Installing OpenBSD is a relatively complex process, but if you have this document in hand it shouldn't be too much trouble. Also i wanted to note that the installation procedure via install script is new for the pmax and i had only the chance of limited testing for it - so if you run into any problems with it or if this documentation is somehow unclear - please send me a mail and I'll try to help you or to fix the problem. There are several ways to install OpenBSD onto a disk. The easiest way in terms of preliminary setup is to use the OpenBSD simpleroot that can be booted off your local disk. Alternatively, if your Decstation is hooked up in a network you can find a server and arrange for a diskless setup which is another convenient way to install OpenBSD/pmax. Installing using the OpenBSD simpleroot. The simpleroot is a self-contained OpenBSD filesystem holding a complete OpenBSD/pmax root filesystem plus all utilities necessary to install OpenBSD on a local disk. It is distributed as a plain file designed to be transferred to a raw disk from which it can be booted using the appropriate PROM command. Loading the simpleroot onto your raw partition is simple. You can do this on any machine you can hang on the disk which you plan to put onto the pmax which allows you to write to the raw disk - i.e. on all UN*X like operating systems it should work using "dd". On OpenBSD as well as SunOS you use a command like: {:-#-:} dd if=simpleroot{:--:}OSrev.fs of=/dev/rsd0c bs=20b Especially on OpenBSD/pmax you'll have to use /dev/rrz0c or something like that instead of /dev/rsd0c. Keep in mind that this will overwrite the contents of that disk! After transferring the simpleroot to disk, bring the system down by: # halt and hang the disk onto the pmax you want to install OpenBSD/pmax on. Then boot the simpleroot by typing the appropriate command at the PROM: >> boot rz(0,0,0)/bsd # for Decstation 2100/3100 >> boot 5/rz0a/bsd # for Decstation 5000/2xx >> boot 3/rz0a/bsd # for Decstation 5000/1xx If you've loaded the simpleroot onto some other disk than `rz0' adapt the boot specifier accordingly. This will cause the kernel contained in the simpleroot to be booted. After the initial probe messages you'll asked to choose a shell with sh as default. Simply type Return here and you are in single user mode. For further instructions please read on in the "Continuing the installation from single user mode" below. If the boot hangs without loading the kernel on a Decstation 5000, the SCSI controller may be in a strange state. This can happen if you interrupt the self-test during boot or after hitting the reset button. To fix this, hit ^C to get back to the ROM monitor and enter "init". You should now be able to boot as described above. Note: if booting the kernel in the miniroot should not work - there are two kernels part of the distribution - look at the place you got the distribution from - the kernels are there also - so you can see which kernels there are - usually there should be 3 of them * bsd - a generic kernel which should ask for the root device * bsd.rz0 - generic kernel with root and swap fixed to rz0 don't ask me why - but this should be usable then installing from a simpleroot on a zip disk (which is usually rz5 or rz6 - bsd crashes here :-) * bsd.nfs - a generic kernel with root and swap configured to be on nfs (also this kernel is in ecoff and not in a.out format so that it can be netbooted with a pmax) Installing using a diskless setup. First, you must setup a diskless client configuration on a server. If you are using a OpenBSD system as the boot-server, have a look at the diskless(8) manual page for guidelines on how to proceed with this. If the server runs another operating system, you'll have to consult documentation that came with it (on SunOS systems, add_client(8) is a good start). One part of the distribution of OpenBSD/pmax is a file called simpleroot{:--:}OSrev.tar.gz which is a good start for the root filesystem area on the NFS server then you want to install via network. A few configuration files need to be edited: /etc/hosts Add the IP addresses of both server and client. /etc/myname This file contains the client's hostname; use the same name as in /etc/hosts. /etc/fstab Enter the entries for the remotely mounted filesystems. For example: server:/export/root/client / nfs rw 0 0 Now you must populate the the `/dev' directory for your client. If you have an intelligent tar command on the NFS server the /dev directory inside the simpleroot{:--:}OSrev.tar.gz should be usable (i.e. containing special devices and not only files) - else you'll have to remake the devices on the server using cd /export/root/client/dev mv MAKEDEV* .. rm -rf * mkdir fd mv ../MAKEDEV* . ./MAKEDEV all This may not not work correctly on some operating systems. Ok here is in short form what you have to do on the Server to