Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 17:54:15 -0500 From: Bryan Gomes <gomes@reston.wcom.net> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD for Alpha Hardware Message-ID: <199901252249.RAA01246@interlock.reston.wcom.net>
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All, Install directions for alpha systems per BSD 3.0 CD documentation: If you're on the ALPHA then the boot.flp image is probably larger than any kind of floppy you have available and you will need to either netboot it, load it from some other type of media (such as a jaz drive) or use the kern.flp image described below. This release still uses only one installation floppy, the boot.flp image. For convenience (and for the DEC ALPHA architecture, on which binaries are quite a bit larger), however, we also provide the functionality of boot.flp now "decoupled" into a kern.flp image, which contains just the boot kernel, and mfsroot.gz, which contains the compressed MFS root image that is normally stored as part of the kernel itself on the boot.flp image. This allows you to boot from kern.flp, which will fit on a 1.44MB floppy even on the alpha, and then load mfsroot.gz from a 2nd floppy. This also allows you to easily make your own boot or MFS floppies should you need to customize some aspect of the installation process. As long as the kernel is compiled with ``options MFS'' and ``options MFS_ROOT'', it will properly boot an mfsroot.gz image when run. The mfsroot.gz image is simply a gzip'd filesystem image, something which can be made rather easily using vnconfig(8). If none of this makes any sense to you, don't worry about it - just use the boot.flp image as always; nothing has changed there. I have created rawdisks from the BSD 3.0 release for the kern.flp, boot.flp, andmfsroot.gz images. I still cannot boot from these floppies. here is what I type in at the prom >>> boot dva0 and in with each floppy here is what I get back : "not a valid boot block, bootstrap failure" I have also tried to issue the following command (using the mfsroot.gz disk): >>> boot dva0 -file mfsroot.gz I get the same results. Any more ideas, I'm not that familiar with the DEC prom command structure so I'm not sure that I am doing this correctly. Bryan Please respond directly as I am not yet a member of this mailing list... How do I join this list??? At 11:02 AM 1/25/99 -0500, you wrote: >> All, >> >> I have just recieved the FreeBSD 4 CD software suite and I am anxious to >> install the OS on to my DEC Alpha 200 4/233 hardware but I relized I am not >> able to boot from the CD. > >What is your version of FreeBSD?? If it is below 3, then I'm not sure that >it will even work on an Alpha. >> >> My primary UNIX experience is with Solaris on the Sparc platform, >> installation consists of booting from the CD and going from there. I am >> not a member of this mailing list (would like to be though), so please >> respond directly to my email address. >> >You can only boot the CD on a x86 PC. To install to your computer, you >will have to ftp the alpha boot installation floppy from ftp.freebsd.org. > >Also, I don't think the Alpha support is very good unless you get into the >4.0-CURRENT, or the 3.0-STABLE. > MCI WORLDCOM Advanced Networks LLC Internet Security Engineer support@reston.wcom.net 1-800-944-5625 To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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