Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:39:50 +0100 From: "C. P. Ghost" <cpghost@cordula.ws> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, Nerius Landys <nlandys@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Replacing Home Router With PC Message-ID: <d74eb87c1003121139j3eabfccam48572c2c098cc4ef@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <560f92641003121026j785eabb2h9d6bcee0753cfeb0@mail.gmail.com> References: <93C575B79E9B01449EBBB084032BC570123208B760@mail.ucwv.edu> <44ocivszcb.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> <4B99D335.8010800@markshroyer.com> <d74eb87c1003120305l2c60f203w3b58ae677721f867@mail.gmail.com> <560f92641003121026j785eabb2h9d6bcee0753cfeb0@mail.gmail.com>
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On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 7:26 PM, Nerius Landys <nlandys@gmail.com> wrote: >> Yep! Geode-based boxes are great. The ALIX boards are looking like >> Soekris gear, which I'm very happy with (of course running FreeBSD): >> >> http://www.soekris.com/net5501.htm > > Is there a nice guide that explains how to install FreeBSD onto a > headless system (such as one of these small devices) via serial port? Basically, you have two options: 1. Boot diskless with PXE, and install FreeBSD over the network: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/network-diskless.= html http://jdc.parodius.com/freebsd/pxeboot_serial_install_8.html 2. Install FreeBSD on a HDD or CF from a working computer, then move the disk/card to the embedded device. For Soekris (and probably ALIX as well, since it's also GEODE-based), there are specific kernel config options that you may or may not need: http://wiki.soekris.info/Installing_FreeBSD Once you've installed FreeBSD, remember to tweak /etc/ttys, so that getty spaws a login: on the serial console. Especially, turn ttyv0 off and ttyu0 on: ttyv0 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 off secure ttyu0 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" dialup on secure > I've done this once before but it was long ago, and it was actually an > install via floppy disk and CD-ROM combination (IIRC), so that > procedure would not apply here (regarding these tiny devices mentioned > above). =A0The Handbook contains some explanation regarding serial > communication, but I don't believe they really explain _installing_ > onto a headless system. =A0Also, in the past, I've had problems > installing FreeBSD via CD-ROM drive that was connected as a USB. =A0I > know that in the past FreeBSD didn't support booting via USB device, > maybe they have fixed that? =A0My last encounter with the USB-boot > problem was with my 1U server that didn't have a CD-ROM drive; I was > not able to install i386 7.0 onto that. =A0I had to open the 1U case and > temporarily hook up an IDE CD-ROM drive. =A0If I remember correctly, > trying to boot from a USB CD-ROM would result in getting a TON of > garbled text scrolling across the screen. =A0I actually posted about > that about 2 years back, and the responses indicated that booting via > USB device was not supported. > > My imagination would tell me that to install FreeBSD onto one of these > tiny devices, I would first create an ISO image that would basically > use serial communication for everything, then burn that to a CD, then > boot via USB CD-ROM drive, while having another computer connected to > the serial port of the tiny device (via null modem cable) and using a > command-line tool such as ``cu'' from the other computer. > > I would be very interested into looking into purchasing one of these > small devices, but I'm really scared about the FreeBSD install > procedure. -cpghost. --=20 Cordula's Web. http://www.cordula.ws/
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