I tripped over this as well.  The "release" system uses the version of
config that requires you to build a kernel using a line like

config	netbsd	swap on sd0 and sd1

if you want to have more than one drive with a swap partition.  The
current sources use a different version of config that will not accept
the swap option, and will automatically find swap partitions.  swapctl(8)
is packaged with the latest snapshot, you don't actually need it to get
set up.  It lets you list the partitions and make changes after the system
is up.

I'd suggest you get the snapshot of 970804.  That actually comes up and
runs and even builds kernels :)  Thanks, Curt Sampson.  It has now been
smoke tested on a PC164 as well.  I'd get the toolchain first.  Here is his
original note:

I've put up a new snapshot in

    ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/NetBSD/arch/alpha/970801

    This doesn't include a toolchain, so if you're installing it afresh
    (rather than over a previous installation) you'll want to install
    the 970423 snapshot first. If there's any serious demand I'll do
    up a toolchain. (Also, all the links like /usr/bin/cc -> ../local/bin/cc
    are missing, so you may have to add those in if you're copying a
    toolchain from somewhere else.)

    This hasn't been tested extensively, but it is known to boot into
    multi-user mode and on my AXPpci33. Let me know of any problems or
    whatnot with it.

This does raise the question of good sources of documentation about the
changes NetBSD has made to BSD4.4-lite.  Not only is the config change a
surprise, but adding a device driver for a BSD hacker is like a trip through
a brave, new world.  Is the only way to discover these things the sources and
the mailing list archive, or is there a write-up in the works or off on some
web page?

It would also be good to tie a binary snapshot like this to a particular
set of tools (versions numbers if not a copy) and the particular source
distribution it was built from... not to belabor the obvious, but that's
the only way we know we can duplicate things consistently and trust that
we have the right sources at our own places.