> OK.  So you are saying that kernel 1.5.1 beta2 is a normal part of
> this release branch?

That is correct.  Explanation (hopefully) below ...

> But for the kernel, I ended up with 1.5.1 beta2, and that doesn't sound
> like a bug fix to the release branch.

A quick precis of the development/release process (there is a document
describing this, but I don't have the URL to had) :

  The main development is called NetBSD-current (-current for short).  This
  has a version number based on the previous release, suffixed by a letter
  (or sometimes two).

  Every so often, there is a release.  This is branched from -current at a
  stable point and goes through alphas and betas until the release is frozen.
  After the release, bug fixes are applied to the release branch and minor
  releases are made (with their own alpha and beta cycles).

  Using sup (or CVS) to download the sources takes a snapshot of the
  development at some point along the trunk (-current) or one of the
  branches (e.g. 1.5).  At this point in time, -current is at 1.5W and the
  1.5 release branch is at 1.5.1beta2.  Thus, if you use sup (or CVS) to
  take a snapshot of the 1.5 release branch, you will get 1.5.1beta2.

  When 1.5.1 is tagged in a short while (hopefully), you will be able to
  download the 1.5.1 sources as tar files (and probably there will be a
  window where sup or CVS will happen to download exactly the 1.5.1 sources
  because that's how far we are along the branch).  After that, if you run
  sup or CVS, you get sources after this point (e.g. 1.5.1A).

So, for your kernel with the version "1.5.1 beta2", you've got sources
based on the 1.5 release, with the bug fixes applied to the 1.5 release
branch since then.

J

-- 
                    My other computer also runs NetBSD
                          http://www.netbsd.org/