Der Mouse,

>My questions, then, are:
>
>- What do the mystery icons mean?  I'd guess that the switch 6 selects
>   between connector 4 and connector 5, but what are they?  I'd guess
>   AUI vs 10base2 network, except that connector 5 has no provision for
>   the usual slide-lock thing AUI is infamous for.

Yes the switch selects between the two connectors, and they are what you
suspect.

>- What's the Centronics connector at A, any guesses?

This connector is an extension of the ST 506 buss (for connecting a second
hard drive).

>- Can I use the monitor/keyboard from a MicroVAX-II/GPX I have (IIRC,
>   NetBSD does not support the GPX display)?  The connectors look
>   physically compatible, for what that's worth.

This I am not sure of, but you can use the printer port for a terminal I/O.
(basiclly the only way you can use it last I heard and the way I did it).

>- How do I get the thing apart? 

Remove the four screws from the out side bottom, then remove the bottom
plate, there are four more screws inside in aproximately the same place,
remove these, now for the tricky part, you need to grab the cover/front
panel and pull it forward, on mine I had to pull really hard because there
are grounding clips inside the exert a lot of pressure.

 I managed to take off the base, but
>   further disassembly seems to require snapping off either the front
>   or back plastic piece, neither of which wants to come off.  Or do I
>   just have to be firm and force the sides to spring apart enough to
>   lift the metal cover off the top?
>
>And the big one,
>
>- How do I install NetBSD on it? :-)

Saved the best for last right?  Net boot it or install from 5.25" floppy
disk.  Yes there is a floppy drive interface in there (once you get
inside).  I created the floppy set on a 386 machine with a 5.25" drive with
rawrite and booted the 2000 with those.

  The hardware list lists the
>   VS2000, so it should be possible.  If I'm lucky enough for the
>   Centronics connector to be SCSI, can I maybe build a boot disk on
>   another machine, or do I have to netboot for the initial install?
>
Hope this helps.

Rick Copeland
Sincerely,
Rick Copeland
Information Systems Manager
InterMag, Inc.
(916) 568-6744 x36