diff --git a/distrib/notes/sparc/upgrade b/distrib/notes/sparc/upgrade
index 07e3a7442fd8..fdf6fdabce92 100644
--- a/distrib/notes/sparc/upgrade
+++ b/distrib/notes/sparc/upgrade
@@ -1,3 +1,27 @@
-.\"	$NetBSD: upgrade,v 1.11 2000/10/21 04:49:26 mbw Exp $
+.\"	$NetBSD: upgrade,v 1.12 2000/11/16 17:04:50 tv Exp $
 .
 .so ../common/upgrade
+.Pp
+.Nx /sparc has switched its executable format from the old a.out format
+to ELF, the now more commonly used and supported format. Your old
+binaries will continue to work just fine. The installation procedure
+will try to take the necessary steps to accomplish this. The most
+important step is to move the old a.out shared libraries in
+.Pa /usr/lib
+and
+.Pa /usr/X11R6/lib
+(if X was installed) to
+.Pa /emul/aout ,
+where they will be automatically found if an older a.out binary
+is executed. Sysinst will use an existing
+.Pa /emul
+and / or
+.Pa /emul/aout
+directory if available, and will create it (as a symbolic link to
+.Pa /usr/aout )
+if necessary.
+.Pp
+If you already had a
+.Pa /emul
+directory, or a symbolic link by that name, sysinst should rename it
+and tell you about it.