prepare a diskless installation of OpenBSD/pmax assuming the Server is an OpenBSD machine (for instance a PC running OpenBSD/i386). As said above for other systems you'll have to look into the supplied documentation for that systems. All the following should apply also without any major changes to an FreeBSD or NetBSD server. If the following instructions are not enough - you may look at the man pages for the following commands: * tftpd * rarpd * bootpd * rpc.bootparamd Ok - now let's see what to do to set up the server: * set up a file /etc/ethers containing the ethernet hardware address of the pmax you want to boot via net and its hostname (the hardware address you should get via PROM commands) example: --- snip --- 08:00:2b:1a:4b:41 summer --- snip --- * add an entry to /etc/bootptab which looks like the following: --- snip --- .ris.dec:hn:vm=rfc1048 summer:ht=ethernet:ha=08002b1c4d51:ip=10.0.0.5:bf=/bsd --- snip --- * make shure that the following line in /etc/inetd.conf is not commented out: --- snip --- tftp dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/tftpd tftpd -s /tftpboot --- snip --- if it is commented out (which is the default on OpenBSD for security reasons) - uncomment it and send the inetd process and HUP signal kill -HUP `cat /var/run/inetd.pid` so that it rereads the /etc/inetd.conf file * untar the simpleroot.tar.gz on the server in an nfs exported directory - for instance /export/root - so /etc/exports should contain a line like (OpenBSD syntax !) --- snip --- /export -alldirs -root=0:0 summer --- snip --- for the example above - on OpenBSD the tar should be intelligent enough to unpack the /dev directory correctly - on other systems you may look at the comment about /dev above. So what you have to do in this example you have to do: mkdir /export/root cd /export/root tar xvpzf /some_path/simpleroot{:--:}OSrev.tar.gz vi /etc/exports (to add the above line) kill -HUP `cat /var/run/mountd.pid` (so that mountd rereads exports) Note: also make shure that the server is configured as nfs server - i.e. for OpenBSD "option NFSSERVER" for the kernel and the following set in /etc/netstart: --- snip --- nfs_server="YES" nfs_client="YES" --- snip --- * create an swapfile using (example 16 mbytes): cd /exports dd if=/dev/zero of=swap bs=1024k count=16 * copy the kernel from the /export/root area to the tftp area: mkdir /tftpboot cp /export/root/bsd_nfs /tftpboot * create a /etc/bootparams file - for example: --- snip --- summer root=prospero:/export/root \ swap=prospero:/export/swap --- snip --- prospero is the hostname of the server in this example * start the required daemons on the server: /usr/sbin/rpc.bootparamd /usr/sbin/rarpd -a and bootpd - either by uncommenting the entry in /etc/inetd.conf and sending inetd an HUP signal like above or by starting it explicitly /usr/sbin/bootpd * now you should be able to boot the pmax using: >> boot -f tftp()/bsd_nfs for 2100/3100 systems or >> boot 6/tftp for a 5000/200 - look into the manual of your pmax for details how to boot via tftp If you plan to use OpenBSD/pmax on a diskless system in the future - keep in mind that the Decstations can only boot ecoff format kernels via net - so you have to convert them explicitly after the kernel compilation to ecoff - therefor in the kernel compile dir you can do the following after the kernel compile has finished elf2ecoff bsd.elf bsd.ecoff then you can use the bsd.ecoff for netbooting - as a starting point for the kernel config file you may choose GENERIC_NFS. After you have set up everything correctly you can boot your system over the network into singleuser mode and continue the installation. Continuing the installation from single user mode If you have reached single user mode either via booting the simpleroot image or via booting over the network you will have to relabel/label your disk and put filesystems on the partitions. So here's what you have to do after going into single user mode: - simpleroot image (assuming you have the simpleroot on rz0 and want to install on that disk too - everything behind the ";" is comment) # fsck /dev/rrz0a ; check the filesystem # mount /dev/rz0a / ; mount / read write # ./install - network boot # ./install This script should bring you to a completely installed OpenBSD/pmax system (in theory :-) - if you should run into any problems while installing - please first look at http://www.OpenBSD.org/pmax.html I'll try to collect there any hints, fixes and so on. If your problem can't be solved that way just send me a mail to graichen@OpenBSD.org and I'll try to help you fixing it. If you should somehow fail using the install script and want to restart - you may have to umount any filesystems mounted while running the install script (so all except /) and clean /tmp using: rm /tmp/.??* /tmp/??