NetBSD/distrib/notes/INSTALL

INSTALLATION NOTES for NetBSD/_MACH _VER



Be sure to read _ALL_ of this document before you try to install
NetBSD/_MACH.



What is NetBSD?
---- -- ------

The NetBSD Operating System is a fully functional UN*X-like system
derrived from the Berkeley Networking Release 2 (Net/2), 4.4BSD-Lite,
and 4.4BSD-Lite2 sources.  NetBSD runs on many architectures and is
being ported to more.

NetBSD is a creation of the members of the Internet community.
Without the unique cooperation and coordination the net makes
possible, it's likely that this release wouldn't have come about.

The NetBSD _VER release is a landmark. Building upon the successful
NetBSD 1.2 release, we have provided numerous and significant
functional enhancements, including support for many new devices,
integration of many bug fixes, new and updated kernel subsystems, and
many userland enhancements.  The results of these improvements is a
stable operating system fit for production use that rivals most
commercially available systems.

It is impossible to summarize the 18 months of development that went
into the NetBSD _VER release. Some of the significant changes include:

	Support for machine independant device drivers has been
	radically improved with the addition of the "bus.h" interface,
	providing a high quality abstraction for machine and
	architecture independent device access.

	The bus_dma interface has also been integrated, providing a
	machine-independent abstraction for DMA mapping. This permits many
	good things, including (among many) clean multi-platform
	bounce buffer support.

	Framework support for ISA "Plug and Play" has been added, as
	well as support for numerous "Plug and Play" devices.

	APM support has been added to NetBSD/i386.

	An initial cut of multiplatform PCMCIA support has been added.

	Support for ATAPI devices (initially just ATAPI CD-ROM drives)
	has been added.

	Support for Sun 3/80s (sun3x architecture) has been added.

	Integration/merger of 4.4BSD Lite-2 sources into userland
	programs has nearly been completed.

	Most of userland now compiles with high levels of gcc warnings
	turned on, which has lead to the discovery and elimination of
	many bugs.
	
	The i386 boot blocks have been completely replaced with a new,
	libsa based two stage boot system. This has permitted
	integration of compressed boot support (see below).

	Many ports (including NetBSD/i386) now support booting of
	compressed kernels, and feature new "Single Floppy" install
	systems that boot compressed install kernels and ramdisks. We
	intend to do substantial work on improving ease of
	installation in the future.

	"ypserv" has been added, thus completing our support for the
	"yp" network information system suite.

	Support for the Linux "ext2fs" filesystem and for FAT32 "msdosfs"
	filesystems has been added.

	TCP now has a SYN "compressed state engine" which provides
	increased robustness under high levels of received SYNs (as in
	the case of "SYN flood" attacks.) (Much of this code was
	derived from sources provided by BSDI.)

	An initial implementation of Path MTU discovery has been
	integrated (though it is not turned on by default).

	An initial kernel based random number generator pseudodevice has
	been added.

	Several major fixes have been integrated for the VM subsystem,
	including the fix of a notorious VM leak, improved
	synchronization between mmap()ed and open()ed files, and
	massively improved performance in low real memory conditions.

	A new swap subsystem has radically improved configuration and
	management of swap devices and swap files.

	Userland ntp support, including xntpd, has been integrated.

	The audio subsystems have been substantially debugged and
	improved, and now offer substantial emulation of the OSS audio
	interface, thus providing the ability to cleanly run emulated
	Linux and FreeBSD versions of sound intensive programs.

	A "packages" system has been adapted from FreeBSD and will
	provide binary package installations for third party
	applications.

	The XFree86 X source tree has been made a supported part of
	the NetBSD distribution, and X servers, libraries and
	utilities are now shipped with our releases.

	The ftp(1) program has been made astoundingly overfunctional.
	It supports command line editing, tab completion, status bars,
	automatic download of URLs specified on the command line,
	firewall support and many other features.

