NetBSD/distrib/notes/arm32/xfer

	$NetBSD: xfer,v 1.2 1998/01/09 18:46:04 perry Exp $	

Installation is supported from several media types, including:

	Remote NFS partition
	FTP
	CDROM
	DOS Floppy
	Tape

No matter which installation medium you choose, you'll need to have an
installation kernel (and possibly a boot application, see
"arm32/<platform>/prep" for details).

Note that, if you are installing or upgrading from a writable media,
the media can be write-protected if you wish. These systems mount a
root image from inside the kernel, and will not need to write to the
media.

Obviously, the steps necessary to prepare the distribution sets for
installation or upgrade depend on which installation medium you
choose.  The steps for the various media are outlined below.

To install or upgrade NetBSD using CDROM, you need to do the
following:

	Find out (probably from the release notes supplied with the
	CDROM) where the sets files are on the CDROM.

	Proceed to the instruction on installation.

To install or upgrade NetBSD using DOS floppies, you need to do the
following:

	Count the number of "set_name.xx" files that make up the
	distribution sets you want to install or upgrade.  You will
	need that number of 1.44M floppies.

	Format all of the floppies with DOS.  DO NOT make any of them
	bootable DOS floppies.  (If the floppies are bootable, then
	the DOS system files that make them bootable will take up
	some space, and you won't be able to fit the distribution set
	parts on the disks.) If you're using floppies that are
	formatted for DOS by their manufacturers, they probably
	aren't bootable, and you can use them out of the box.

	Place all of the "set_name.xx" files on the DOS disks.

	Once you have the files on DOS disks, you can proceed to the
	next step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD 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.

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

	To install NetBSD from a tape, you need to make a tape that
	contains the distribution set files, in "tar" format.  If
	you're making the tape on a UN*X-like system, the easiest way
	to do so is probably something like:

		tar cf <tape_device> <dist_directories>

	where "<tape_device>" is the name of the tape device that
	describes the tape drive you're using (possibly /dev/rst0, or
	something similar, but it will vary from system to system.
	(If you can't figure it out, ask your system administrator.)
	In the above example, "<dist_directories>" are the
	distribution sets' directories, for the distribution sets you
	wish to place on the tape.  For instance, to put the
	"misc13", "base13" and "etc13" distributions on tape (in
	order to do the absolute minimum installation to a new disk),
	you would do the following:

		cd .../NetBSD-_VER		# the top of the tree
		cd arm32/binary
		tar cf <tape_device> misc13 etc13 kern13

	(Note that you still need to fill in "<tape_device>" in the
	example.)

	Once you have the files on the tape, you can proceed to the
	next step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD 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.

To install or upgrade NetBSD 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 NetBSD 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 NetBSD.
	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 NetBSD,
	you need to know the numeric IP address of the router closest
	to the NetBSD machine.  Finally, you need to know the numeric
	IP address of the NetBSD 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
	NetBSD 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.

To install or upgrade NetBSD by using FTP to get the installation
sets, 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.

	The preparations for this installation/upgrade method are
	easy; all you make sure that there's some FTP site from which
	you can retrieve the NetBSD distribution when you're about to
	install or upgrade.  You need to know the numeric IP address
	of that site, and, if it's not on a network directly connected
	to the machine on which you're installing or upgrading NetBSD,
	you need to know the numeric IP address of the router closest
	to the NetBSD machine.  Finally, you need to know the numeric
	IP address of the NetBSD machine itself.

	Once you have this information, you can proceed to the next
	step in the installation or upgrade process.  If you're
	installing NetBSD 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 NetBSD, you also have the option of installing
NetBSD 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. Please note that the /dev on
        the floppy used for upgrades only knows about wd0, wd1, sd0,
        sd1 and sd2. If you have more than two IDE drives or more than
        three SCSI drives, you should take care not to place the sets
        on the high numbered drives.

        At a bare minimum, you must upgrade the "base" binary
	distribution, and so must put the "base13" 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.