install revision 1.13 1 Installing NetBSD is a relatively complex process, but if you have
2 this document in hand it shouldn't be too much trouble.
3
4 There are several ways to install NetBSD onto a disk. The easiest way
5 in terms of preliminary setup is to use the NetBSD miniroot that can
6 be booted off your local disk's swap partition. Alternatively, if your
7 Sparcstation is hooked up in a network you can find a server and arrange
8 for a diskless setup which is a convenient way to install on a machine
9 whose disk does not currently hold a usable operating system (see the
10 section `Installing using a diskless setup' below).
11
12
13 Installing using the NetBSD miniroot.
14
15 The miniroot is a self-contained NetBSD filesystem holding all utilities
16 necessary to install NetBSD on a local disk. It is distributed as a plain
17 file designed to be transferred to a raw disk partition from which it can
18 be booted using the appropriate PROM command. Usually, the miniroot will
19 be loaded into the swap partition of a disk. If needed, you can use any
20 other unused partition, but remember that the partition will then not
21 available during the installation process.
22
23 Loading the miniroot onto your raw partition is simple. On NetBSD as well
24 as SunOS you use a command like:
25
26 # dd if=miniroot-RELEASE.fs of=/dev/rsd0b bs=20b conv=sync
27
28 (here `/dev/rsd0b' is assumed to be your swap partition). There's a
29 potential problem here if /dev/rsd0b is actually in use as a swap
30 partition by your currently running system. If you don't have another
31 disk or partition to spare, you can usually get away with running this
32 command anyway after first booting into single-user mode to ensure a
33 quiet system.
34
35 After transferring the miniroot to disk, bring the system down by:
36
37 # halt
38
39 Then boot the miniroot by typing the appropriate command at the PROM:
40
41 > b sd(,,1)netbsd -s # for sun4 monitors
42 ok boot sd(,,1)netbsd -s # for version 1 OpenBOOT ROMs
43 ok boot disk:b netbsd -s # for version 2 OpenBOOT ROMs
44
45 If you've loaded the miniroot onto some other disk than `sd0' adapt
46 the boot specifier accordingly, e.g.:
47
48 ok boot disk1:b netbsd -s
49
50 to boot from SCSI disk target 1 from a version 2 OpenBOOT ROM.
51 If you have to use the old-style `sd(c,u,p)' syntax to boot from a
52 SCSI disk, you can calculate the parameters as follows:
53
54 `c' - specifies the controller number
55 `u' - the hexadecimal number obtained from evaluating
56 the expression `(8 * TARGET) + LUN'
57 `p' - the partition number from which to boot (0=`a', 1=`b', etc).
58
59
60 The monitor boot command will cause the NetBSD kernel contained in the
61 miniroot image to be booted. After the initial probe messages you'll be
62 asked to start the install or upgrade procedure. Proceed to the section
63 `Running the installation scripts' below.
64
65 Installing using a diskless setup.
66
67 First, you must setup a diskless client configuration on a server. If
68 you are using a NetBSD system as the boot-server, have a look at the
69 diskless(8) manual page for guidelines on how to proceed with this.
70 If the server runs another operating system, you'll have to consult
71 documentation that came with it (on SunOS systems, add_client(8) is a
72 good start).
73
74 Your Sparcstation expects to be able to download a second stage bootstrap
75 program via TFTP after having acquired its IP address through RevARP when
76 instructed to boot "over the net". It will look for a filename composed of
77 the machine's IP address followed by the machine's architecture, separated
78 by a period. For example, a sun4c machine which has been assigned IP
79 address 130.115.144.11, will make an TFTP request for `8273900B.SUN4C'.
80 Normally, this file is a symbolic link to an appropriate second-stage
81 boot program, which should be located in a place where the TFTP daemon
82 can find it (remember, many TFTP daemons run in a chroot'ed environment).
83 You can find the boot program in `/usr/mdec/boot' in the NetBSD/sparc
84 distribution. Unfortunately, it is necessary to install this file
85 differently for sun4 and sun4c clients: the sun4 version needs to have its
86 `a.out' header stripped off (otherwise the machine will crash), while the
87 sun4c version must retain it (otherwise the PROM will complain).
88
89 Here's an example to illustrate this whole mess:
90
91 server# cd /<client-root-dir>/usr/mdec
92 if client is a sun4:
93 server# set SKIP=1
94 server# set KARCH=SUN4
95 else
96 server# set SKIP=0
97 server# set KARCH=SUN4C
98 server# dd if=boot of=/tftpboot/boot.sparc.netbsd.$KARCH skip=$SKIP bs=32
99 server# cd /tftpboot
100 server# ln -s boot.sparc.netbsd.$KARCH 8273900B.$KARCH
101
102 Note: some versions of Openboot ROMs (sun4c/sun4m) seem to require that the
103 boot program size is nicely rounded. Therefore it may be necessary to
104 strip(8) off the symbol table.
