Trying to install?

[smurfd]

Hey.

Have installed NetBSD 9.2 a few times in a VM without a problem. Pkgin
is so nice. Installation is so quick and smooth.

Tried today to install on real hardware.
Then i ran into issues, when running the installer from a USB stick

https://imgur.com/a/5gbpZX8

Where it hangs ...

Then instead i tried to drop to boot prompt and ran the `boot -c` to be
able  to disable possibly graphics card detection (i read that somewhere).
came to UC>
Where it hang ...

Question one, is there some way around this. can i from the boot prompt
tell it to ignore graphics cards. Plan was to not use X anyway. Need
more info, let me know.

Question two, assuming i get further, is there some guide to create a
local pkgsrc mirror and tell several machines in your network to sync to
that instead of a internet mirror(feels unnecessary to sync over
internet if you have 5+ machines)?

thanks in advance

br smurfd

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[Rhialto]

Post by smurfd
Then instead i tried to drop to boot prompt and ran the `boot -c` to be
able  to disable possibly graphics card detection (i read that somewhere).
came to UC>
Where it hang ...

It is possible that you have a USB keyboard which may not always work at
this point. Or in your case, maybe the nouveau driver doesn't let you
get that far.

Post by smurfd
Question one, is there some way around this. can i from the boot prompt tell
it to ignore graphics cards. Plan was to not use X anyway. Need more info,
let me know.

Yes, from the boot loader (see boot(8), userconf) and from boot.cfg you
can give the commands that you can give to the userconf prompt. boot.cfg
syntax looks a bit weird I think, since it requires a "keyword=..."
style for everything, so you get something like "userconf=disable ehci*"
(example taken from boot.cfg(5))

Post by smurfd
Question two, assuming i get further, is there some guide to create a local
pkgsrc mirror and tell several machines in your network to sync to that
instead of a internet mirror(feels unnecessary to sync over internet if you
have 5+ machines)?

Yes that is possible too. Check pkg_install.conf(5) for the setting
PKG_PATH. pkgin has its own settings in /usr/pkg/etc/pkgin/repositories.conf.
See manual page pkgin(1).

Post by smurfd
thanks in advance
br smurfd

-Olaf.

[smurfd]

Post by Rhialto

Post by smurfd
Then instead i tried to drop to boot prompt and ran the `boot -c` to be
able  to disable possibly graphics card detection (i read that somewhere).
came to UC>
Where it hang ...

It is possible that you have a USB keyboard which may not always work at
this point. Or in your case, maybe the nouveau driver doesn't let you
get that far.

Many thanks for your reply!

Tried with another keyboard (unfortunately i have no ps2 ports for
mouse/keyboard in that pc) without luck.
However i tried throwing out the nvidia card and replacing it with
another (also nvidia) card, where nouveau driver did not complain. Then
i ran into the screen going black issue.
http://netbsd.org/ports/i386/faq.html#vid_mem_conflict But that i
thought would be an easy fix with like : `consdev pc`   and then `boot`
or just going back to the menu and chose the 1st option to "Install
NetBSD", but no luck. Tried the onboard graphics, then the radeon driver
panicked :D
We're of to a rocky start...

Post by Rhialto

Post by smurfd
Question one, is there some way around this. can i from the boot prompt tell
it to ignore graphics cards. Plan was to not use X anyway. Need more info,
let me know.

Yes, from the boot loader (see boot(8), userconf) and from boot.cfg you
can give the commands that you can give to the userconf prompt. boot.cfg
syntax looks a bit weird I think, since it requires a "keyword=..."
style for everything, so you get something like "userconf=disable ehci*"
(example taken from boot.cfg(5))

I guess this is after you have installed netbsd, and not in the
installer itself? seems i cant drop to an actual shell from the
installer menu or from the "drop to boot prompt". Tried both Ctrl+C and
Ctrl+Z... saw in the installer after dropping to boot prompt, that you
can do like `userconf disable nouveau0`

Think i will do some manaul readings and possibly look for a non-nvidia
card, or see if i can restore another pc i had that is not AMD or
install linux and use netbsd in a kvm virtual machine.

Post by Rhialto

Post by smurfd
Question two, assuming i get further, is there some guide to create a local
pkgsrc mirror and tell several machines in your network to sync to that
instead of a internet mirror(feels unnecessary to sync over internet if you
have 5+ machines)?

Yes that is possible too. Check pkg_install.conf(5) for the setting
PKG_PATH. pkgin has its own settings in /usr/pkg/etc/pkgin/repositories.conf.
See manual page pkgin(1).

Awesome yeah that looks simple enough!

Post by Rhialto

Post by smurfd
thanks in advance
br smurfd

-Olaf.

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Posted automagically by a mail2news gateway at muc.de e.V.
Please direct questions, flames, donations, etc. to news-***@muc.de

[Rhialto]

Post by Rhialto
Yes, from the boot loader (see boot(8), userconf) and from boot.cfg you
can give the commands that you can give to the userconf prompt. boot.cfg
syntax looks a bit weird I think, since it requires a "keyword=..."
style for everything, so you get something like "userconf=disable ehci*"
(example taken from boot.cfg(5))

I guess this is after you have installed netbsd, and not in the installer
itself? seems i cant drop to an actual shell from the installer menu or from
the "drop to boot prompt". Tried both Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Z... saw in the
installer after dropping to boot prompt, that you can do like `userconf
disable nouveau0`

Both, I suppose, if you need it. If you have trouble already with the
installer image, then you'd have to drop to the boot prompt when you see
the countdown.

I don't have the details exactly in my head, but I think it's something
like a countdown, where you have to press any key to interrupt, and then
you can choose an item from the boot menu. One of them should be to drop
to the boot prompt.

For the installer it would be a bit tricky to change the /boot.cfg file
(not impossible, but if you're just getting started with all this then
it's probably too much). So there the boot prompt would be the place to
try out userconf settings.

For the installed system, it would be tedious to keep doing this every
time you boot. Fortunately once you have a running system it's easy to
edit /boot.cfg and add one or more lines.

The installer should have a shell option, in e: Utility menu -> a:
Run /bin/sh.

-Olaf.