On Sun, Aug 13, 2006 at 07:02:40PM -0700, Andy Ruhl wrote:
> A few issues:
> 
> 1. What is the default boot device on Dreamcast?
> 2. Can we get some links fixed on the page for the port?
> 
> First, #1:
> 
> I see this in the GENERIC config file in 3.0.1:
> 
> # Kernel root file system and dump configuration.
> #config         netbsd  root on ? type nfs
> #config         netbsd  root on wd0a type ffs
> config          netbsd  root on ? type ?
> 
> This produces a panic when I attempt to netboot this kernel (using the
> IP upload slave setup and an NFS root). If I change to this (the only
> change):
> 
> # Kernel root file system and dump configuration.
> config         netbsd  root on ? type nfs
> #config         netbsd  root on wd0a type ffs
> #config          netbsd  root on ? type ?
> 
> Then I can boot.
> 
> Are we expecting to boot off of CD with the GENERIC method? What exact
> device is the default GENERIC kernel actually expecting? It seems like
> it's not practical to boot these things from anything except the
> network, except maybe to do some small stuff with the MD kernel.
> 
> Maybe we could make a GENERIC_NFS kernel to go with the distro so that
> it's not so difficult to get it to netboot? I had to cross compile a
> kernel on another box. That's kind of difficult for the non NetBSD
> initiated.
> 
> Second, #2:
> 
> The links to Josh Tolbert's page in the howto
> (http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/dreamcast/howto.html) point to this non
> existent place:
> 
> http://members.wri.com/josht/dreamcast/dreamcast.html
> 
> They should point here (I think):
> 
> http://www.puresimplicity.net/~hemi/dreamcast/
> 
> So far 3.0.1 seems to be working. I got a panic on halt once, not sure
> why. It's compiling some pkgsrc stuff right now.
> 
> Andy

Hey Andy,

When I was building my NFS-bootable kernel I had to switch the line you
changed as well. Before, it would stop and prompt me for the root device.
I never had it panic, but I've always had a keyboard and such hooked up to it.

I think changing the default to boot from NFS is a good idea...Particularly
considering I never could actually get it to boot and run properly from a
CD-based file system. I never bothered with an MD file system.

Too bad we can't boot from VMU...That would be interesting.

Yeah, the Wolfram (wri) link has been succeeded by the puresimplicity.net link
for a few years. Unfortunately, I lost access to that machine
(members.wri.com) when I changed jobs last December and have no way to
automatically redirect people.

I should give 3.0.1 a whirl, since building anything on 2.x resulted in lots
of crashes. Maybe it's just my DC, but it still runs 1.x without crashing.

Thanks,

Josh
-- 
Josh Tolbert
hemi@puresimplicity.net  ||  http://www.puresimplicity.net/~hemi/

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor
do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger
is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either
a daring adventure, or nothing.
    -- Helen Keller