* then it should be possible to rerun it again. Now some more notes about labeling the disk - which you will have to do in the process of running the install script. Here follows an example of what you'll see while in the disklabel editor. Do not touch any of the parameters except for the `label: ' entry and the actual partition size information at the bottom (the lines starting with `a:', `b:', ...). If you are using the simpleroot image and want to install onto the same disk you put the simpleroot on you'll also have to change the sector, track, cylinder, etc. entries to match the values for your disk. The Problem is to get those values for your disk :-) - you can either look into the /etc/disktab file for an matching entry or boot another verbose system like OpenBSD/i386 with your disk attached an see what it prints out about the geometry of the disk. Also you can get the total size of your disk from the bootup output of the Decstation - look for lines like: rz0 at sii0 drive 0 slave 0 SEAGATE ST1480 rev 7336, 832527 512 byte blocks here 832527 is the number of total sectors on that disk. The size and offset fields are given in sector units. Partitions on which you intend to have a mountable filesystem, should be given fstype `4.2BSD'. Remember, the `c' partition should describe the whole disk. The `(Cyl. x - y)' info that appears after the hash (`#') character is treated as a comment and need not be filled in when altering partitions. Special note: the line containing `8 partitions:' is best left alone, even if you {:-define-:} less then eight partitions. If this line displays a different number and the program complains about it (after you leave the editor), then try setting it to `8 partitions:'. Ok - now lets see how the default disklabel of the simpleroot image looks like: OpenBSD# disklabel rz0 # /dev/rrz0c: type: SCSI disk: simpleroot label: flags: bytes/sector: 512 sectors/track: 32 tracks/cylinder: 64 sectors/cylinder: 2048 cylinders: 96 total sectors: 196608 rpm: 3600 interleave: 1 trackskew: 0 cylinderskew: 0 headswitch: 0 # milliseconds track-to-track seek: 0 # milliseconds drivedata: 0 8 partitions: # size offset fstype [fsize bsize cpg] a: 65536 0 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16 # (Cyl. 0 - 32*) b: 131072 65536 swap # (Cyl. 32*- 96*) c: 196608 0 unused 1024 8192 # (Cyl. 0 - 96*) ok - and now let's see how it looks like if it is adapted for the rz0 disk above (SEAGATE ST1480). OpenBSD# disklabel rz0 # /dev/rrz0c: type: SCSI disk: SEAGATE ST1480 r label: flags: bytes/sector: 512 sectors/track: 63 tracks/cylinder: 11 sectors/cylinder: 693 cylinders: 832527 total sectors: 832527 rpm: 3600 interleave: 1 trackskew: 0 cylinderskew: 0 headswitch: 0 # milliseconds track-to-track seek: 0 # milliseconds drivedata: 0 8 partitions: # size offset fstype [fsize bsize cpg] a: 65536 0 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16 # (Cyl. 0 - 94*) b: 131072 65536 swap # (Cyl. 94*- 283*) c: 832527 0 unused 1024 8192 # (Cyl. 0 - 1201*) d: 635919 196608 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16 # (Cyl. 283*- 1201*) I hope you got the idea now - maybe it'll take some experiments until you get it right :-). One thing to note here is that you can't change the a and b partitions if you are relabeling the disk you are running the simpleroot on - you'll have to accept the simpleroot values here for those 2 partitions. Note: if you have finished the disklabeling and exited the editor for editing the label in the process of the installation and if you then get a message like: "no disklabel on disk - use the -r option to write one" you should ignore it and answer no to the question if you want to re-edit the disklabel - this is due to a problem with the pmax disklabel code and it should be worked around by the install script. So what does the install script explicitly do ? These script will do most of the work of transferring the system from the tar files onto your disk. You will frequently be asked for confirmation before the script proceeds with each phase of the installation process. Occasionally, you'll have to provide a piece of information such as the name of the disk you want to install on or IP addresses and domain names you want to assign. The installation script goes through the following phases: - determination of the disk to install OpenBSD on - checking of the partition information on the disk - creating and mounting the OpenBSD filesystems - setup of IP configuration - extraction of the distribution tar files - installation of boot programs If the installation worked fine we can go on. Now try a reboot. (If needed, swap your scsi id's first). Initially I'd suggest you "boot" (Decstation 2100/3100) or "boot/rz0a/bsd", then try multiuser after that. if you boot single-user the OpenBSD incarnation to make the root filesystem writable is OpenBSD# fsck -p OpenBSD# mount -u /dev/rz0a / assuming your rootdisk is rz0. OpenBSDCongratulations