Hello,

I have several Sparcclassic boxes but all the HDs are dead. I have a Sparc
IPX that a few years ago I was able to install OpenDSB, copy the HD
contents to my Debian file server, and then run the IPX diskless with the
file system mounted via NFS. That HD since went bad but the IPX has been running fine on NFS for years now.

Either this was much easier to do with OpenBSD or I'm not nearly as smart
as I was a few years ago. I don't remember what I had to do to get OpenBSD
to boot off a NFS share like that, I don't remember having to compile a
special kernel or anything.

I do remember the hard part being getting the server configured correctly. Bottom line is the server pieces are in place and I can netboot the Etch installer just fine.

I have found many posts, blogs, and web pages that have information on how
to do this, but none seem to be complete and each seems to be different
from the next. Many do not indicate which version of Debian, or even linux they were written for/about. It doesn't help that some of these
instructions rely on, and link to, other pages that no longer exist.
Therefore I am at a loss as to what I need to do to get this to work.

Can Etch be installed directly to a NFS share from the Etch Sparc
installer? I have seen information that there should be an option to
install to a NFS share but I don't see it when I run the installer. I also netbooted the Woody installer but same thing.

If I have to install to a HD, what do I have to do to the installation
after copying everything over to the share to get it to boot from NFS? Is there some special kernel build I need to do?

Any help of any kind pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
DJ

<div dir="auto">Hello,<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I have several Sparcclassic boxes but all the HDs are dead.  I have a Sparc IPX that a few years ago I was able to install OpenDSB, copy the HD contents to my Debian file server, and then
run the IPX diskless with the file system mounted via NFS.  That HD since went bad but the IPX has been running fine on NFS for years now.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Either this was much easier to do with OpenBSD or I&#39;m not
nearly as smart as I was a few years ago.  I don&#39;t remember what I had to do to get OpenBSD to boot off a NFS share like that, I don&#39;t remember having to compile a special kernel or anything.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I do
remember the hard part being getting the server configured correctly.  Bottom line is the server pieces are in place and I can netboot the Etch installer just fine.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I have found many posts, blogs, and web
pages that have information on how to do this, but none seem to be complete and each seems to be different from the next.  Many do not indicate which version of Debian, or even linux they were written for/about.  It doesn&#39;t help that some of these
instructions rely on, and link to, other pages that no longer exist.  Therefore I am at a loss as to what I need to do to get this to work. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Can Etch be installed directly to a NFS share from the Etch
Sparc installer?  I have seen information that there should be an option to install to a NFS share but I don&#39;t see it when I run the installer.  I also netbooted the Woody installer but same thing. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">
If I have to install to a HD, what do I have to do to the installation after copying everything over to the share to get it to boot from NFS?  Is there some special kernel build I need to do?</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Any help of
any kind pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Thanks, </div><div dir="auto">DJ</div></div>

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Hi!

On 1/24/22 06:27, D J wrote:

Can Etch be installed directly to a NFS share from the Etch Sparc installer? I have seen information that there should be an option to install to a NFS share but I don't see it when I run the installer. I also netbooted the Woody
installer but same thing.

I don't think it's officially supported, but I don't see any particular reason why it shouldn't work.

FWIW, the network ("netboot") installer can be found here:

http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/etch/main/installer-sparc/current/images/sparc32/netboot/2.6/

Manual here: https://www.debian.org/releases/etch/sparc/ch05s01.html.en

If I have to install to a HD, what do I have to do to the installation after copying
everything over to the share to get it to boot from NFS? Is there some special kernel
build I need to do?

You don't need a special kernel. But you must provide the initrd over TFTP as well so that
the kernel will be able to find its network drivers to mount the NFS filesystem.

And you need to pass the proper "root=" option so the kernel can find the root filesystem
over the network.

Adrian

--
.''`. John Paul Adrian Glaubitz
: :' : Debian Developer - glaubitz@debian.org
`. `' Freie Universitaet Berlin - glaubitz@physik.fu-berlin.de
`- GPG: 62FF 8A75 84E0 2956 9546 0006 7426 3B37 F5B5 F913

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Thanks for the response! I guess I didn't make it clear, but I am able to netboot both the Etch and Woody installers off my TFTP server, the install process goes just fine, but I can't find any option in either to install to
a NFS share. I hit a dead end with either installer since they can't find
a disk to install to, and I can't find an option to give the installer the path to the NFS share.

I found one blog where someone wrote that they did an install this way--but
not how. It seems like this would be the nicest way to do the installs if
it could be figured out, but my searching has turned up no clue how I would
go about it.

I will read up on the initrd and see if I can figure out where to get or
how to make one that will work.

Thanks,
DJ

<div dir="auto">Thanks for the response!  I guess I didn&#39;t make it clear, but I am able to netboot both the Etch and Woody installers off my TFTP server, the install process goes just fine, but I can&#39;t find any option in either to install to a
NFS share.  I hit a dead end with either installer since they can&#39;t find a disk to install to,  and I can&#39;t find an option to give the installer the path to the NFS share.<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I found one blog where someone
wrote that they did an install this way--but not how.  It seems like this would be the nicest way to do the installs if it could be figured out, but my searching has turned up no clue how I would go about it. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="
auto">I will read up on the initrd and see if I can figure out where to get or how to make one that will work.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Thanks, </div><div dir="auto">DJ</div></div>

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Perhaps you could do the base install with Debootstrap from another system?

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