	All ports now use "new" config. Old config has been laid to rest.

As has been noted, there have also been innumerable bug fixes.	

Kernel interfaces have continued to be refined, and more subsystems
and device drivers are shared among the different ports. You can look
for this trend to continue.

NetBSD _VER also includes some refinement to the NetBSD binary emulation
system (which includes FreeBSD, HP-UX, iBCS2, Linux, OSF/1, SunOS, SVR4,
Solaris and Ultrix compatibility), bringing NetBSD closer to the goal of
making the emulation as accurate as possible.

In the near future, we hope to integrate a fully rewritten VM
subsystem, kernel threads, and SMP support.

#include "whatis"


The Future of NetBSD:
--- ------ -- ------

The NetBSD Foundation has been incorporated as a non-profit
organization.  Its purpose is to encourage, foster and promote the
free exchange of computer software, namely the NetBSD Operating
System.  The foundation will allow for many things to be handled more
smoothly than could be done with our previous informal organization.
In particular, it provides the framework to deal with other parties
that wish to become involved in the NetBSD Project.

The NetBSD Foundation will help improve the quality of NetBSD by:

	* providing better organization to keep track of development
	  efforts, including co-ordination with groups working in 
	  related fields.

	* providing a framework to receive donations of goods and
          services and to own the resources necessary to run the
          NetBSD Project.

        * providing a better position from which to undertake
          promotional activities.

        * periodically organizing workshops for developers and other
          interested people to discuss ongoing work.

We hope to have regular releases of the full binary and source trees,
but these are difficult to coordinate, especially with all of the
architectures which we now support!  

We hope to support even _more_ hardware in the future, and have a
rather large number of other ideas about what can be done to improve
NetBSD.  

We intend to continue our current practice of making the
NetBSD-current development source available on a daily basis.

We intend to integrate free, positive changes from whatever sources
will provide them, providing that they are well thought-out and
increase the usability of the system.

Above all, we hope to create a stable and accessible system, and to be
responsive to the needs and desires of NetBSD users, because it is for
and because of them that NetBSD exists.


Sources of NetBSD:
------- -- ------

#include "mirrors"

NetBSD _VER Release Contents:
------ --- ------- --------

The NetBSD _VER release is organized in the following way:

.../NetBSD-_VER/
		BUGS			Known bugs list (incomplete
					and out of date).

		CHANGES			Changes since NetBSD's last
					release (and before).

		LAST_MINUTE		Last minute changes.

		MIRRORS			A list of sites that mirror
					the NetBSD _VER distribution.

		README.files		README describing the
					distribution's contents.

		TODO			NetBSD's todo list (incomplete
					and out of date).

		patches/		Post-release source code
					patches.

		source/			Source distribution sets; see
					below.

In addition to the files and directories listed above, there is one
directory per architecture, for each of the architectures for which
NetBSD _VER has a binary distribution.  There are also
'README.export-control' files sprinkled liberally throughout the
distribution tree, which point out that there are some portions of the
distribution (i.e. the `domestic' portion) that may be subject to
export regulations of the United States, and that it is your
responsibility should you choose to export these portions.

The source distribution sets can be found in subdirectories of the
"source" subdirectory of the distribution tree.  They contain the 
complete sources to the system.  The source distribution sets 
are as follows:

	dsrc13	This set contains the "domestic" sources.  These
		sources may be subject to United States export
		regulations.
		[ 140K gzipped, 655K uncompressed ] /* XXX */

	gsrc13	This set contains the "gnu" sources, including
		the source for the compiler, assembler, groff,
		and the other GNU utilities in the binary distribution
		sets.
		[ 7.1M gzipped, 30.4M uncompressed ] /* XXX */

	ksrc13	This set contains the sources to the NetBSD _VER
		kernel, config(8), and dbsym(8).
		[ 6.0M gzipped, 27.0M uncompressed ] /* XXX */

	ssrc13	This set contains the "share" sources, which include
		the sources for the man pages not associated with
		any particular program, the sources for the
		typesettable document set, the dictionaries, and more.
		[ 2.4M gzipped, 8.9M uncompressed ] /* XXX */

	src13	This set contains all of the NetBSD _VER sources which
		are not mentioned above.
		[ 9.3M gzipped, 41.6M uncompressed ] /* XXX */

