> From: Philip A Zimmermann <paz@world.std.com>

> I just read your recent posting to the comp.sys.ns32k group

Actually I sent it to mail list pc532@bungi.com,
where dlr@bungi.com runs a 2 way intelligent mirror from & to comp.sys.ns32k
(I believe the `mirror' involves a human ;-)
mail dlr to subscribe to list pc532@bungi.com.

> and noticed
> you seem to be running NetBSD.

Yup, runs very nicely, thanks to much work by Phil in Oz.
mail list port-pc532@NetBSD.ORG is for the discussion of pc532 specific
issues of the NetBSD Op System.
mail majordomo@NetBSD.ORG (or perhaps majordomo@sun-lamp.cs.berkeley.edu)
to subscribe.

> I bought two pc532s almost a year ago (very
> late in the game!) and have yet to fire one up.
Well if you want a fully working Un*x on your box, grab NetBSD for the PC532.

> I am interested in how you
> got netBSD loaded onto you hard drive,

I guess I levered off Mach, or maybe Minix, or my i486 + scsi external drive.
Can't remember, too long ago.

> and if you could suggest a
> practical way for me to do this, as I don't have a hard drive with any OS
> on it at this point.

Phil's Install doc has a load of suggestions, the docs are probably in
something like (I'm making this up, I'm off line)
	sun-lamp.cs.berkeley.edu:...../NetBSD/arch/pc532/INSTALL.NOTES

> Is it possible to switch on the pc532 on a hard drive
> which hasn't even been formatted yet, format it

Yes, gj@pcs.dec.com & I formatted a scsi disc about 2 years on a pc532 using
the rom monitor & a scsi disc manual, I cant remember details now though.

> and load it with NetBSD?

Yes, read that doc. (I'll mail it you by non cc'd mail, as this is cc'd
to both lists)
Note Doc extract:
] These notes assume that you can get files onto the raw disk or into
] memory using previous notes about how to use the ROM monitor.

Note I'm particularly vague about monitor commands, don't use it much,
I advise you to enquire on list pc532 for a copy of the eprom for the autoboot
monitor, if you havent already got it.
(Again mail pc532@bungi.com, not me as I'm too vague as to monitor variants)

> Would I eventually be sipping NetBSD through the serial port from my pc
> (running as console) to load it? 
I believe NetBSD does support SLIP, (but not Phil's last binary release 
I think), In fact I'm about to try to set up a SLIP link between my
FreeBSD-current+i486 & my PC532-NetBSD-current,
so I'll know more about that soon.

> 
> or...
> 
> Is there some kind soul you'd know of who could format & load NetBSD onto my 
> hard drive for the pc532?
> 
> There's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem I have here 6^>

I'd happily clone you a disc, as long as you pay postage both ways.

I could also write you a tape (QIC 24=60M, 150, or 525 , 
  (even a TEAC 50/60M cassette (don't worry, nobody knows what they are ;-)),
(assuming you don't have internet / ftp access ?)
but you will need a friend with access to a machine with a scsi bus,
& root access permission, & sufficient tools
& knowledge to be able to blast arbitrary disc sectors with a tool like `dd'.
Note the Adaptec 1542B scsi controller card (PC-3&486 card) has a bios
routine that can format discs easier than futzing with pc532 monitor
hexadecimals.

I'm in Munich Germany, 
Phil is in Australia,
There's a few others about,
where are you ?

> tnx-
> =Philip=

My pleasure, I hope you boot soon, it's worth it, the PC532 is really 
rather nice these days, hitching a ride with NetBSD has given us a much
larger base of OS contributors than we ever had with Minix or Mach :-)
(Not that I'm denigrating Minix or Mach, there just werent many of us,
 & the PC532 was not integrated into a cross platform source tree)

---
Julian Stacey <stacey@freefall.cdrom.com>