From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Feb 10 22:23:30 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 18647106566C for ; Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:23:30 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from pldrouin@pldrouin.net) Received: from smtp.cyberfingers.net (smtp.cyberfingers.net [198.177.254.227]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E96088FC1A for ; Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:23:29 +0000 (UTC) Received: from [134.117.23.34] (pldrouinlap2-pc.physics.carleton.ca [134.117.23.34]) by smtp.cyberfingers.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id D3F4BAB6C64; Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:20:31 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <4B7331DF.4070600@pldrouin.net> Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:23:27 -0500 From: Pierre-Luc Drouin User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.23 (X11/20090817) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Manolis Kiagias References: <4B7320DA.2080606@pldrouin.net> <4B732695.5080701@otenet.gr> <4B732795.70702@pldrouin.net> <4B732C72.1050806@otenet.gr> <4B732E49.4010504@pldrouin.net> <4B732FB8.1090002@otenet.gr> In-Reply-To: <4B732FB8.1090002@otenet.gr> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Cc: "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org" Subject: Re: How to create a FreeBSD 8.0 boot CD without boot.flp? 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: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:23:30 -0000 Manolis Kiagias wrote: > On 11/02/2010 12:08 π.μ., Pierre-Luc Drouin wrote: > >> What I am trying to do is basically to install FreeBSD 8.0 on a CD. I >> followed these instructions to install FreeBSD on a USB stick: >> >> http://typo.submonkey.net/articles/2006/04/13/installing-freebsd-on-usb-stick-episode-2 >> >> >> minus the fdisk/bsdlabel/newfs part . I just set up rc.conf to >> configure the ethernet interface with DHCP and load sshd >> >> then I am now creating an iso image with the boot image. So at the >> root of the CD I will have the boot directory containing the kernel >> subdirectory. >> >> I figured out about the boot image error from mkisofs. I had to copy >> cdboot into the actual boot directory for the image and the path >> specified by the -b option is relative to the root directory of the CD... >> >> So should this work according to you? >> >> Thanks! >> >> > > It is going to be an interesting experiment. The official install > CD/DVDs boot from boot/kernel on the CD but the root filesystem used is > actually in an mfs (memory disk). Also it executes sysinstall instead of > init at the end of the boot sequence. I suppose you can mount the root > filesystem from CD as read-only but you will have to handle things like > /var and /usr and you will probably need some writing capability. I am > sure this can be done in more than a few ways though I've never > researched this myself. > yes I did some checks and it seems that sysinstall is loaded via the mfsroot instruction in loader.conf that somehow loads /stand/boot_crunch in the mfsroot image. If I change the content of loader.conf I think it should behave like a regular installation (?). I have also written a special fstab: # Device Mountpoint FStype Options Dump Pass# /dev/iso9660/FreeBSD_Custom / cd9660 ro,noatime 0 0 md /etc_tmp mfs rw,-s4M,nosuid,noatime 0 0 /etc_tmp /etc nullfs rw 0 0 md /tmp mfs rw,-s16M,nosuid,noatime 0 0 md /var/run mfs rw,-s4M,nosuid,noatime 0 0 md /var/log mfs rw,-s16M,nosuid,noatime 0 0 /proc /proc procfs rw,noauto 0 0 /tmp /var/tmp nullfs rw 0 0 As you can see I do not have any hardcoded device name. I use the CD label, which is used by geom_label to create a device file in /dev/iso9660/. So in order to have geom_label loaded as early as possible I have added geom_label_load="YES" in loader.conf. I hope this will work...