----- Original Message ----- 
From: NetBSD Bob <nbsdbob@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
To: <port-vax@netbsd.org>
Cc: NetBSD Bob <nbsdbob@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 6:37 PM
Subject: Now a VAX --- what to do with it?


> For some months, I have been accumulating odd bits of DECish flotsam
> and jetsam from Moo U surplus.  And, a friend has floated my way a
> MicroVAX 3100.  My first attempt at a VAX 3500 running NetBSD was a
> smoking failure.  I would like to give it another try, and see if
> I can do a bit better.
> 
> The current MicroVAX 3100 has Ultrix 4.2 on one tiny RZ23 drive,
> but the case has two more (which I may change out to RZ24's or RZ25's)
> and it has an RRD42 cdrom and a 2-gig Tandberg 1/4 inch cartridge tape
> (probably to be changed for a 525mb Tandberg).  The case is the double
> high thing with the front door for accessing the bottom drive tray.
> The terminal is a Wyse-85 into the serial port.
> 
> 1.  What exactly is this machine, or how do I find that out from the
>     boot roms?  It seems to be a MicroVAX 3100-20?
> 
> 2.  Will it satisfactorily run NetBSD-VAX-1.4.1 (it seems that it
>     should)?
> 
> 3.  I have some additional DEC parts that might be useful for bringing
>     things up (RZ55, TZ50, RZ24s, RZ25s).  What would be worthwhile to
>     add externally or internally to the box?
> 
> 4.  Using the existing Ultrix as the starting point, what would be the
>     best way to approach installing NetBSD-VAX-1.4.1 on a drive, and
>     then booting off that drive?
> 
> My thoughts were to add a pair of RZ24's, internally, removing the
> second and third RZ23's, then use the remaining space on the first
> RZ23 to unroll the boot image, and then dd it onto the second drive.
> Then tape or ftp load the rest.
> 
> Since I have both the tandberg and the TZ50 tape drives, can a bootable
> tape for booting/installing be made for either device from Ultrix, if
> I use the second drive (RZ23 or RZ24) as workspace, and then the third
> drive (RZ24 or RZ25) as the destination drive?
> 
> Can it be testbooted from the Ultrix?  I don't want to nuke the Ultrix,
> until I am sure NetBSD is up and running correctly, AND I have a backup
> recovery/reboot method in case it or I cause it to fail.
> 
> Any insights or suggestions are appreciated.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
>  
>