105
106 After the boot program has been loaded into memory and given control by
107 the PROM, it starts locating the machine's remote root directory through
108 the BOOTPARAM protocol. First a BOOTPARAM WHOAMI request is broadcast
109 on the local net. The answer to this request (if it comes in) contains
110 the client's name. This name is used in next step, a BOOTPARAM GETFILE
111 request -- sent to the server that responded to the WHOAMI request --
112 requesting the name and address of the machine that will serve the client's
113 root directory, as well as the path of the client's root on that server.
114
115 Finally, this information (if it comes in) is used to issue a REMOTE MOUNT
116 request to the client's root filesystem server, asking for an NFS file
117 handle corresponding to the root filesystem. If successful, the boot
118 program starts reading from the remote root filesystem in search of the
119 kernel which is then read into memory.
120
121
122 As noted above in the section `Preparing your System for NetBSD Installation',
123 you have several options when choosing a location to store the installation
124 filesets. However, the easiest way is to put the *.tar.gz files you want
125 to install into the root directory for your client on the server.
126
127 Next, unpack `base.tar.gz' and `etc.tar.gz' on the server in the root
128 directory for your machine. If you elect to use a separately NFS-mounted
129 filesystem for `/usr' with your diskless setup, make sure the "./usr" base
130 files in base.tar.gz end up in the correct location. One way to do this is
131 to temporarily use a loopback mount on the server, re-routing <root>/usr to
132 your server's exported NetBSD "/usr" directory. Also put the kernel and the
133 install/upgrade scripts into the root directory.
134
135 A few configuration files need to be edited:
136
137 <root>/etc/hosts
138 Add the IP addresses of both server and client.
139
140 <root>/etc/myname
141 This files contains the client's hostname; use the same
142 name as in <root>/etc/hosts.
143
144 <root>/etc/fstab
145 Enter the entries for the remotely mounted filesystems.
146 For example:
147 server:/export/root/client / nfs rw 0 0
148 server:/export/exec/sun4.netbsd /usr nfs rw 0 0
149
150 Now you must populate the the `/dev' directory for your client. If you server
151 runs SunOS 4.x, you can simply change your working directory to `<root>/dev'
152 and run the MAKEDEV script: `sh MAKEDEV all'.
153
154 On SunOS 5.x systems, MAKEDEV can also be used, but there'll be error
155 messages about unknown user and groups. These errors are inconsequential
156 for the purpose of installing NetBSD. However, you may want to correct them
157 if you plan to use the diskless setup regularly. In that case, you may re-run
158 MAKEDEV on your NetBSD machine once it has booted.
159
160 Boot your workstation from the server by entering the appropriate `boot'
161 command at the monitor prompt. Depending on the PROM version in your machine,
162 this command takes one of the following forms:
163
164 > b le()netbsd -s # for sun4 monitors
165 ok boot le()netbsd -s # for version 1 OpenBOOT ROMs
166 ok boot net netbsd -s # for version 2 OpenBOOT ROMs
167
168 This will boot the NetBSD kernel in single-user mode.
169
170 [[
171 NOTE: the latter two examples assume you operate the OpenBOOT ROM in
172 "new command mode". If your machine comes up and gives you a `>' prompt
173 instead of `ok', type:
174
175 >n # enter native OpenBOOT mode
176 ok setenv sunmon-compat? false # make it permanent
177 ok
178 ]]
179
180 If you use a diskless setup with a separately NFS-mounted /usr filesystem,
181 mount /usr by hand now:
182
183 netbsd# mount /usr
184
185 At this point, it's worth checking the disk label and partition sizes on
186 the disk you want to install NetBSD onto. NetBSD understands SunOS-style
187 disklabels, so if your disk was previously used by SunOS there will be
188 a usable label on it. Use `disklabel -e <disk>' (where <disk> is the
189 device name assigned by the NetBSD kernel, e.g. `sd0') to view and
190 modify the partition sizes. See the section `Preparing your System for
191 NetBSD Installation' above for suggestions about disk partition sizes.
192
193 If you are installing on a SCSI disk that does *not* have a SunOS or
194 NetBSD label on it, you may still be able to use disklabel(8) but you'll
195 have to create all partitions from scratch. If your disk is listed in
196 `/etc/disktab', you may use the entry (which in most cases only defines
197 a `c' partition to describe the whole disk) to put an initial label on
198 the disk. Then proceed with `disklabel -e <disk>' to create a partition
199 layout that suits your needs.
