nfs-root

[AUSTIN MURPHY <amurphy@nbcs.rutgers.edu>]

I am experimenting with SPARC Debian and have run into a bit of confusion
with mounting a root FS via NFS.  I have a 2.4.9 kernel that I compiled
with NFS-Root and DHCP/BOOTP autoconfig code included.  I also triggered
the debugging output with #define NFSROOT_DEBUG and IPCONFIG_DEBUG in the
respective .c files.  (I used egcs64 to compile)  My root directory is
from the woody boot floppies (root.tar.gz).  Using TFTP and RARP and DHCP,
I can boot this kernel properly, configure the IP properly and mount the
root directory via NFS.  

My problem is that the NFS mount is readonly.  I am under the impression
that a root FS must be writeable.  Especially since the Debian install
procedure starts out with an error:  
	----|Problem|----  
"I had troublechecking the choice of root device. I don't know what to use
as the root fs."
	<Continue>

Also when I change the permissions to 777 on the shared root FS i can
write to it and delete from it but i still get the --|Problem|-- from
Debian's installer and the the NFS mount code that is in dmesg still says: 
VFS: Mounted root (nfs filesystem) readonly.

Can someone make a little sense out of this for me?
I know i can use the initrd images to just install Debian but i want to
use NFS root for an FAI project I am working on.  

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Austin Murphy
Student Systems Programmer
Rutgers University