> Okay, first off: I am totally new to NetBSD/pmax, and, for that matter, MIPS
> hardware in general.
> 
> Thanks to a kind individual in my area with lots of goodies to give away, I
> have acquired a DECstation 5000/200. After checking the FAQ on netbsd.org, I
> have a couple questions that are more related to networking than port-pmax,
> but I thought I'd ask them here anyway, in case anybody had run into the
> same type of issues.

first off, congrats on a classic bit o' hardware! not many folks run
PMAXen anymore, but some of us do :) 

> 
> 1) My 5000/200 will run headless; I already have a db9 <-> db9 cable to use
>    for serial console, and a db9 <-> db25 adapter to make it work on Sun
>    machines. Am I correct in assuming that a gender bender is all I'll need
>    to be able to use it for console on the pmax?

if you have a normal passthrough cable, you will probably need a null
modem adaptor; 
you will likely need a null modem cable to connect most things to the
console. after that, just make sure you're at 9600-N-8-1

> 
> 2) I haven't used coax for networking in almost ten years. I've got all the
>    cable, t-connectors, and such, that I'll need, but due to my network
>    topology and current lack of console access to the machine, I am unable
>    to determine if a 10base5 <-> 10base2 tranceiver is getting a link or
>    not. I've got an IBM 8271 10baseT switch as my main backbone at the
>    moment, and it has an AUI port that I believe I can use to connect to a
>    trans and then to the DEC. Is that all I need? I've also got a DEC
>    ThinNet Repeater and a Kalpana 10base5 switch, but I'd prefer to avoid
>    having to use those if at all possible (it is already way too hot in
>    here)

yeah, just pop the xciever onto the aui on the hub and hang a length of
thinnet between that and the BNC on the decstation. make sure you have it
terminated at both ends, too. 

 > 
> 3) Is setting up netboot for a pmax as simple as setting it up for, say, a
>    sun4[cmu]? IOW, once I've done it once, it's not a challenge anymore?

it's simpler, since you dont have to deal with the dumb bootparamd. 
youll need a mopd, a bootpd (or dhcpd), tftp, and NFS. 

> 
> 4) Should I expect a link light if I just power on the DEC with no boot
>    device, just the 10base2 connected as (I think) it should be? In my first
>    trial, nothing lit up other than power on the transceiver.

make sure it's terminated properly. 
> 
> If there is anything obvious I've missed, please point me to the appropriate
> FM. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I look forward to having a
> MIPS box (however slow it may be) to test code portability on.

good luck with it! 

happy hacking,
isildur