200
201 NOTE: Because of the built-in compatibility with SunOS-style labels,
202 ALWAYS MAKE SURE ALL YOUR PARTITIONS START AND END ON CYLINDER BOUNDARIES.
203
204
205 Here follows an example of what you'll see while in the dislabel editor.
206 Do not touch any of the parameters except for the `label: ' entry and
207 the actual partition size information at the bottom (the lines starting
208 with `a:', `b:', ...).
209
210 The size and offset fields are given in sector units. Be sure to make
211 these numbers multiples of the of the number of sectors per cylinder:
212 the kernel might be picky about these things, but aside from this you'll
213 have the least chance of wasting disk space.
214 Partitions on which you intend to have a mountable filesystem, should
215 be given fstype `4.2BSD'. Remember, the `c' partition should describe
216 the whole disk.
217 The `(Cyl. x - y)' info that appears after the hash (`#') character is
218 treated as a comment and need not be filled in when altering partitions.
219
220 Special note: the line containing `8 partitions:' is best left alone,
221 even if you define less then eight partitions. If this line displays
222 a different number and the program complains about it (after you leave
223 the editor), then try setting it to `8 partitions:'.
224
225
226 <BEGIN SAMPLE DISKLABEL SCREEN>
227 netbsd# disklabel sd2
228 # /dev/rsd2c:
229 type: SCSI
230 disk: SCSI disk
231 label: Hold Your Breath
232 flags:
233 bytes/sector: 512
234 sectors/track: 64
235 tracks/cylinder: 7
236 sectors/cylinder: 448
237 cylinders: 1429
238 rpm: 3600
239 interleave: 1
240 trackskew: 0
241 cylinderskew: 0
242 headswitch: 0 # milliseconds
243 track-to-track seek: 0 # milliseconds
244 drivedata: 0
245
246 8 partitions:
247 # size offset fstype [fsize bsize cpg]
248 a: 50176 0 4.2BSD 0 0 0 # (Cyl. 0 - 111)
249 b: 64512 50176 swap # (Cyl. 112 - 255)
250 c: 640192 0 unknown # (Cyl. 0 - 1428)
251 d: 525504 114688 4.2BSD 0 0 0 # (Cyl. 256 - 1428)
252 <END SAMPLE DISKLABEL SCREEN>
253
254
255 If you are upgrading a NetBSD installation, start the upgrade script:
256
257 netbsd# sh upgrade.sh
258
259 else, start the installation script:
260
261 netbsd# sh install.sh
262
263
264 Running the installation scripts.
265
266 The installation scripts will do most of the work of transferring the
267 system from the distribution sets onto your disk. You will frequently be
268 asked for confirmation before the script proceeds with each phase of the
269 installation process.
270
271 Occasionally, you'll have to provide a piece of information such as the
272 name of the disk you want to install on or IP addresses and domain names
273 you want to assign. If your system has more than one disk, you may want
274 to look at the output of the dmesg(8) command to see how your disks
275 have been identified by the kernel.
276
277 The installation script goes through the following phases:
278
279 - determination of the disk to install NetBSD on
280 - checking of the partition information on the disk
281 - creating and mounting the NetBSD filesystems
282 - setup of IP configuration
283 - extraction of the distribution tar files
284 - installation of boot programs
285
286
287 Now try a reboot. Initially I'd suggest you "boot sd()netbsd -bs", then
288 try multiuser after that. If you boot single-user the NetBSD incantation
289 to make the root filesystem writable is
290
291 netbsd# mount -u /dev/sd0a /
292
293 The Sun monitor might have been setup to instruct the boot program to load
294 a file called "vmunix". On OpenBOOT ROM systems you can change it to load
295 "netbsd" instead using the following commands:
296
297 On version 1 OpenBOOT ROMs:
298 >n
299 ok setenv boot-from sd(0,0,0)netbsd
300 ok
301
302 On version 2 OpenBOOT ROMs:
303 ok setenv boot-file netbsd
304 ok setenv boot-device /sbus/esp/sd@0,0
305
306
307 Congratulations, you have successfully installed NetBSD RELEASE. When you
308 reboot into NetBSD, you should log in as "root" at the login prompt.
309 There is no initial password, but if you're using the machine in a
310 networked environment, you should create yourself an account and
311 protect it and the "root" account with good passwords.
312
313 Some of the files in the NetBSD RELEASE distribution might need to be
314 tailored for your site. In particular, the /etc/sendmail.cf file will
315 almost definitely need to be adjusted, and other files in /etc will
316 probably need to be modified. If you are unfamiliar with UN*X-like
317 system administration, it's recommended that you buy a book that
318 discusses it.
319
320