> just as an idea, do you have a smaller kernel you can boot ?  i
> saw similar lossage when i booted a big kernel... (it was compiled
> with -g) and when i strip -d'ed it, it worked.

Spot on!!!!

I strip -d the netbsd kernel and:

WARNING: Unable to determine keyboard type
SPARCstation IPX, No Keyboard
ROM Rev. 2.9, 32 MB memory installed, Serial #2192710.
Ethernet address 8:0:20:d:5f:8f, Host ID: 57217546.


                                                                      
Initializing Memory 
Type  help  for more information
ok boot net netbsd.small -s
Boot device: /sbus/le@0,c00000   File and args: netbsd.small -s       
b200 
>> NetBSD BOOT [$Revision: 1.4 $]
boot: client IP address: 144.136.188.248
boot: client name: h2
root addr=144.136.188.211 path=/export/root/h2
Booting netbsd.small @ 0x4000
974816+106112+78648+[41664+45003]=0x13442b
Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
        The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.

NetBSD 1.1 (GENERIC_SCSI3) #9: Tue Nov 21 20:15:17 MET 1995
    pk@neon:/usr/src1/sys/arch/sparc/compile/GENERIC_SCSI3
real mem = 33443840
avail mem = 29872128
using 408 buffers containing 1671168 bytes of memory
bootpath: /sbus@1,f8000000/le@0,c00000
mainbus0 (root)
cpu0 at mainbus0: SUNW,Sun 4/50 (W8601/8701 or MB86903 @ 40 MHz, on-chip FPU)
cpu0: cache chip bug; trap page uncached
cpu0: 65536 byte write-through, 32 bytes/line, hw flush cache enabled
memreg0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf4000000
clock0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf2000000: mk48t02 (eeprom)
timer0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf3000000
auxreg0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf7400003
zs0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf1000000 pri 12, softpri 6
zs0a: console i/o
zs1 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf0000000 pri 12, softpri 6
audio0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf7201000 pri 13, softpri 4
sbus0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf8000000: clock = 20 MHz
dma0 at sbus0 slot 0 offset 0x400000: rev 1+
esp0 at sbus0 slot 0 offset 0x800000 pri 3: ESP100A 25Mhz, target 7
scsibus0 at esp0
esp0 targ 3 lun 0: <SEAGATE, ST1480   SUN0424, 8628> SCSI2 0/direct fixed
sd0 at scsibus0: 411MB, 1476 cyl, 9 head, 63 sec, 512 bytes/sec
le0 at sbus0 slot 0 offset 0xc00000 pri 5: hardware address 08:00:20:0d:5f:8f
cgsix0 at sbus0 slot 3 offset 0x0: SUNW,501-1672, 1152 x 900, rev 7
fdc0 at mainbus0 ioaddr 0xf7200000 pri 11, softpri 4: chip 82072
fd0 at fdc0 drive 0: 1.44MB 80 cyl, 2 head, 18 sec
nfs_boot: using network interface 'le0'
nfs_boot: client_addr=0x9088bcf8
nfs_boot: server_addr=0x9088bcd3
nfs_boot: hostname=h2
root on frodo:/export/root/h2
swap on frodo:/export/swap/h2
Enter pathname of shell or RETURN for sh: 
# 

I even have a floppy!!!  hobbit used to always die on that...

--sjg