Agreed. "something" is "boot blocks" and they are "installed" by "the OS".

The flash-update is a 32bit ELF file and I imagine the OpenBSD/sparc64 boot

blocks only like 64bit ELF.
(Per my other unrelated question -- I was wrong, OpenBSD/sparc64 is pure 64

bit, gcc -m32 doesn't "work" (from a certain point of view, yes I realize it

does exactly what it is meant to do, and it is arguably superior this way,

rather than open a can of worms as to just what is "the architecture" of "the

OS", some hard to pin down hybrid, or simply only SPARC64.)
It is probably possible and not difficult to temporarily install the Solaris

boot blocks (such as from the environment booting the Solaris install CD gives

you), boot the flash-update, and then put back the OpenBSD boot blocks. I

haven't really tried yet.
It might even be possible, like, to say boot cdrom /blahblah/ or boot floppy

/blahblahblah where /blahblahblah is, you know, normally just like bsd or

/update-flash, the kernel or the program to run, relative to the device, but

maybe you can use a "device path" there at the start and have the boot blocks

on one device read the "kernel" (or rather update-flash) from another device.
The flash-update is also 1.4something meg in size, which I thought therefore

might fit on a floppy and be bootable completely from there, but I didn't have

luck with that. The floppy drive wasn't working from OpenBSD and the floppy I

produced on NT doesn't work. The size is maybe just a coincidence, and heck

maybe I misread the number of digits, it was 14. I was too lazy to

determine the actual value of 1.44meg -- LAZY of me, so easy to have done...
I'll experiment later. I blew away my Linux/macppc and started OpenBSD/macppc

install so I can try the netboot (which is something I want to try anyway). I

know those directions aren't specific to macppc, or even OpenBSD, but I have

no other OpenBSD machines currently, the Mac was a good candidate, and I might

as well not risk Linux or MacOSX varying in an area I'm not confident in.
btw, those instructions were good, but the man page looks quite good as well,

maybe identical.
Thanks again, I'll report back later (in case anyone cares..hey the mailing

list is "misc", not "dev-important".. :) )

 - Jay
> Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 09:42:20 +0200> From: openbsd@pckswarms.ch> To:

jayk123@hotmail.com> CC: venture37@hotmail.com; misc@openbsd.org> Subject: Re:

geom network driver times out on sparc 4.2?> > Hi,> > I was unable to get the

obp upgrade to boot when put on a openbsd disk. I guess,> but don't know for

sure, that the sequence is:> > - obp starts> - obp reads "something"> -

something starts> - something reads the rest of the command line and reads the

kernel.> > This "something" doesn't read the obp upgrade.> > If you compare

the upgrade OBP with netboot to the diskless man page, the thing> loaded

across the network via tftp when openbsd boots is ofwboot.net. The thing>

loaded with tftp is the actuall upgrade program of obp in that case.> > >

cheers> > bruce> > On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 09:03:40PM +0000, Jay wrote:> >

well, of course OB can read the file system.It loads the kernel after all.The>

quoted text
> instructions are encouraging:> > OB> boot disk /flash-update> > Cool, like,

the flash-update is a kernel?Well, not that, but a program> > runnable as if

it is a kernel?> > But it looks like "the OS", er, the OS installer, is

between OB and the> > kernel;Specifically there are some "boot blocks"

installed by the OS, and the> > OpenBSD ones don't recognize the file format

of the flash-update.> > Darn.> > Maybe there is a way?> > - Jay> > > > > >

From: jayk123@hotmail.comTo: openbsd@pckswarms.ch; venture37@hotmail.comCC:> >

misc@openbsd.orgSubject: RE: geom network driver times out on sparc 4.2?Date:>

quoted text
> Fri, 16 May 2008 20:17:26 +0000> > > > > > Awesome, thanks!Normally I would

have said "I have never netbooted; it seems> > too hard to setup" but those

look like great instructions.And I was almost> > right in my paranoia about

needing Solaris.I still wonder though -- if> > OpenBSD's UFS is the same

format as Solaris's, or if OpenBSD can create a> > Solaris format of file

system, then I think OpenBoot can read the files. And> > if not, not. I

think.Mitigating factors: I got 4.3 in the mail that> > supposedly fixes this.

The wireless networking is working fine. The OPB> > isn't even known to fix

this, but hopefully. But yeah, running old OBP/BIOS> > not great. - Jay> > > >

quoted text
> Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 21:21:46 +0200> From: openbsd@pckswarms.ch> To:> >

venture37@hotmail.com> CC: jayk123@hotmail.com; misc@openbsd.org> Subject:

Re:> > geom network driver times out on sparc 4.2?> > So, just as I say this,

the> > page is at:> > http://www.SMTPS.net/netboot_flash_obp.html> > I did an

Ultra> > 10 this way with no problems. I may have done> an Ultra2 as well.> >

cheers> >> > bruce> > On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 07:59:48AM +0100, Sevan / >

Venture37 >> > wrote:> > > And dumb me, I didn't consider OBP as helping the

install too.> >> > > So the questions remain if I can install OBP without

Solaris, and if I'll> >> > have to crack open the case.> > > I'll see...> > >

quoted text
> From the OBP update> > page:> > "Note 1: This utility is *not* OS-dependent.

The list of releases> > shown under> > the> > "Solaris Release" and "SunOS

Release" sections may not> > be complete:> > The> > absence of a valid Solaris

Release or SunOS Release> > from the lists> > above> > does not preclude the

installation of this patch> > against the> > hardware."> > > > > > > >> >

_________________________________________________________________> > Be a

Hero> > and Win with Iron Man> >> >

http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000009ukm/direct/01/> >> >