From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jul 16 02:17:50 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: hackers@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C5BEA16A404; Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:17:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from anderson@freebsd.org) Received: from ns.trinitel.com (186.161.36.72.static.reverse.layeredtech.com [72.36.161.186]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 995BB13C4D1; Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:17:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from anderson@freebsd.org) Received: from neutrino.vnode.org (r74-193-81-203.pfvlcmta01.grtntx.tl.dh.suddenlink.net [74.193.81.203]) (authenticated bits=0) by ns.trinitel.com (8.14.1/8.14.1) with ESMTP id l6G21N6f009948 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:01:23 -0500 (CDT) (envelope-from anderson@freebsd.org) Message-ID: <469AD16E.5050106@freebsd.org> Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:01:18 -0500 From: Eric Anderson User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.4 (X11/20070629) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Tim Kientzle References: <46992FFF.7010906@kientzle.com> <20070714223853.GF16579@britannica.bec.de> <469992CA.6000104@freebsd.org> <4699BE75.2090808@freebsd.org> <20070715184703.GK2819@roadrunner.q.local> <469A8F91.7090509@freebsd.org> In-Reply-To: <469A8F91.7090509@freebsd.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=ham version=3.1.8 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.8 (2007-02-13) on ns.trinitel.com Cc: hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Tar output mode for installworld X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:17:50 -0000 On 07/15/07 16:20, Tim Kientzle wrote: > Ulrich Spoerlein wrote: >> On Sat, 14.07.2007 at 23:28:05 -0700, Tim Kientzle wrote: >> >>> #%ntree >>> bin/echo uid=0 gid=0 group=wheel contents=my/bin/echo >>> >>> ... create a tarball with >>> tar -czf system.tgz @specification.ntree >>> or install directly from the specification file using >>> tar -xvpf specification.ntree -C ${DESTDIR} >> This would be the perfect basis on which to build a live/install release >> CD. You boot it up ... [do] the fdisk/bsdlabel/gmirror/zfs stuff ... > > [and] then kick of the install through tar. >> Simple and elegant. It would also do away with those base.aa, base.ab, >> etc. madness. > > I'm confused. base.aa, etc, are a tar file, so I don't > entirely understand how this would be different? The > current installer does the equivalent of > cat base.* | tar -xf - > > I can see one advantage and one disadvantage of installing > a specification file (which references other files) instead: > > Plus: The specification file can re-use the existing > files on CD, so you don't have, e.g., one copy of /bin/sh > on the live CD and another buried in base.tgz. This > could save space. > > Minus: Installing a specification file this way would > be slower because you then have to read a lot of small > files off of CD. > > Or have I missed something? Or, when the day comes that my tarfs implementation is in the tree and root booting enabled, you boot the tar file as the root fs, and use that same tar file to build the system too. :) Eric