Re: Installation Error For Mac68k NetBSD on SE/30

On 8/19/23 9:30 AM, RJ Kucia wrote:
>> Hum - I don't think the Booter supports FFS v2 filesystems, yet.
>> OTOH, sysinst shouldn't create any, at least not for the root
>> file-system.
> 
> The file system I created was an A/UX partition in HD SC Setup, which
> was then formatted with mkfs (as per the guide I was following). Not
> sure exactly which type of file system it creates, though, but that
> could be the issue.
> ...

As I recall, Mkfs (in Mac OS) can only create ffs-v1 filesystems in the
first gigabyte of the disk, while the current NetBSD wants an ffs-v2 rootfs.

The only way to install a new system from scratch right now is to use
the CD install method.

Or configure an ffs-v2 rootfs on an external disk and copy from an
existing mac68k installation. As I recall, booting the kernel from Mac
OS is sort of like using an initrd in GNU/Linux -- once it boots it can
see ffs-v2 filesystems and it isn't restricted to the first gigabyte.

It might also be possible to use the Traditional Method to install on
the first gigabyte of an external disk, with the rootfs created in Mac
OS with Mkfs. Doing such an install using a faster system, such as a
Beige G3 Desktop, is faster than on an SE/30. Then mount that rootfs on
an existing installation and change the filesystem type from ffs-v2 to
ffs-v1 in /etc/fstab. But that also requires an existing installation of
NetBSD.

-Stan