Subject: NetBSD 0.9 Installation problems.
To: None <>
From: Shao Ai Wu <m-sw2360@HAPPY.CS.NYU.EDU>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 01/11/1994 17:25:32
  I have some problems of installing NetBSD 0.9 to my system;
486dX2 66 Mhz, 256 K cache, 16 Mbyte of RAM, Adaptec 1542B SCSI 
controller, Microplis 1598 SCSI hard disk, and Toshiba CD ROM
(200 ms one).  The problem and solution are described as below.

Shao Wu

Problems with setting FreeBSD 1.02 and NetBSD 0.9:
  1. FreeBSD can partition the hard disk and install the minimal system
     correctly onto the hard disk, but it causted Trap 9, Trap 12 in kernel
     mode, and infinite rebooting due to unexpected file system corrupting.

     The minimal system can be installed if and only if the Internal Cache
     and External Cache are DISABLED, and the CPU speed set to SLOW (20 Mhz).
     Otherwise, it would caust a Hard Error on "fd0" (bad sector or sector
     not found).

  2. NetBSD 0.9 Cannot partition the hard disk correctly -- overwritten the
     hard disk partition table (can't co-exist with other OS's), and
     incorrectly partitioned the hard disk (i.e. a 400 Mbyte partition is
     desired, NetBSD allocated the entire hard disk, make only 400 Mbyte
     available to NetBSD, and only 24 Mbyte appeared in the partition table.

     However, the OS can be installed without any problem and NetBSD is fully
     functional.  The system does not require to be disabled caches and
     slowing down the CPU during installation as opposed to FreeBSD 1.02.

  3. Both BSD's errouneously detected the Microplis 1598 SCSI-2 hard disk as
     an IDE drive.

Solution to NetBSD 0.9:
  0. BACKUP ALL DATA IN ALL PARTITIONS in the hard disk -- The installation
     WILL DESTROY THE ENTIRE PARTITION TABLE but can correctly partition it
     other than the destruction. Is it a bug in the NetBSD kernel??

     After NetBSD installed (with all of these steps), "fdisk" from MS-DOS
     5.0 FAILED to calculate the "free spaces".  "fdisk" from IBM OS/2 2.1
     works correctly.  If you are still running DOS, GOOD LUCK!!

  1. copy all files in "/usr/mdec/*" from the Installation #1 (File System #1)
     of the NetBSD 0.9 disk to "/usr/mdec/" of the File System #1 of the
     FreeBSD 1.02 disk.  This step is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  You don't do it,
     your computer can't boot from NetBSD partition!!

  2. Disable both Internal and External Cache, and set the CPU speed to slow.

  3. Boot the system with NetBSD Boot Disk.

  4. Use the modified "File System Disk" from FreeBSD and "cpio Disk" from
     FreeBSD instead of "File System #1" and "File System #2" from NetBSD 0.9.

  5. If the software can't detect the hard disk correctly, DON'T PANIC.  It
     will be FINE.  But you have to enter all data menually.  Have fun!!
     WARNING: read the default values CAREFULLY -- they are most likely

  5.1 After partitioning the hard disk, you will be instructed to "halt" the
     system.  At this point, type "halt" and wait for the system to reboot.
     YOU CAN ENABLE ALL CACHES and set the CPU speed to FAST when your
     system restarts.

  6. After loading the kernel onto the hard disk and try to reboot from the
     hard disk, you might encounter a "no operating system" message from the
     system.  In this case, you should install a Boot Manager, and then
     install the NetBSD partition to the Boot Manager, and boot from there.
     It should work.

  7. After bootup from the hard disk, you should be asked to install the
     second "File System #2" disk, at this time you should install the
     "cpio Disk" from FreeBSD distribution.

     NetBSD uses "tar" and FreeBSD uses "cpio".  Unless you modified the
     shell scripts, othewise you should use the "cpio disk" in place of
     "File System #2 disk".  "tar" can't fit to the floppy disk.  Too Bad!

  8. After installing the "mini-OS", you should reboot the computer as

  9. Once the system got rebooted, if you have your NetBSD distribution
     on a CD ROM, do the following:
        a)  mount -t isofs /dev/cd0d /mnt
        b)  set_tmp_dir [to whatever directory you want]
        c)  change directory to the directories containning the NetBSD
            on the CD ROM and copy all files to the temporary directory.
        d)  after all distributions are copied to the hard disk,
            extrac <distribution>
        e)  repeat step (d) until you get all distributions extracted.

        Actually step (a) to (e) can be optimized as:
          a1) mount -t isofs /dev/cd0d /mnt
          b1) set_tmp_dir to the directory on the CD ROM containing
              the distribution.
          c1) extract <distribution>
          d1) repeat step (b1) to (c1) until all distributions are installed.

        Note: I did not test this, it might caust a core dump if the
              kernel tries to write something to the CD ROM.

     If you have NetBSD on FLOPPIES, follow the normal instructions and
     enjoy swapping floppy diskettes.

  10. follow the normal instruction to "configure" your system and "reboot"

  11. KISS YOURSELF, you deserved it!!