Hi !

> 1.  Which of these systems would be the best to use as a host? A more 
> experienced
> VAX sysadmin has suggested canibalising all three to build one 'good' one, 
> which 
> sounds like a good plan, especially for the memory. Okay I know the final 
> system will
> still be less powerful than an i486, but I don't have one of those.

Ok, i have a 3100 M76 and a 4000 VLC (M30), as i know, the M76 is the most
powerful of all. (don't know the 4000 M60 exactly, but the M30 is slower as
the 3100 M76). There is a "Hardware Reference" on the netbsd-server, in some
corner there must be a comparison in performance. The M76 currently runs the
"current" kernel, netbooted from a Linux server. You can also run the 1.3.2,
but the mop-booter of this distribution doesn't work with the M76. 4000 M60
support is also newly implemented in the current-development. The 3100 M38
should work with the 1.3.2-Version.
The performance of the 3100 M76 (didn't compare it fair with my intels) is
really nice to do some useful things with it, kernel compiling takes about
1-2 hours (didn't look the whole time).

> 2.  Is there any instructions available for installing net-bsd on the final 
> box? Ideally,
> a 1-2-3-.... step-type guide, and an FAQ!

I got it running. Do you have a BSD or Linux-Box to put some kind of "mopd"
onto it and share a nfs resource for netbooting ? SCSI is not yet supported
very well on those boxes. If you have such, i would try to give you a
"specialized" form of the installation instructions as it runs on my network.
Ah yes, network is a *must* because of the netbooting. As servers you can use
everything, in my case intel 486dx-50 with RedHat-Linux 5.1.

> 3.   X-windows? Nice but not essential, gcc is essential though.

gcc is included, X is in work for the M76 (monochrome, i try to get info
about the 8-plane framebuffer).

> 4.  Is any other machine required for booting? I seem to remember something 
> about
> having to net boot from another BSD box, in which case I've a problem.  I've 
> got access
> to Solaris and AIX boxes, and can probably get a Linux (Red-Hat v5.1) system 
> fairly
> readily. No BSD though :-(

Got a c compiler on that sun box ? if so, i think you should get work the mop
daemon. If you then also get a bootp server running, you have won. (Older booter
works with RARP). NFS is also no probs, the rarp/nfs-boot process is a sun
invention as i know.

> Apologies for being so badly informed, but this will be a (many) lunchtime 
> project for me.
> Many blessings on any respondant.

I began the same way asking "silly" questions after having the boxes standing
around collecting dust for 2 years.

Just mail (directly to camaro@stefan.de or via the list)

cu.. Michael