Re: install kernels w/ built-in md/ramdisk/rootfs

On Sat, Nov 29, 2003 at 08:04:56PM -0500, Brian A. Seklecki wrote:
> On 11/29/03 19:46:08, Brian A. Seklecki wrote:
> >... is it at all possible to compile GENERIC kernels as INSTALL
> 
> Nevermind:
> 
> I see how it works on the i386 side.  The boot-big.fs contains an  
> INSTALL kernel which has a static root on* statement and a miniroot FS  
> which can be loaded by i386 style boot means and the kernel auto  
> extracts it; however on sparc, the stage 1 loader has to be TFTP'd and  
> the Kernel has to mount functional root with /sbin/init which can them  
> prompt of the location of tools.
> 
> It would just be nice to be able to skip NFS all together.  I just  
> feels like sacrilege setting up NFS for any given reason, even on a  
> private LAN.
> 
> If we can get a stage 1 boot via TFTP, why can't we have the state 1  
> code further TFTP boot an i386 style inst/boot.fs.gz that uses a MD?

We could probably do the same for sparc (embeed a ramdisk in the
kernel) easily; just start from the distrib/i386 makefles.

However, this needs more RAM, and may fail on boxes with only 4M RAM
(or even on boxes where there ins't more than 4M of physical contigous
memory)

--

-- 
Manuel Bouyer <bouyer <at> antioche.eu.org>
     NetBSD: 24 ans d'experience feront toujours la difference
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