xref: /src/distrib/notes/i386/xfer

Installation is supported from several media types, including:

	DOS floppies
	Tape
	Remote NFS partition
	FTP

No matter which installation medium you choose, you'll need to have a
floppy disk (either 1.2M or 1.44 will work).  You'll put the
appropriate install or upgrade floppy image onto this disk, depending
on whether you're installing NetBSD for the first time, or upgrading a
previous installation, and on whether you have a machine with only
four megabytes of memory.

If you are installing for the first time, you want an inst12D.fs or
insts12D.fs floppy image. The second is the "small installation" disk
for four meg machines. If you are upgrading, you want an upgr12D.fs or
an upgrs12D.fs floppy.

If you are using a UN*X-like system to write the floppy images to
disks, you should use the "dd" command to copy the file system images
(.fs files) directly to the raw floppy disks.  It is suggested that
you read the dd(1) manual page or ask your system administrator to
determine the correct set of arguments to use; it will be slightly
different from system to system, and a comprehensive list of the
possibilities is beyond the scope of this document.

If you are using DOS to write the floppy images to disks, you should
use the "rawrite" utility, provided in the "i386/utilities" directory
of the NetBSD distribution.  It will write the file system images (.fs
files) to disks.

Note that, when installing or upgrading, the floppy can be
write-protected if you wish. These systems mount ramdisks as their
root file systems once booted, and will not need to write to the
floppy itself at any time -- indeed, once booted, the floppy may be
removed from the disk drive.

Obviously, the steps necessary to prepare the distribution sets for
installation or upgrade depend on which installation medium you
choose.  The steps for the various media are outlined below.

To install or upgrade NetBSD using DOS floppies, you need to do the
following:

	Count the number of "set_name.xx" files that make up the
	distribution sets you want to install or upgrade.  You will
	need one fifth that number of 1.2M floppies, or one sixth that
	number of 1.44M floppies.  You should only use one size of
	floppy for the install or upgrade procedure; you can't use
	some 1.2M floppies and some 1.44M floppies.

	Format all of the floppies with DOS.  DO NOT make any of them
	bootable DOS floppies, i.e. don't use "format/s" to format
	them.  (If the floppies are bootable, then the DOS system
	files that make them bootable will take up some space, and you
	won't be able to fit as many distribution set parts per disk.)
	If you're using floppies that are formatted for DOS by their
	manufacturers, they probably aren't bootable, and you can use
	them out of the box.

	Place all of the "set_name.xx" files on the DOS disks, five
	per disk if you're using 1.2M disks, six per disk if you're
	using 1.44M disks.  How you do this is up to you; there are
	many possibilities.  You could, for instance, use a DOS
	terminal program to download them on to the floppies, or use
	a UN*X-like system capable of reading and writing DOS file
	systems (either with "mtools" or a real DOS file system)
	to place them on the disk.

	Once you have the files on DOS disks, you can proceed to the
	next step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD from scratch, go to the section on preparing
	your hard disk, below.  If you're upgrading an existing
	installation, go directly to the section on upgrading.

To install or upgrade NetBSD using a tape, you need to do the
following:

	To install NetBSD from a tape, you need to make a tape that
	contains the distribution set files, in "tar" format.  If
	you're making the tape on a UN*X-like system, the easiest way
	to do so is probably something like:

		tar cf <tape_device> <dist_directories>

	where "<tape_device>" is the name of the tape device that
	describes the tape drive you're using (possibly /dev/rst0, or
	something similar, but it will vary from system to system.
	(If you can't figure it out, ask your system administrator.)
	In the above example, "<dist_directories>" are the
	distribution sets' directories, for the distribution sets you
	wish to place on the tape.  For instance, to put the "base12"
	and "etc12" distributions on tape (in order to do the absolute
	minimum installation to a new disk), you would do the
	following:

		cd .../NetBSD-1.2		# the top of the tree
		cd i386/binary
		tar cf <tape_device> base12 etc12

	(Note that you still need to fill in "<tape_device>" in the
	example.)

	Once you have the files on the tape, you can proceed to the
	next step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD from scratch, go to the section on preparing
	your hard disk, below.  If you're upgrading an existing
	installation, go directly to the section on upgrading.

To install or upgrade NetBSD using a remote partition, mounted via
NFS, you must do the following:

	NOTE:	This method of installation is recommended only for
		those already familiar with using BSD network
		configuration and management commands.  If you aren't,
		this documentation should help, but is not intended to
		be all-encompassing.

	Place the NetBSD distribution sets you wish to install into a
	directory on an NFS server, and make that directory mountable
	by the machine on which you are installing or upgrading NetBSD.
	This will probably require modifying the /etc/exports file on
	of the NFS server and resetting its mount daemon (mountd).
	(Both of these actions will probably require superuser
	privileges on the server.)

	You need to know the the numeric IP address of the NFS server,
	and, if the server is not on a network directly connected to
	the machine on which you're installing or upgrading NetBSD,
	you need to know the numeric IP address of the router closest
	to the NetBSD machine.  Finally, you need to know the numeric
	IP address of the NetBSD machine itself.

	Once the NFS server is set up properly and you have the
	information mentioned above, you can proceed to the next step
	in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're installing
	NetBSD from scratch, go to the section on preparing your hard
	disk, below.  If you're upgrading an existing installation, go
	directly to the section on upgrading.

To install or upgrade NetBSD by using FTP to get the installation
sets, you must do the following:

	NOTE:	This method of installation is recommended only for
		those already familiar with using BSD network
		configuration and management commands.  If you aren't,
		this documentation should help, but is not intended to
		be all-encompassing.

	The preparations for this installation/upgrade method are
	easy; all you make sure that there's some FTP site from which
	you can retrieve the NetBSD distribution when you're about to
	install or upgrade.  You need to know the numeric IP address
	of that site, and, if it's not on a network directly connected
	to the machine on which you're installing or upgrading NetBSD,
	you need to know the numeric IP address of the router closest
	to the NetBSD machine.  Finally, you need to know the numeric
	IP address of the NetBSD machine itself.

	Once you have this information, you can proceed to the next
	step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD from scratch, go to the section on
	preparing your hard disk, below.  If you're upgrading an
	existing installation, go directly to the section on
	upgrading.

If you are upgrading NetBSD, you also have the option of installing
NetBSD by putting the new distribution sets somewhere in your existing
file system, and using them from there.  To do that, you must do the
following:

	Place the distribution sets you wish to upgrade somewhere in
	your current file system tree.  At a bare minimum, you must
	upgrade the "base" binary distribution, and so must put the
	"base12" set somewhere in your file system.  If you wish,
	you can do the other sets, as well, but you should NOT upgrade
	the "etc" distribution; the "etc" distribution contains system
	configuration files that you should review and update by hand.

	Once you have done this, you can proceed to the next step in
	the upgrade process, actually upgrading your system.