Re: Installing NetBSD over SoL

["Ian D. Leroux" <idleroux%fastmail.fm@localhost>]

I've no experience of serial devices under NetBSD, so I can't offer
much help, but here at least are a few definitions:

Quoting "Ben C." <armondbc%gmail.com@localhost> (Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:29:37 
-0500):
> I didn't try it with the 'kdb' added on there as the bootloader's
> help menu says is possible, I have no idea what it means/is (keyboard
> driver?  just guessing)

See boot_console(8), under console selection policy.  Appending
'kbd' means test the port in question before using it, and fall back to
the standard PC display and keyboard if it fails.

> However, during the install it asked something about the 'bootblocks'
> and how to install them, -- which included some section about serial
> devices (which, I particularly don't understand, I must be reading the
> wrong man pages...) -- When this happened I selected 'com3' at 115200
> baud, which is my SoL baud.

Boot blocks is another name for the primary bootstrap code (since it
is stored in blocks, i.e. contiguous disk sectors that the BIOS can
just load, rather than as a file in a filesystem the BIOS doesn't
understand).  See installboot(8).  In particular, note that setting
speed=0 will just continue to use the speed previously set by the BIOS.

Good luck,

Ian D. Leroux