installing OpenBSD on my Sparc20

[xyyz]

here's the issue. how do i set my FreeBSD box to act as an ARAP server and a tftp server... so that i can do a net install on my Sparc machine?

i'm counting on a reply by monkey pretty soon.

 

[Nothinman]

Install rarpd and tftpd?

 

[n0cmonkey]

No floppy? Have you read the netboot docs on OpenBSD's site?

 

[Nothinman]

I must say that OpenBSD has the worst netinstall (meaning no floppy or cdrom) I've ever seen. I should _not_ have to setup an NFS server just to install their OS, luckly I had an already working OS so I could use the 'dd this floppy onto a swap partition and boot from that' hack to get it installed, but if I didn't I probably would have just moved onto an OS that actually has a workable netinstall method.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
I must say that OpenBSD has the worst netinstall (meaning no floppy or cdrom) I've ever seen. I should _not_ have to setup an NFS server just to install their OS, luckly I had an already working OS so I could use the 'dd this floppy onto a swap partition and boot from that' hack to get it installed, but if I didn't I probably would have just moved onto an OS that actually has a workable netinstall method.

Ive only done ftp installs, but the no floppy thing is hitting me hard on the sparc64 install. I managed to make the IDE disk in the ultra 10 get recognized as a 2mB disk by Solaris after a stupidly failed OpenBSD install.

 

[Nothinman]

Ive only done ftp installs

That's not even the issue, before you can get that far you need to setup a rarp and tftp server for the OpenBOOT firmware to boot from the network, then you need an NFS root to even get to the installer. If I didn't already have Linux installed on it, I surely wouldn't have f'd with all that (mainly the NFS stuff, since I already had rarpd and tftp running for earlier Debian installs). And the best part is since I had to use the Linux swap to boot from, I get a single chance to do the OpenBSD install properly because after that I've repartitioned away my boot disk, nothin like added pressure!

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Ive only done ftp installs

That's not even the issue, before you can get that far you need to setup a rarp and tftp server for the OpenBOOT firmware to boot from the network, then you need an NFS root to even get to the installer. If I didn't already have Linux installed on it, I surely wouldn't have f'd with all that (mainly the NFS stuff, since I already had rarpd and tftp running for earlier Debian installs). And the best part is since I had to use the Linux swap to boot from, I get a single chance to do the OpenBSD install properly because after that I've repartitioned away my boot disk, nothin like added pressure!

The failed attempt I tried wasnt quite that tough. Just put the file in the right spot (I dont have the instructions in front of me at the moment) and boot off of them. It put me in the installer automatically.

OT for the thread (sorry ), but does anyone know if you can update the OBP off of a cdrom?

 

[xyyz]

hmm... my sparc 20 has no floppy... i do have an extermal sun cdrom... but i don't want to shell out the cash to buy a bootable CD for an OS that I have no experience with.

i still don't get why they dont allow for ISO downloads... and yes i have read the reasons why... but i still don't find them as practical... but that's another thread.

if OpenBSD is too big of a bear, i'll probably go with NetBSD or something. :/

 

[Nothinman]

but does anyone know if you can update the OBP off of a cdrom?

All the firmware update instructions I saw assumed you had solaris installed, go figure. I tried netbooting the update file but that didn't work.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xyyz
hmm... my sparc 20 has no floppy... i do have an extermal sun cdrom... but i don't want to shell out the cash to buy a bootable CD for an OS that I have no experience with.

i still don't get why they dont allow for ISO downloads... and yes i have read the reasons why... but i still don't find them as practical... but that's another thread.

if OpenBSD is too big of a bear, i'll probably go with NetBSD or something. :/

Is there anything installed on the system now? Have you tried making a cd (there are instructions out there)?

As far as not allowing ISOs: If you cant understand the reasoning, you may have a tough time with the OS. Its not the easiest OS out there. How do people get food? They use money to purchase it. How do people get homes? They use money to purchase them. How do people get money? Beg, steal, work. Theo works. He makes OpenBSD. To help keep his "job" afloat, he sells stuff. CDs, t-shirts, etc help support him and a couple of other developers, so that they can work full time on OpenBSD instead of it being "just a hobby." The BSDs dont necessarily get the luxury of failed .coms paying for their living expenses

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

but does anyone know if you can update the OBP off of a cdrom?

All the firmware update instructions I saw assumed you had solaris installed, go figure. I tried netbooting the update file but that didn't work.

Yeah. I thought about it this morning and I dont think Im going to try it. Ill get a new hard drive (or recycle an "old" one) and try to get that working instead. Itll be faster anyways if it works. The IDE drive in the U10 was a 3600rpm model :|

 

[xyyz]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: xyyz
hmm... my sparc 20 has no floppy... i do have an extermal sun cdrom... but i don't want to shell out the cash to buy a bootable CD for an OS that I have no experience with.

i still don't get why they dont allow for ISO downloads... and yes i have read the reasons why... but i still don't find them as practical... but that's another thread.

if OpenBSD is too big of a bear, i'll probably go with NetBSD or something. :/

Is there anything installed on the system now? Have you tried making a cd (there are instructions out there)?

