Ahilan Anantha wrote:
> 
>         I have a few questions about installing NetBSD on an HP 425t. The
> system is currently running Apollo Domain/OS 10.4 and using a Domain style
> keyboard, but I've managed to get an HP HIL converter and a HIL interface
> keyboard and mouse.

Oops.  I've just finished doing support for the Domain keyboards 8)

>         I know that there is a "disklabel" command. I've tried using it
> on an MVME 147 board that was running the entire OS over NFS. I managed to
> create partitions using disklabel, but I was never really sure I was doing
> it right. I also could never get the "installboot" program to work for me.

disklabel -B sdx  worked for me here.

>         It seems that the method to install bootblocks differs across
> NetBSD ports. The disklabel man page I was reading said that on some
> systems disklabel with a "-B" option installs the bootblocks. But
> apparently that isn't true for port-mvme68k. Is the "-B" what is used for
> hp300?

-B is supported on a number of platforms; often the method of installing
booblocks is dependant on the boot firmware.

>         Also, what about /etc/disktab ? Do I need to create an entry for
> my disk in there to be able to disklabel? Or does NetBSD automagically
> figure out everything it needs to know to disklabel?

Standard procedure is to use disklabel to get a copy of the in-core
label for the disk and write it to a file, edit it and splat it back.
Something like :

diskabel sdx >/tmp/label
disklabel -R -r sdx /tmp/label
 
--
Mike Smith  *BSD hack  Unix hardware collector
The question "why are the fundamental laws of nature mathematical"
invites the trivial response "because we define as fundamental those
laws which are mathematical".  Paul Davies, _The_Mind_of_God_