Subject: Re: boot floppies?
To: None <eeh@netbsd.org, msanders@confusion.net>
From: None <eeh@netbsd.org>
List: port-sparc64
Date: 09/11/2001 03:04:22
| eeh@netbsd.org writes:
| >Sun does not support booting from floppy, many machines cannot boot
| >from floppy, and it's difficult to fit 12+ MB of kernel onto a 
| >1.44MB floppy.
|
| So use more than one.  The kernel in kern.tgz from the latest snapshot
| looks like it would fit on two disks.  I understand why it might not

You're forgetting the miniroot, which takes up another 6MB or so.  For
a better idea, look at an INSTALL kernel:

-rwxr-xr-x  1 eeh  wheel  5562534 Sep 10 19:55 /tmp/netbsd.INSTALL.gz*

That's more like 5 disks compressed.

| be a priority, but it would be convenient to have for systems that
| support it.   
|
| Which machines can and can't boot from floppy?

It's more a question of which machines *can* boot from floppy.
Since Sun does not support booting from floppy, there is little
impetus to fix bugs in the firmware related to booting from floppy,
or tape for that matter.  All the cases where I have tried it, 
which consist of a Blade 100 and AXi, failed.  None of the other 
machines I've played with even had a floppy drive.

Eduardo