Installation is supported from several media types, including: NFS partitions FTP Tape The steps necessary to prepare the distribution sets for installation depend on which method of installation you choose. The various methods are explained below. To prepare for installing via an NFS partition: Since the current NetBSD/sparc installation program uses a diskless setup for your workstation, you will already have to prepare an NFS directory for use as a remote root filesystem (see the section `Installing the NetBSD System' below for details). The easiest way is to put the NetBSD filesets in this root filesystem on the server where the install program will find them. However, you have the option to put the filesets in another directory or even on another NFS server. To do so, follow these guide lines: Place the NetBSD software you wish to install into a directory on an NFS server, and make that directory mountable by the machine which you will be installing NetBSD on. This will probably require modifying the /etc/exports file of the NFS server and resetting mountd, acts which will require superuser privileges. Note the numeric IP address of the NFS server and of the router closest to the the new NetBSD machine, if the NFS server is not on a network which is directly attached to the NetBSD machine. Once you have done this, you can proceed to the next step in the installation process, preparing your system for NetBSD installation. To prepare for installing via FTP: NOTE: this method of installation is recommended only for those already familiar with using the BSD network-manipulation commands and interfaces. If you aren't, this documentation should help, but is not intended to be all-encompassing. The preparations for this method of installation are easy: all you have to do is make sure that there's some FTP site from which you can retrieve the NetBSD installation when it's time to do the install. You should know the numeric IP address of that site, the numeric IP address of your nearest router if one is necessary Once you have done this, you can proceed to the next step in the installation process, preparing your system for NetBSD installation. To prepare for installing via a tape: To install NetBSD from a tape, you need to somehow get the NetBSD filesets you wish to install on your system on to the appropriate kind of tape, in tar format. If you're making the tape on a UN*X system, the easiest way to do so is: tar cvf where "" is the name of the tape device that describes the tape drive you're using (possibly something like /dev/nrst0, but we make no guarantees 8-). Under SunOS 5.x, this would be something like /dev/rmt/0mbn. Again, your mileage may vary. If you can't figure it out, ask your system administrator. "" are the names of the "set_name.nnn" files which you want to be placed on the tape. Once you have done this, you can proceed to the next step in the installation process, preparing your system for NetBSD installation.