xref: /netbsd-src/distrib/notes/sparc/install (revision ae9172d6cd9432a6a1a56760d86b32c57a66c39c)
1Installing NetBSD is a relatively complex process, but if you have
2this document in hand it shouldn't be too much trouble.
3
4You need a SunOS machine to install NetBSD.  You also need at
5least the following pieces:
6
7    the *.tar.gz files you want to install (as a minimum, base.tar.gz)
8    gzip (GNU gzip) SunOS binary
9    gtar (GNU tar) SunOS binary
10    the "install.sh" script
11    a "/boot" file from a SunOS sun4c machine
12    a kernel, most likely "netbsd.id3_scsi"
13
14All these pieces, except "/boot", are supplied in the NetBSD/sparc
15distribution.
16
17You need to format and partition the disk using SunOS (since
18NetBSD/sparc uses SunOS disk labels.)  Give yourself adequate
19partition sizes.  Here is an example layout:
20
21    partition    size   offset	  will be..
22    sd2a        28140        0	  /
23    sd2b        16170    28140	  swap
24    sd2c       204540        0	  `whole disk'
25    sd2g       160230    44310	  /usr
26
27BTW, These are not recommended sizes.  They simply match the first
28(tiny) disk that NetBSD/sparc ran on.
29
30Use SunOS to newfs the partitions which will have filesystems on them.
31(NetBSD's filesystem format is identical to SunOS).
32
33    sunos# newfs /dev/rsd2a
34    [... lots of output]
35    sunos# newfs /dev/rsd2g
36    [... lots of output]
37
38NOTE: If you are able to, there is a performance benefit from
39newfs'ing using NetBSD.  If you newfs using the NetBSD newfs command,
40be sure to use the -O flag for your / partition, so that newfs will
41use the 4.3BSD filesystem format, rather than the new 4.4BSD filesystem
42format.  If you forget, you will not be able to boot -- the SunOS boot
43blocks do not understand the extended 4.4BSD filesystem format.
44
45Mount those partitions in a tree formation, under /mnt; ie:
46
47    sunos# df
48    Filesystem            kbytes    used   avail capacity  Mounted on
49    [...]
50    /dev/sd2a              11501       0   11501     0%    /mnt
51    /dev/sd2g             179529       0  179529     0%    /mnt/usr
52
53Place a standard SunOS "/boot" program in /mnt (your new root
54partition), and use the SunOS command "installboot" to make it work.
55The installboot man page says to do something like this:
56
57    sunos# cp /boot /mnt/boot
58    sunos# /usr/mdec/installboot -vlt /mnt/boot /usr/mdec/bootsd /dev/rsd2a
59
60You can now extract the provided "*.tar.gz files onto your disk.  The
61provided script, "install.sh" will help you:
62
63    sunos# ls -FC
64    base.tar.gz      etc.tar.gz       man.tar.gz       secr.tar.gz
65    comp.tar.gz      games.tar.gz     misc.tar.gz      text.tar.gz
66    install.sh       netbsd.id3_scsi
67    sunos# ./install.sh
68    [...]
69
70This script NEEDS gzip and gtar (GNU gzip and GNU tar) on your
71execution path!  The tar files are in a "new format" that includes
72directory information, and SunOS tar will not read them.  Statically
73linked versions of these programs for SunOS are supplied in the
74distribution.
75
76After the files have been extracted, repair /mnt/etc/fstab to match
77your actual disk layout.  (Minus the "/mnt" component of each path, of
78course :-)
79
80The install script copies the kernel called "netbsd.id3_scsi" to
81/mnt/netbsd.  Two sample kernels are supplied: "netbsd.first_scsi"
82and "netbsd.id3_scsi". An explanation follows:
83
84Unlike SunOS and the OpenBOOT ROM, NetBSD numbers scsi drives
85sequentially as it finds them.  The drive with the lowest scsi-id will
86be called sd0, the next one sd1, etc.
87
88SunOS and the OpenBOOT ROM map according to this table:
89
90    SCSI-ID ->	SunOS SD-UNIT
91    0		sd3
92    1		sd1
93    2		sd2
94    3		sd0
95    4		sd4
96    5		sd5
97    6		sd6
98
99If you have two drives, NetBSD and the OpenBOOT ROM will likely
100disagree.  The "netbsd.id3_scsi" kernel gets around this problem by
101hard-wiring scsi-id#3 to sd0.  The remaining drives will be
102dynamically mapped to other sd* numbers.  If you have more than one
103drive you will want to use this kernel.
104
105If you know what you are doing the other kernel, "netbsd.first_scsi"
106will do the standard NetBSD probe ordering.
107
108Your OpenBOOT ROM may need some setup.  make sure you boot from `new
109command mode'.  If your machine comes up and gives you a `>' prompt
110instead of `ok', type:
111
112    >n
113    ok setenv sunmon-compat? false
114    ok
115
116This is needed because netbsd cannot handle the old-mode yet, and will
117firework on you.
118
119Also, you cannot use the security modes of the sparc OpenBOOT ROM.
120
121    ok setenv security-mode none
122
123Now try a reboot.  (If needed, swap your scsi id's first).  Initially
124I'd suggest you "boot sd()netbsd -bs", then try multiuser after that.
125if you boot single-user the NetBSD incantation to make the root
126filesystem read-write is
127
128    netbsd# mount -u /dev/sd0a /
129
130The OpenBOOT ROM normally tries to load a file called "vmunix".  You
131can change it to load NetBSD instead using the following command:
132
133    >n
134    ok setenv boot-from sd(0,0,0)netbsd
135    ok
136
137Newer versions of the OpenBOOT ROM will require this syntax instead:
138
139    ok setenv boot-file netbsd
140    ok setenv boot-device /sbus/esp/sd@0,0
141
142
143Congratulations, you have successfully installed NetBSD 1.0.  When you
144reboot into NetBSD, you should log in as "root" at the login prompt.
145There is no initial password, but if you're using the machine in a
146networked environment, you should create yourself an account and
147protect it and the "root" account with good passwords.
148
149Some of the files in the NetBSD 1.0 distribution might need to be
150tailored for your site.  In particular, the /etc/sendmail.cf file will
151almost definitely need to be adjusted, and other files in /etc will
152probably need to be modified.  If you are unfamiliar with UN*X-like
153system administration, it's recommended that you buy a book that
154discusses it.
155