From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jan 15 18:39:43 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 60B8F1065676 for ; Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:39:43 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tajudd@gmail.com) Received: from mail-px0-f183.google.com (mail-px0-f183.google.com [209.85.216.183]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 380AB8FC0A for ; Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:39:42 +0000 (UTC) Received: by pxi13 with SMTP id 13so674027pxi.3 for ; Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:39:35 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:cc:content-type; bh=SjVXMccNz7XwSPp4hdpN3bfWKhjFJauC7HVtI0Dn+TM=; b=NB3z3MR/sAUyu2jeJzx23zUaj94i1xnc5YTODSkfObKafjaVtvle4YPc/gnH+rCKrO Z+Kc6P6ZypmYWd66H2zTeGnEtL1nbZjTHi1xOEJBnSq2qtA/GLNKo4UxhYnC6CVJS1eF iQeMBS1UYmlUjhK/d4w+wNWmQ32Zpl1OeMw0I= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :cc:content-type; b=N+NH5jyKEXiAuhuQZSzRzrhqRG6kgp5PTvtKevJ52fXcR2HSbv1ZWLSRfLvxPvv+1h 79XwaohS3qvxBv43eorgXrYxDrE/43jjRxcyRtdcpxgkP/pBT21lJSYcHtWwLw/TVKjY rCgJgCAKgJYLngHMVJv5OmV36G9WrY46h6aOU= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.114.162.4 with SMTP id k4mr1854751wae.175.1263580775294; Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:39:35 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <201001132142.o0DLgDCJ077793@dc.cis.okstate.edu> References: <201001132142.o0DLgDCJ077793@dc.cis.okstate.edu> Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:39:35 -0700 Message-ID: From: Tim Judd To: Martin McCormick Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Trying to build 8.0 Headless Installation Disk X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:39:43 -0000 Replies inline On 1/13/10, Martin McCormick wrote: > Tim Judd writes: >> ^^^ mkisofs needs to have the boot record >> -b boot/cdboot -no-emul-boot >> >> >> And as another option, you might look at mfsBSD, it runs off mfs (RAM) >> disks with sshd being enabled by default. Once it boots (kernel >> starts probing), the cd can be ejected. > > This could be a game changer if I could somehow get the > FreeBSD8.0 installation CD to run remotely via this method. The install mediums are a basic freebsd kernel with a MFS-root that provides a cut-down userland including the binary sysinstall. The kernel tries a few binaries to run as the initial binary, init. The last item it will try to launch on startup is sysinstall. > > The problem is that some of the systems that I am > upgrading are 150 miles away. We have people there who are not > comfortable with Unix but who are certainly able to install and > remove CDROM's on request. If I could get the sysinstall > application to talk to me over the network, I don't care if it > is a serial line or not. You can run sysinstall over any connection, I've had it running on the local console (of course), serial console, and ssh session. > If we could get this down to 1 or two CD's, a major > millstone will be removed from my neck. > > As a computer user who happens to be blind, the serial > console is extremely useful and I usually make whatever version > of FreeBSD we are using in to a serial console disk so it comes > up serial, even if it is right next to me. It just makes things > go more smoothly if one doesn't have to hunt up a keyboard and > hope this or that box still has a sounder so you can hear any > beeps. I'm surprised on how far braille has gotten onto computer systems. > I have even put a portable radio on top of a server and > listened for activity because that was the only way to tell if > it was booting or in Lala Land. Just for the record, a steady > sound usually means Lala Land and a sound like whales competing > FOR territory and female attention means something is happening. > > Anyway, not needing to modify the installation disk, > itself would be nice. > > In closing, I love FreeBSD and nothing said here is a > gripe or complaint. FreeBSD is Unix and therefore accessible. > Utilities like installation disks and rescue applications are > always a little tricky because they deal with the system at a > very low level. > > Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK > Systems Engineer > OSU Information Technology Department Telecommunications Services Group > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" >