A confession ...

Oski, alright ... just make sure you download the sets onto CF first ... its easier that way ... installation for NetBSD is menu driven, so don't worry. But manual installation is still available if you want!

Let us know how it goes ...

And as always, backup all your data first!

Heh, I wish the hpcarm port had a menu install! Luckies...Anyways, I am starting again, and this time I actually have an idea of what I am doing! I have a choice of either a 2002 setup with familiar, or netbsd. I think I'll go with netbsd. The only obstacle is that to get the cf card formatted the right way with netbsd disk labels, I need netbsd on my pc!!! ...I would prefer if it wasn't that way... Anyways, it seems that my 512mb card is just 10mb short ofwhat I would prefer it to be for having space for all my CE programs too...

Also looming is the obstacle that I may need a serial cable to hook my 720 to my pc the first time I start, unfortunately I do not have one. Best scenario and I don't need to!

I'll update everyone on my progress. (So far, I have uncompressed the packages on my desktop!!!) (Yeah I backed up the entire cf card too)

Hi,

I am stuck trying to install netBSD in my z50
My setup is 32MB card in z50, 340MB Microdrive in the CF slot and 128MB CF card in the PCMCIA slot with adaptor.
I dowloaded the tgz files to the 128MB (wd0) and made a 20MB dos partition in the Microdrive (wd1) and dowloaded the install kernel and hpcboot, All version 1.5.1.

The booting with hpcboot goes without any problems.

The wd1 is sliced and a disklabel to the taste of the installer is there.

But when I try to fetch the tgz files from wd0e as dos fails.

Then I mounted wd0e in mnt2, to get the tgz files from an existing netbsd directory, but the answer is the tgz files are not there!!!!!

I fdisk wd0 and correctly shows only one dos partition used and three unused.

When ls mnt2 shows all the tgz files there!!!!

With disklabel wd0, the CF is correctly identified, indicates also label:fictitious, and correctly shows an d partition size of the whole disk, and a msdos partition the size of the whole disk.

I do not know how to go ahead and fetch the tgz files from the CF. I read some mail in the netbsd/hpcmips mailing list about this problem, but the answer means nothing for a wewbie like me.

I will copy this post to the netbsd mailing list, but if anybody has a suggestion, better than buying an Adaptec 1460 and a cheap SCSI CD Rom in ebay, it will be much appreciated.

oski

Can you copy over the answer that you got from the mailing list to here, perhaps it will make sense to one of us.

Have you tried extracting the tgz's on your computer and manually copying all the files? It looks like that is the way that I will have to go to avoid trouble.

Hi,
This is a copy of the mail received, and probably will make sense for most of you!!!!

> and I get the error /mnt2/ does not contain the
> mandatory installation sets etc.tgz and base.tgz. Are
> you sure you've got the right directory?
>
> If I choose to exit the install process and go to the
> shell ls in /mnt2 shows the files base.tgz.
>
> Can anybody tell me what I am missing here?
Did you try replicating the directory structure you see
when looking at the sets from RELEASEDIR on down?

That is, did you stick 'em in

/mnt2/hpcmips/binary/sets/{base,etc}.tgz

> Josh
Chris.

Yesterday I decided to change tack and have a go with version 2.0.

Everything worked wonderfully and I managed to install a custmised installation with the basic binary sets.
I used ftp, without any problems, the INSTALL correctly identified my Cisco 350 WLAN Card, and all the setting was very easy.
I am now struggling with Permisions, because even login as root I can not access any "/" files, and trying to understand how to setup a "su" account.

My decision to go to ftp was because again I did not manage to fetch the files from my 2nd CF. Got messages like "no disklabel" and "card not configured".
If the memory in the memory in the microdrive (340MB) has enough capacity I will add "X". By the way how I can check how much free capacity is in the microdrive?

Many thanks, and will keep you updated in my progresses with BSD.

oski

Good luck...hehe. I am pretty much doing everything the long way, as in opening each individual tgz on my computer and slowly copying all the files over into the folders that base.tgz made, while not overwriting everything. When that is done I will simply copy all the folders over to my 414mb (all the files combined) NetBSD partition on my compactflash, and will find by means of compression or something to get all my programs for CE onto there too. (Don't wanna phase out CE - it has some great features)

-Good luck!

It looks like I will have to look for a windows tgz extractor or make the files read-only or something, because the simlinks are actually becoming the files! I was wondering where the 1gb file size came from...any solutions to prevent the simlinking from linking? (Massively limited guest account? )

From my installation (woes) of NetBSD1.6.2 and 2.0, CF cards may not be recognizable instantly (don't ask me why some work and others don't). Most of the install guides I found recommend fdisking the CF card and create a dos partn and then letting WinCE format it. Some guides point out that formating using WindowsXP will mess things up, so you may want to take note to that.

In any case, what's the current status for you, Oski?

Hi Snappy!
I used ftp and now I have a basic working system.
My current 340 microdrive is not enough for a full system, but with base, kernel, etc, man and text is enough to practice and learn a bit.
I am waiting for a 1GB CF to have a full installation including X.
In the meantime I am strugling with configuring WEP in my Cisco aironet 350 ( I disabled WEP for the ftp) and also trying to config an NIC ne2000 compatable Grey Cell. total failure in both cases.
Will keep trying and let you know
Cheers

Good good Oski! ... I've been separated from my 790 for almost a month now! ... hope it is surviving with a timer and ac adapter that charges it for 1 hour each day! ...

btw, any updates on NetBSD recently? I have not read the newsgroup these few weeks ...

Actually, I saw the Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 going under $200 BIN on the Bay ... and I'm kinda like ... y dun I just swap my 790 for it and I have a working handheld with TFT screen, built-in (thumb!!) keyboard and NetFront built-in! ... grrrr

or a Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 for $315 and you have a convertible PDA that has mixed identity as a handheld too, albeit with a smaller-than-Jornada keyboard.

ahhh ... decisions, decisions, decisions!!! ...

Snappy! I’m glad your back, did you go on a trip? If you did where? I want to go on a trip. Oh well; maybe someday.

Hi Yoldering! Thanks! Yeah, I *disappeared* for a couple of weeks for a solitude retreat of sorts. I'm still at that place, an empty house, lent to me on goodwill (gosh I keep meeting nice and kind ppl! ).

Its a trip alright, a trip to discover myself ...

HI Snappy,

Minimo for NetBSD hpcmips seems to be ready, binary available. That makes it far more atractive.

oski

Wow ... that's good! You got a link to the bin? Maybe the 790 have some life left afterall!