It is worth noting that unless all of the source distribution sets
are installed (except the domestic set), you can't rebuild and install
the system from scratch, straight out of the box.  However, all that is
required to rebuild the system in that case is a trivial modification 
to one Makefile.

The source distribution sets are distributed as groups of files named
"set_name.xx" where "set_name" is the distribution set name, and "xx"
is the sequence number of the file, starting with "aa" for the first
file in the distribution set, then "ab" for the next, and so on.  All
of these files except the last one of each set should be exactly
240,640 bytes long.  (The last file is just long enough to contain the
remainder of the data for that distribution set.)

Catted together, the files belonging to a source distribution set 
comprise a gzipped tar file.  If you want to look at list of the files
contained in the set, you could use the command:

	cat set_name.?? | gunzip | tar tvf -

or to actually extract the files contained in the set:

	cat set_name.?? | gunzip | tar xfp -

In each of the source distribution set directories, there is a file
named "CKSUMS" which contains the checksums of the files in that
directory, as generated by the cksum(1) utility.  You can use cksum to
check the integrity of the archives, if you suspect that one of the
files is corrupt and have access to a cksum binary.

#include "contents"


NetBSD System Requirements and Supported Devices:
------ ------ ------------ --- --------- -------

#include "hardware"


Getting the NetBSD System on to Useful Media:
------- --- ------ ------ -- -- ------ -----

#include "xfer"


Preparing your System for NetBSD Installation:
--------- ---- ------ --- ------ ------------

#include "prep"


Installing the NetBSD System:
---------- --- ------ ------

#include "install"


Upgrading a previously-installed NetBSD System:
--------- - ---------- --------- ------ ------

#include "upgrade"


Using online NetBSD documentation
----- ------ ------ -------------

Documentation is available if you first install the manual
distribution set.  Traditionally, the "man pages" (documentation)
are denoted by 'name(section)'.  Some examples of this are

	intro(1),
	man(1),
	apropros(1),
	passwd(1), and
	passwd(5).

The section numbers group the topics into several categories, but three
are of primary interest:  user commands are in section 1, file formats
are in section 5, and administrative information is in section 8.

The 'man' command is used to view the documentation on a topic, and is
started by entering 'man [section] topic'.  The brackets [] around the
section should not be entered, but rather indicate that the section is
optional.  If you don't ask for a particular section, the topic with the
least-numbered section name will be displayed.  For instance, after
logging in, enter 

	man passwd

to read the documentation for passwd(1).  To view the documentation for
passwd(5), enter

	man 5 passwd

instead.

If you are unsure of what man page you are looking for, enter

	apropos subject-word

where "subject-word" is your topic of interest; a list of possibly 
related man pages will be displayed.


Administrivia:
-------------

Registration?  What's that?

If you've got something to say, do so!  We'd like your input.
There are various mailing lists available via the mailing list
server at <majordomo@NetBSD.ORG>.  To get help on using the mailing
list server, send mail to that address with an empty body, and it will
reply with instructions.

There are various mailing lists set up to deal with comments and
questions about this release.  Please send comments to:

	netbsd-comments@NetBSD.ORG

To report bugs, use the 'send-pr' command shipped with NetBSD,
and fill in as much information about the problem as you can.  Good
bug reports include lots of details.  Additionally, bug reports can
be sent by mail to:

	netbsd-bugs@NetBSD.ORG

Use of 'send-pr' is encouraged, however, because bugs reported with it
are entered into the NetBSD bugs database, and thus can't slip through
the cracks.