As far as not allowing ISOs: If you cant understand the reasoning, you may have a tough time with the OS. Its not the easiest OS out there. How do people get food? They use money to purchase it. How do people get homes? They use money to purchase them. How do people get money? Beg, steal, work. Theo works. He makes OpenBSD. To help keep his "job" afloat, he sells stuff. CDs, t-shirts, etc help support him and a couple of other developers, so that they can work full time on OpenBSD instead of it being "just a hobby." The BSDs dont necessarily get the luxury of failed .coms paying for their living expenses

for the first question... right now a failed NetBSD 1.6 is on the machine. i'd have no issue with using NetBSD, but the problem i'm having hasn't been able to be resolved by anyone on the netbsd-sparc usergroup. i could install solaris 8, but patching and securing the device, is quite a bit of work... but the main reason is the ports. solaris really don't have a ports system.

this totally digresses from the path... but you're saying that OpenBSD development is the only active job Theo has? either way... i still don't agree with how he runs it. and the fact that it's "his" baby. the more minds on something, generally the better the product. look at the FreeBSD team. while there is still some bickering, they constantly produce a killer production OS. as for the luxury... from my understanding it's a part-time project. the freebsd commiters do the work on a part time basis. the larger # means that the overall load is distributed amongst project members. the freebsd quality is still top-notch.

this is more an academic argument than anything else. you believe in theo's ways... and i don't. neither you, nor i... are incorrect in our beliefs.

i'm not willing to shell $30+ on something that I have no experience with. if i don't like it, i'm assed out.

this is why i wanted to try a net-install. if the product is good, i have no issues with spending the $30+ to "support" theo.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xyyz

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: xyyz
hmm... my sparc 20 has no floppy... i do have an extermal sun cdrom... but i don't want to shell out the cash to buy a bootable CD for an OS that I have no experience with.

i still don't get why they dont allow for ISO downloads... and yes i have read the reasons why... but i still don't find them as practical... but that's another thread.

if OpenBSD is too big of a bear, i'll probably go with NetBSD or something. :/

Is there anything installed on the system now? Have you tried making a cd (there are instructions out there)?

As far as not allowing ISOs: If you cant understand the reasoning, you may have a tough time with the OS. Its not the easiest OS out there. How do people get food? They use money to purchase it. How do people get homes? They use money to purchase them. How do people get money? Beg, steal, work. Theo works. He makes OpenBSD. To help keep his "job" afloat, he sells stuff. CDs, t-shirts, etc help support him and a couple of other developers, so that they can work full time on OpenBSD instead of it being "just a hobby." The BSDs dont necessarily get the luxury of failed .coms paying for their living expenses

this totally digresses from the path... but you're saying that OpenBSD development is the only active job Theo has? either way... i still don't agree with how he runs it. and the fact that it's "his" baby. the more minds on something, generally the better the product. look at the FreeBSD team. while there is still some bickering, they constantly produce a killer production OS.

i'm not willing to shell $30+ on something that I have no experience with. if i don't like it, i'm assed out.

this is why i wanted to try a net-install. if the product is good, i have no issues with spending the $30+ to "support" theo.

Ive done plenty of FTP installs. I bought the cd for the first time I installed OpenBSD though.

EDIT: And yes, its his only job. Plenty of eyes can look at it for free. ISOs are an unnecessary luxury. A waste of bandwidth. Why download more than you have to?

 

[xyyz]

Ive done plenty of FTP installs. I bought the cd for the first time I installed OpenBSD though.

alright... then how do i do this w/o a floppy?

i just want a thredbare install... i plan to install everything else from the ports.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xyyz

Ive done plenty of FTP installs. I bought the cd for the first time I installed OpenBSD though.

alright... then how do i do this w/o a floppy?

i just want a thredbare install... i plan to install everything else from the ports.

Is there an OS you can access on there now?

Things you can try (I havent tried these *YET*):
burn bsd.rd to a cd and boot from that.
ie. boot cdrom 3.2/sparc/bsd.rd

dd miniroot.fs to the swap partition and boot from that

Real the install manual for sparc. Its pretty helpful, and goes through these methods atleast briefly.

I will be trying the boot from bsd.rd method on my ultra 10 when I get it working.

Sorry to have brought the thread OT

 

[Inrimoza]

If you need NetBSD running on that thing (either to run as primary OS or to get Open working) give me a yell. I have several Sparc's all running Net with no problems.
feel free to email me gbowers106050mi@comcast.net
or MSN me john_bowers@hotmail.com

maybe I can help!