I've recently installed netbsd (1.6.2) onto my aging centris 610 (with 
the full 68040 chip) and the install went okay. I used the sysinst 
method with a ftp hookup to download the various components. The 
installer kernel had to negotiate the dhcp connection and did so okay. 
However, the main install does not see anything, as in any other 
computer, not even my local ones, and in particular does not see the 
dsl modem that provided its ip when it did the ftp during the install. 
The mac os (8.1) still is able to use the local networking just fine, I 
don't think I was successful in making an outside connection with the 
centris under 8.1, but wasn't too interested in doing so.

Here is my network arrangement starting from the dsl modem. The dsl 
modem goes to the uplink of an Asante hub which then goes to the uplink 
of a Belkin wireless router. A G4 powermac is connected via ethernet to 
the Belkin router and an iBook (old clamshell) hooked either wirelessly 
to the Belkin or wired to the Asante hub. (In this testing case, I've 
had it wired to the hub.) The centris is wired via an (Asante?) Mac Con 
ethernet card in a NuBus slot to the hub. (Note: the netbsd system 
apparently uses the ae driver since the interface chosen is ae0.)

 From all indications the centris (under netbsd) does not see the 
outside world. The dhclient sends out its stream of probes looking for 
a dhcp server but without success. Trying to ping the dsl modem (or 
anything else) generates a "cannot find it" message. And from what I 
can tell the routing table is empty. (I'm new to the netbsd world, but 
am familiar (or at least more so) with the debian and redhat-variants 
world.)  Note: immediately after the  install, i.e. after booting into 
the installed system, networking did seem to work since I was able to 
rlogin from the powermac (or possibly the ibook...too many keystrokes 
between now and my memory of that event) to the centris/netbsd. 
However, at some point something broke it. I definitely wasn't messing 
with the networking on the *centris* at that point since there were 
other issues I had to attend to first. I did however disconnect the 
ethernet cable from the hub so that I wouldn't trip over it. That 
generated a bunch of timeout messages in the system log as I remember. 
(Have rebooted several times now in the interim.)

I can provide testing results as long as they are not long since I have 
no easy way to cut and paste other than retyping what I see. ifconfig 
says the ae0 interface is active (manual media...whatever that 
means...the "manual" part), but obviously no ip number.

thanks for the help,
jeff