> I am trying to get the netbsd install files onto tk50 tapes using a
> microvax II running vms 4.7. 
> 
> initialize /erase mua0: ""          	looks like it completes ok.
> mount /foreign /block=512 mua0:		also completes ok
> copy tk50-file1.xxx mua0:		dies. It sez something about
> 					parameter mismatch and file
> 					 not completely copied
> 
> or if I copy tk50-file2.xxx instead, it looks like it completes, but after
> copying to the disk, the bootstrap program nboot can't find netbsd or
> gennetbsd.

You'll have to do a $DIR/FULL on the VMS files and see exactly
what VMS thinks the record format and lengths are.  In particular,
if they were created by C-Kermit on VMS in binary mode they may
very well look like this when you $DIR/FULL:

$ dir/full risks.tar

Directory DISK$USER:[SHOPPA.UNTAR]

RISKS.TAR;1                   File ID:  (5699,4,0)
Size:        26836/26838      Owner:    [THEORY,SHOPPA]
Created:   3-FEB-1997 19:59:38.00
Revised:   3-FEB-1997 19:59:38.00 (1)
Expires:   <None specified>
Backup:    <No backup recorded>
File organization:  Sequential
File attributes:    Allocation: 26838, Extend: 0, Global buffer count: 0
                    No version limit
Record format:      Stream_LF
Record attributes:  Carriage return carriage control
RMS attributes:     None
Journaling enabled: None
File protection:    System:RWED, Owner:RWED, Group:RE, World:
Access Cntrl List:  None

Total of 1 file, 26836/26838 blocks.

When VMS thinks a file is "Stream_LF", this means that the file was
created by a Unix-like program, and when accessed with a more VMS-style
RMS read, the record length will be variable and will depend on the
number of characters between line feeds.

What you want to do is get Joe Meadow's FILE utility (available
from ftp.spc.edu or ftp.wku.edu or ftp.decus.org) and change the
format and record length to something more normal.  For example:

$ file risks.tar/type=fixed/record_size=512
$ dir/full risks.tar

Directory DISK$USER:[SHOPPA.UNTAR]

RISKS.TAR;1                File ID:  (5699,4,0)
Size:        26836/26838      Owner:    [THEORY,SHOPPA]
Created:   3-FEB-1997 19:59:38.00
Revised:   3-FEB-1997 19:59:38.00 (1)
Expires:   <None specified>
Backup:    <No backup recorded>
File organization:  Sequential
File attributes:    Allocation: 26838, Extend: 0, Global buffer count: 0
                    No version limit
Record format:      Fixed length 512 byte records
Record attributes:  Carriage return carriage control
RMS attributes:     None
Journaling enabled: None
File protection:    System:RWED, Owner:RWED, Group:RE, World:
Access Cntrl List:  None

Total of 1 file, 26836/26838 blocks.

> My microvax is not net connected, so I have to ftp the files into a PC and
> kermit them over to the microvax.

If they were created with C-Kermit, then I'll bet the problem is that
they are "Stream_LF".  Give Joe Meadow's FILE utility a try.

Tim. (shoppa@triumf.ca)