diff -Nru /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.c /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.c
--- /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.c	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
+++ /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.c	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
@@ -20,6 +20,23 @@
 static void	usbinit(void);
 static void	kbmap(void);
 
+/*
+ * read disk partition tables here so that readnvram via factotum
+ * can see them.  ideally we would have this information in
+ * environment variables before attaching #S, which would then
+ * parse them and create partitions.
+ */
+static void
+partinit(void)
+{
+	char *rdparts;
+
+	rdparts = getenv("readparts");
+	if(rdparts)
+		readparts();
+	free(rdparts);
+}
+
 void
 boot(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
@@ -86,6 +103,14 @@
 	 *  load keymap if it is there.
 	 */
 	kbmap();
+
+	/* don't trigger aoe until the network has been configured */
+	dprint("bind #æ...");
+	bind("#æ", "/dev", MAFTER);	/* nvram could be here */
+	dprint("bind #S...");
+	bind("#S", "/dev", MAFTER);	/* nvram could be here */
+	dprint("partinit...");
+	partinit();
 
 	/*
 	 *  authentication agent
diff -Nru /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.h /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.h
--- /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.h	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
+++ /sys/src/9k/boot/boot.h	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 	Nbarg=	16,
 };
 
+#define dprint(...) if(1) fprint(2, __VA_ARGS__);
+
 extern void	authentication(int);
 extern char*	bootdisk;
 extern char*	rootdir;
@@ -37,6 +39,7 @@
 extern int	outin(char*, char*, int);
 extern int	plumb(char*, char*, int*, char*);
 extern int	readfile(char*, char*, int);
+extern int	readparts(void);
 extern long	readn(int, void*, long);
 extern void	run(char *file, ...);
 extern int	sendmsg(int, char*);
diff -Nru /sys/src/9k/mk/bootmkfile /sys/src/9k/mk/bootmkfile
--- /sys/src/9k/mk/bootmkfile	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
+++ /sys/src/9k/mk/bootmkfile	Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 2015
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 	embed.$O\
 	settime.$O\
 	sac.$O\
+	parts.$O\
 	paq.$O\
 	printstub.$O\