From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jul 12 19:58:59 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8F0D21065673 for ; Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:58:59 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from wonkity.com (wonkity.com [67.158.26.137]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4559B8FC19 for ; Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:58:58 +0000 (UTC) Received: from wonkity.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by wonkity.com (8.14.4/8.14.3) with ESMTP id o6CJwwIB016352; Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:58:58 -0600 (MDT) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from localhost (wblock@localhost) by wonkity.com (8.14.4/8.14.3/Submit) with ESMTP id o6CJwsaX016349; Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:58:58 -0600 (MDT) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:58:54 -0600 (MDT) From: Warren Block To: Marian Hettwer In-Reply-To: <4C3B5DFF.7050900@kernel32.de> Message-ID: References: <4C34C5DE.7040007@aldan.algebra.com> <4C34CA31.7010804@aldan.algebra.com> <4C34E39A.7090905@aldan.algebra.com> <20100708135353.GA43460@icarus.home.lan> <4C35E9D4.8080007@aldan.algebra.com> <20100708164022.GA46433@icarus.home.lan> <4C3618B9.8010202@aldan.algebra.com> <4C3B52D9.9060602@aldan.algebra.com> <4C3B5DFF.7050900@kernel32.de> User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (BSF 1167 2008-08-23) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.2.5 (wonkity.com [127.0.0.1]); Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:58:58 -0600 (MDT) Cc: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Subject: Re: net-booting the install disks (Re: 8.x grudges) X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:58:59 -0000 On Mon, 12 Jul 2010, Marian Hettwer wrote: > While I fully understand that the iso images purpose is _not_ doing a > netinstall, I'd like to have a downloadable image which is easy pxebootable > and just drops into a shell. Ideally it does a dhcp request, if successful > starts a sshd and if not has video and serial output enabled. > > Did anybody actually stripped down a FreeBSD to do just that? > I read my way through the pxeboot articles and the handbook section of > netbooting and everything... however, it really sounds a bit overcomplicated > to do a "make release" and stuff. No offense ment, obviously :) Not that I've done it (yet), but NanoBSD looks like it would handle the stripping-down part and setting up the md devices pretty painlessly. The only part that remains would be to customize the booting process, which shouldn't be terrible. It's possible to take the livefs memstick image and remove some of the parts that are not needed. But you'll also have to modify the mfsroot image to add /etc, /bin, /sbin, /usr, and by the time that's all done, NanoBSD is likely the easier path.