There are also port-specific mailing lists, to discuss aspects of
each port of NetBSD.  Use majordomo to find their addresses.  If
you're interested in doing a serious amount of work on a specific
port, you probably should contact the "owner" of that port (listed
below).

If you'd like to help with this effort, and have an idea as to how
you could be useful, send mail and/or subscribe to:

	netbsd-help@NetBSD.ORG

As a favor, please avoid mailing huge documents or files to these
mailing lists.  Instead, put the material you would have sent up
for FTP somewhere, then mail the appropriate list about it, or, if
you'd rather not do that, mail the list saying you'll send the data
to those who want it.


Thanks go to:
------ -- --

Members and former members of UCB's Computer Systems Research Group,
including (but not limited to):
	Keith Bostic
	Ralph Campbell
	Mike Karels
	Marshall Kirk McKusick
for their ongoing work on BSD systems, support, and encouragement.

Also, our thanks go to:
	Mike Hibler
	Rick Macklem
	Jan-Simon Pendry
	Chris Torek
for answering lots of questions, fixing bugs, and doing the various work
they've done.

UC Berkeley's Experimental Computing Facility provided a home for
sun-lamp in the past, people to look after it, and a sense of humor.
Rob Robertson, too, has added his unique sense of humor to things, and
for a long time provided the primary FTP site for NetBSD.

Best Internet Communications for hosting the NetBSD FTP and SUP server.

Cygnus Support for hosting the NetBSD Mail server.

Without CVS, this project would be impossible to manage, so our hats
go off to Brian Berliner, Jeff Polk, and the various other people
who've had a hand in making CVS a useful tool.

Dave Burgess <burgess@cynjut.infonet.net> has been maintaining the
386BSD/NetBSD/FreeBSD FAQ for quite some time, and deserves to be
recognized for it.

The following people (in alphabetical order) have made donations or
loans of hardware and/or money, to support NetBSD development, and
deserve credit for it:
#include "donations"
(If you're not on that list and should be, tell us!  We probably were
not able to get in touch with you, to verify that you wanted to be
listed.)

Finally, we thank all of the people who've put sweat and tears into
developing NetBSD since its inception in January, 1993.  (Obviously,
there are a lot more people who deserve thanks here.  If you're one of
them, and would like to mentioned, tell us!)


We are:
-- ---
(in alphabetical order)

The NetBSD core group:
J.T. Conklin		<jtc@NetBSD.ORG>
Charles Hannum		<mycroft@NetBSD.ORG>
Paul Kranenburg		<pk@NetBSD.ORG>
Jason Thorpe		<thorpej@NetBSD.ORG>
Christos Zoulas 	<christos@NetBSD.ORG>

The port-masters (and their ports):
Mark Brinicombe		<mark@NetBSD.ORG>		(arm32)
Jeremy Cooper		<jeremy@NetBSD.ORG>		(sun3x)
Chuck Cranor		<chuck@NetBSD.ORG>		(mvme68k)
Charles Hannum		<mycroft@NetBSD.ORG>		(i386)
Chris Hopps		<chopps@NetBSD.ORG>		(amiga)
Paul Kranenburg		<pk@NetBSD.ORG>			(sparc)
Anders Magnusson	<ragge@NetBSD.ORG>		(vax)
Phil Nelson		<phil@NetBSD.ORG>		(pc532)
Masaru Oki		<oki@NetBSD.ORG>		(x68k)
Scott Reynolds		<scottr@NetBSD.ORG>		(mac68k)
Gordon Ross		<gwr@NetBSD.ORG>		(sun3, sun3x)
Jonathan Stone		<jonathan@NetBSD.ORG>		(pmax)
Jason Thorpe		<thorpej@NetBSD.ORG>		(hp300)
Frank van der Linden	<fvdl@NetBSD.ORG>		(i386)
Leo Weppelman		<leo@NetBSD.ORG>		(atari)

