On Mar 19,  3:01pm, Ross Clewley wrote:
> Subject: Installation Query
> Hello
>
> I'm trying to install RiscBSD on an SA powered RPC.
>
> I take it that I need to be installing release 1.2.
> However, since the only documentation that I can find is for installing the
> 1.1 Beta release, I'm having to assume that the procedure is the same as for
> that. However, there are several points that I am unclear on.

It is similar.

> Firstly, which is the appropraite kernel to be using. The one I have had the
> most success with is sa110-4958.

I suspect that an older one might work better.

> Secondly, in the instructions in Step 6, it says that riscbsd should be
> booted via the ramdisc and hence the root device should be set to /dev/rd0a.
> However, if I do this the boot process is halted with the message 'panic:
> cannot mount root'.

The ramdisk has been renamed to memory disk (md0). Of course you need a new
bootloader and boot floppy to take advantage of this. The alternative
(probabkly easier) is to use an old SA kernel.

> It made more sense to me to set the root device to /dev/fd0a in the
> bootloader window since the floppy is where init was installed using the
> flopwrite program. This works better. The installation program proceeds up
> until the stage where I have to allocate the swap partition size. After
> specifying this the installation process is halted with the message

DON'T DO THIS.

The reason you use ramdisk (which is loaded from floppy) is so that the floppy
drive is free for you to do the installation. You can't unmount the root device
so if the root device is a floppy you can't install from floppy.

> ffs: /dev/rd0 on /:specified device does not match mounted device
> // install: cannot create /etc/disktab: read-only file system
>
> Any idea why this is happening? In the initial boot messages it says

You booted from /dev/wd0.

> WARNING: NO SWAP SPACE FOUND
>
> Is this going to be significant?

No, swap space is irrelevant during the install.

Cheers

Rob