Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 12:04:37 -0600 From: "Eric L. Hernes" <erich@lodgenet.com> To: Jerry.Kendall@vmicls.com (Jerry Kendall) Cc: martin@victor.innovus.com, hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: diskless X server using FreeBSD 2.0.5R Message-ID: <199511301804.MAA02298@jake.lodgenet.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 27 Nov 1995 09:42:03 %2B0500." <9511271442.AA28929.gonzo@vmicls.com>
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Last april we needed to replace a Wyse-60 terminal with something that could display kanji for a property we were installing in Japan. After fighting with a Wyse X-Terminal for a week or so last april, I striped down a system and built a diskless X-Terminal based on old hardware we had laying around. It wasn't going to be a high-performace thing, it just needed to display kanji. The basic config was: 386DX-40 4MB ram (was later upgraded to 8M for performance) 3c509 et3000 (8-bit!) I used the bootrom out of /usr/src/sys/i386/boot/netboot to boot from an SCO host. I made provisions to have multiple X-Terminals booting from a single host. I had separate root and /usr partitions, the root would be on a `per-X-Terminal' basis, with a shared /usr. The only binaries on the root partition are the kernel and the crunched binary from /stand. /usr has some stuff from /usr/bin and from /usr/sbin, plus the X-Server, and whatever is necessary to use kanji (kterm, kinput2, and the canna server I think). I think that the biggest problems I had were 1) The num-lock thing stumped me for a day or so. I initially `solved' this by taking the mouse away, because our machine is only going to run one `kterm' and switching focus with the mouse could be confusing to the users. I just told the X-server to use an unused pty for the mouse device. I later figured out that you simply need to turn off num-lock, but not having a mouse was a better solution for our situation. 2) SCO's implementation of NFS doesn't allow making named sockets, so local X-clients either have to use an inet-domain socket, or you have to use an mfs partition for /tmp/.X11-unix, or alternatively you can make a small ufs image and mount it via the vnode driver. 3) once the SCO host was backed up and restored onto a new machine, and the X-Terminal mysteriously wouldn't boot. The machine was backed up with tar, so the /dev entries weren't preserved and init couldn't open its proper file descriptors. And the machine just hung after the kernel booted. I had gone so far as to create crunchgen(1) config files for the root and /usr binaries, so that only the X specific binaries weren't crunched, but I haven't had time to finish that. If you'd like my file lists of what I'm using, I'd be happy to help. eric. Jerry Kendall writes: > >Now then, you mentioned stripping down things. > >Do you(or maybe someone in the group) have the ability to >generate a 'ls -lR' of a system that is running as an X terminal. > >I have just aquired some small disk, 80 Meg, that I can dedicate >to FreeBSD. This will allow me to put a minimal FreeBSD system on >it. I would still only use it as an X terminal. > >I have no intent on running any FreeBSD apps on it, other than system >maintenance stuff. I will generate the required kernel on another >system. > >So then, what I need is 'Minimal Freebsd' and just enough of X to get >it to run as an X terminal. > >Questions: > > 1) Some X terminals(ie: NCD) will load their fonts from > a font server. Should I do this ??? > > 2) If someone does this on a pseudo regular basis, can they > provide me with some pre-install info and tips ???? > > >Jerry -- erich@lodgenet.com erich@rrnet.com
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