?  Seems like the only way to get around
> >> >this game of making funky kernels, and maybe the way
> >> >to netboot machines that only support MOP loading (short of writing
> >> >a new mop server).   This would be a small program that could
> >> >be tftp or MOP booted, which when loaded could use NFS, tftp,
> >> >or whatever to get the ball rolling.
> >>
> >> A mopd is part of the standard NetBSD distribution, so what's wrong with
> >> booting your entire kernel that way?
> 
> >1.  As near as I can tell it does not work.  You need a mop protocol
> >image, or an a.out image.   The latter begets the former if you
> >can make an a.out kernel and use mopa.out.  If I'm missing something
> >here please clue me in, but as near as I can tell there is no working
> >mop-boots for NetBSD-1.5/Pmax.
> 
> How about using the ECOFF image used for TFTP boots?
> I haven't tested the mopd myself, but will do so when booting some VAXes, I
> think.

It works on vaxen but not Decstations, at least the ones I have tried.
ECOFF will not work at all since you need a.out or mop image binary.
Try it, and let me know if you have an different experience.

> 
> >2.  It would make the decstation install more consistent with the other
> >ports; Sparc, HP300, vax.  They all use a secondary, network loadable,
> >boot loader.
> 
> I'm not certain what you mean. If you can load a first-stage loader, why nbot
> loead the entire kernel while you're at it?

The first stage (a mop image) is the problem.  a) it does not work b) even
if it did work the protocol is size constrained, and could not boot 
an install kernel.  A second stage bootloader at least has a chance of working.

> 
> >3.  There would finally be something to put in the installation/netboot
> >directory.
> 
> diskimage.gz?

Thats a compressed tarball "installation/netboot/diskimage.tgz", not a 
bootable file.  What the heck does it have to do with netbooting?  It 
could be used as a root for a diskless station but its certainly not 
net-bootable.  Maybe its name should be changed to "nfs-root.tgz"?

Jay