Installation is supported from several media types, including:

	FFS partitions
	Tape
	Remote NFS partition
	FTP
	HTTP

However, you can only boot the installation procedure from tape or
network. This requires some setup work to prepare a bootable image,
either a tape, or a compatible net boot server.

Although you can access the distribution sets directly from one of the
FTP mirrors over the internet, you may wish to transfer the sets to a
local FTP or NFS server, or copy them to a partition on the target
system's disk or onto a SCSI tape.

The variety of options listed may seem confusing, but situations vary
widely in terms of what peripherals and what sort of network arrangements
a user has, the intent is to provide some way that will be practical.


Creating a network bootable setup using SunOS or other Un*x-like system:

	The details of setting up a network bootable environment vary
	considerably, depending on the networks host.  Extract the
	OpenBSD diskless(8) man page from the man{:--:}OSrev.tgz distribution
	set or see the copy on the OpenBSD web page.  You will also
	need to reference the relevant man pages or administrators guide
	for the host system.
	
	Basically, you will need to set up reverse-arp (rarpd) and boot
	parameter (bootpd) information and make the OpenBSD bootblock,
	kernel/miniroot partition, and a swap file available as required
	by the netboot setup.



The steps necessary to prepare the distribution sets for installation
depend on which method of installation you choose.  Some methods
require a bit of setup first that is explained below.

The installation allows installing OpenBSD directly from FTP mirror
sites over the internet, however you must consider the speed and
reliability of your internet connection for this option.  It may save
much time and frustration to use ftp get/reget to transfer the
distribution sets to a local server or disk and perform the installation
from there, rather than directly on the internet.


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

	To install OpenBSD from a tape, you need to make a tape that
	contains the distribution set files, each in "tar" format or
	in "gzipped tar format".  First you will need to transfer the
	distribution sets to your local system, using ftp.  Then you
	need to make a tape containing the files.

	If you're making the tape on a UN*X-like system, the easiest way
	to do so is make a shell script along the following lines, call it
	"/tmp/maketape".

	#! /bin/sh
	tape=/dev/nrst0
	mt -f ${tape} rewind
	if test $# -lt 1
	then
		for file in tapeboot bsd.rd
		do
			dd if=${file} of=${tape} obs=8k conv=sync
		done
	fi
	for file in base etc comp game man misc
	do
		dd if=${file}OSrev.tgz of=${tape} obs=8k conv=sync
	done
	tar cf ${tape} bsd
	mt -f ${tape} offline
	# end of script


	And then:

	cd .../OSREV/sun3
	sh -x /tmp/maketape

	
	Note that this script creates a bootable tape. If you only want to
	fetch the OpenBSD files from tape, but want to boot from another
	device, you can save time and space creating the tape this way:

	cd .../OSREV/sun3
	sh -x /tmp/maketape noboot

	
If you're using a system other than OpenBSD or SunOS, the tape name and
other requirements may change.


To install OpenBSD 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 OpenBSD 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 OpenBSD.
	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 OpenBSD,
	you need to know the numeric IP address of the router closest
	to the OpenBSD machine.  Finally, you need to know the numeric
	IP address of the OpenBSD 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
	OpenBSD 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 OpenBSD, you also have the option of installing
OpenBSD 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
	"base{:--:}OSrev" 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.