What are normal and serial bootblocks?
When normal bootblocks are installed, boot messages appear on the PC's VGA display. Serial bootblocks make boot messages go to the serial port, so you need a serial cable and another machine in order to see them.
How did I get serial bootblocks in the first place?
When you set up NetBSD on your i386 machine you chose to install serial bootblocks instead of normal (BIOS console) blocks. You probably thought it would be cool to be able to hook a serial cable up to your new box so that you wouldn't have to move a monitor and keyboard over to it, or vice-versa. Well, it was cool for a while, but now you're ready to go back.
How to install normal bootblocks
If you can get a shell via SSH -- or telnet, but you're too smart for that, aren't you? -- then you'll have no trouble executing these commands.
If the box is dropping into single-user mode and you don't have a serial cable handy, then you'll need to lug that monitor and keyboard over to the box, and boot it from an i386 install CD. Exit sysinst (Ctrl+C) to get a shell.
The installboot command will put the new bootblocks in place.
# cd /usr/mdec
# installboot -o console=pc /dev/rwd0a bootxx_ffsv1
#
You're done! You can reboot now.
Note: This assumes that your NetBSD installation is on your first IDE disk. If it's on a SCSI disk, use rsd0a or similar.
How to go back to serial bootblocks
Use -o console=com0
instead:
# cd /usr/mdec
# installboot -o console=com0 /dev/rwd0a bootxx_ffsv1
#
Make sure your /etc/ttys looks like this:
# # from: @(#)ttys 5.1 (Berkeley) 4/17/89 # $NetBSD: ttys,v 1.18 2004/06/20 21:30:27 christos Exp $ # # name getty type status # console "/usr/libexec/getty std.115200" vt100 on secure ttyE0 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" vt220 off secure ttyE1 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" vt220 on secure ttyE2 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" vt220 on secure ttyE3 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" vt220 on secure tty00 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty01 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty02 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty03 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty04 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty05 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty06 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure tty07 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown off secure