on 11/21/99 1:14 PM, Olaf Seibert at rhialto@polder.ubc.kun.nl wrote:

> I got a few "new" VAXstations yesterday.
> 
> One is a (currently still diskless) 3100/M38 (but I have a spare 2G disk
> for it). I was wondering how to install NetBSD on it. I considered
> making a boot tape, since I have 2 TK-50Zs. But then I noticed the
> external SCSI connector seems to be a WIDE SCSI connector. Can that be
> true?  There are 2 normal NCR 5380s inside, and they are narrow, right?
> In any case, it means my SCSI cable won't fit (it has the old
> centrics-like plugs on both sides).

    No it is not wide SCSI, its plain old SCSI-1. For some odd reason they
decided to but more ground lines in the external SCSI port, so you have to
find an HD 68pin female SCSI connector. I haven't been looking overly hard,
but I still have yet to come across one.
 
> Or I could netboot it from Ultrix (which runs on my MicroVAX 3100/10).
> That should do MOP fine of course, and the manual pages suggest rarp
> and bootparam should also work.

    Yep, I have my VS3100m30 netbooting from my DECstation 5000/200 under
NetBSD 1.4.1 using MOP and bootp or bootparms. Bootparms is easier to
config, but the MOP kernel always tries bootp first on my system so it
doesn't matter much. I can post my configurations if you would like.
 
> I could also perhaps put the disk in the Ultrix machine first and write
> some stuff to it, but it's not clear to me yet what exactly and how.
> Perhaps booting from tape (that plug should work) and doing a minimal
> install is easiest. Addendum: I'm trying this now, and a) the INSTALL
> document seems to be aout of date, since no miniroot.gz file is to be
> found where it claims, and b) when using boot.fs.gz, the tape whirrs for
> a long time and then I get
> 
>>>> B mkb500
> 
> -MKB500
>>> NetBSD/vax boot [Aug 13 1999 20:18:28] <<
>>> Press any key to abort autoboot 0
>> boot netbsd
> boot failed: Unknown error: code 32768037
>> boot netbsd.gz
> boot failed: Unknown error: code 32768037
>> boot netbsd.old
> boot failed: Unknown error: code 32768037
>> boot getnetbsd
> boot failed: Unknown error: code 32768037
>> 
> 
> Perhaps the INSTALL forgot to mention I had to copy something else
> (besides boot.fs) to the tape too? --end Addendum.

    No I don't think so, I think it is basically saying "Hey, I can't
find/load the Kernel." I seem to remember reading somewhere that you had to
explicitly declare 512 byte mode and some kind of spacing with dd when you
write the tape, I could be wrong.
 
> Can I swap the memory module between the MicroVAX 3100/10 and the
> VAXstation 3100 M38? The former has 32M and the latter only 16, and I
> may want to swap that.

    Couldn't tell you, sorry.
 
> On to the VAXstation 2000. I also wanted to check this one headless, so
> I plugged in the 3-MMJ port cigarette box thingy, yet nothing
> intelligible appeared on port #1. I got some line noise-like stuff, as
> if the baud rate was wrong (but I tried various rates). Do I need to do
> something else to make this work (I'm sure it is a FAQ but I can't seem
> to find an answer starting from www.netbsd.org).

    You would think that you would plug the terminal into the port with the
arrows, but in truth you have to plug it into the printer port! It took me a
few days to figure that one out. BTW it should be 9600 N-8-1 XON/XOFF.
 
> TIA,
> -Olaf.
> --
> ___ Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert - rhialto@polder.ubc.     -- If one tells the
> truth,
> \X/ .kun.nl     -- one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out. (Oscar
> Wilde) 
> 

    Hope that helps

    Chris


-- 
    "I use to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure..."