Re: Installing NetBSD on a MicroVax 3900

[Mr Ian Primus <ian_primus%yahoo.com@localhost>]

--- On Sat, 6/7/08, Mr Ian Primus <ian_primus%yahoo.com@localhost> wrote:

> I have copied the "boot" file from the CDROM and
> put it in /tftpboot/mop, and named it 08002b17fbd5.SYS (the
> MAC address of the Vax's ethernet card). Booting the vax
> gets MOP requests to show up on the screen of the Sun, and
> on two occasions it seemed to actually download the file -
> lots of stuff scrolled up the Sun's screen, network
> activity blinking... but it wouldn't boot. Once I got
> the Vax to go to 1...0. and then it crashed with an error.
> Most of the time though, it just doesn't load, and goes
> to "Retrying network bootstrap". I have yet to get
> the Vax to actually execute the code, or give any hint of
> NetBSD or a bootloader.
> 
> Both computers are connected to a BayStack hub, and to
> nothing else.
> 
> So, I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Trying again some this morning, I also tried downloading NetBSD 3.1, and using 
the boot.vax from that disc. No go. When running mopd as "mopd -f eth0", I can 
get more consise messages, and they're all just "My address is 
08:00:20:86:7c:82" (the MAC address of the Sun I'm using as a MOP server), 
scrolling up the screen as the Vax tries to boot. The lights on the hub blink 
as if the vax is downloading from the Sun, but it never works. It just goes to 
"Retrying network bootstrap". Once more I got it to go to 1..0.. on the Vax, 
but then it hung. I've got the file named 08002b17fbd5.SYS, and I've also tried 
calling it mopboot.SYS, and booting with /100 on the Vax to be able to specify 
the filename.

What is wrong?

-Ian