Supporting cast:
Steve Allen		<wormey@eskimo.com>
Lennart Augustsson	<augustss@NetBSD.ORG>
Christoph Badura	<bad@NetBSD.ORG>
John Birrell		<jb@NetBSD.ORG>
Manuel Bouyer		<bouyer@NetBSD.ORG>
John Brezak		<brezak@NetBSD.ORG>
Allen Briggs		<briggs@NetBSD.ORG>
Aaron Brown		<abrown@NetBSD.ORG>
David Brownlee		<abs@NetBSD.ORG>
Dave Burgess		<burgess@cynjut.infonet.net>
Dave Carrel		<carrel@NetBSD.ORG>
Bill Coldwell		<billc@NetBSD.ORG>
Alistair Crooks		<agc@NetBSD.ORG>
Rob Deker		<deker@NetBSD.ORG>
Chris G. Demetriou	<cgd@NetBSD.ORG>
Matthias Drochner	<drochner@NetBSD.ORG>
Bernd Ernesti		<veego@NetBSD.ORG>
Erik Fair		<fair@NetBSD.ORG>
Hubert Feyrer		<hubertf@NetBSD.ORG>
Brian R. Gaeke		<brg@dgate.org>
Justin Gibbs		<gibbs@NetBSD.ORG>
Adam Glass		<glass@NetBSD.ORG>
Michael Graff		<explorer@NetBSD.ORG>
Brad Grantham		<grantham@tenon.com>
Matthew Green		<mrg@NetBSD.ORG>
Juergen Hannken-Illjes	<hannken@NetBSD.ORG>
Michael L. Hitch	<osymh@NetBSD.ORG>
Marc Horowitz		<marc@NetBSD.ORG>
Matthew Jacob		<mjacob@NetBSD.ORG>
Lonhyn T. Jasinskyj	<lonhyn@NetBSD.ORG>
Lawrence Kesteloot	<kesteloo@cs.unc.edu>
Klaus Klein		<kleink@NetBSD.ORG>
John Kohl 		<jtk@NetBSD.ORG>
Kevin Lahey		<kml@NetBSD.ORG>
Ted Lemon		<mellon@NetBSD.ORG>
Mike Long		<mikel@NetBSD.ORG>
Paul Mackerras	 	<paulus@NetBSD.ORG>
Neil J. McRae		<neil@NetBSD.ORG>
Perry Metzger		<perry@NetBSD.ORG>
Luke Mewburn		<lukem@NetBSD.ORG>
der Mouse		<mouse@NetBSD.ORG>
Herb Peyerl		<hpeyerl@NetBSD.ORG>
Matthias Pfaller	<matthias@NetBSD.ORG>
Chris Provenzano	<proven@NetBSD.ORG>
Waldi Ravens		<waldi@moacs.indiv.nl.net>
Darren Reed		<darrenr@NetBSD.ORG>
Kazuki Sakamoto		<sakamoto@NetBSD.ORG>
Curt Sampson		<cjs@NetBSD.ORG>
Karl Schilke (rAT)	<rat@NetBSD.ORG>
Thor Lancelot Simon	<tls@NetBSD.ORG>
Noriyuki Soda		<soda@NetBSD.ORG>
Wolfgang Solfrank	<ws@NetBSD.ORG>
Bill Sommerfeld		<sommerfeld@NetBSD.ORG>
Ignatios Souvatzis	<is@NetBSD.ORG>
Kevin Sullivan		<sullivan@NetBSD.ORG>
Matt Thomas		<matt@NetBSD.ORG>
Enami Tsugutomo		<enami@NetBSD.ORG>
Paul Vixie		<vixie@NetBSD.ORG>
Colin Wood		<ender@NetBSD.ORG>
Steve Woodford		<scw@NetBSD.ORG>

Legal Mumbo-jumbo:
----- ----- -----

The following notices are required to satisfy the license terms of
the software that we have mentioned in this document:

#include "legal.common"

#include "legal"