Subject: Booting only from CD
To: , <netbsd-tech-kern@netbsd.org>
From: David TAILLANDIER <david.taillandier@domainename.com>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 03/07/2002 23:13:43
Crossposted to <netbsd-help@netbsd.org>
           and <netbsd-tech-kern@netbsd.org>


I configured a NetBSD box to act as a ADSL/NAT/firewall/VPN for our 
company. We use those boxes since mounthes with low-end computers
(down to 386/16Mo). Everything works well.

Very well indeed. And as a dummy in *nix I found all this stuff really 
wonderfull... except for documentation :-)   Hard to find.

Since last week, I have the project to use those boxes without 
hard-drive ; only a CD for programs and a diskette for config files. 
I already done everything (hard-drive partition read-only, fetching 
config files from a write protected diskette, ram-drive, small kernel, 
etc). 
I just don't know how to bootstrap 100% from CD. I found nowhere any
documentation. May I have a look inside the source ?  (hard for me).
I think about something like the install CD but I can't find docs.
Maybe I don't search into the right place.

I know how to put a boot-loader + kernel on CD (just like on any 
diskette) but the kernel then read everything on the hard-drive as I 
don't know how to explain him to read the root from the CD.

All this to have a cool box: ON/OFF 50 times in a day if you want, no 
hard-disk failure, low-noise, etc. 
To correct bugs, just send a new CD to the office. 
To change parameters (passwords, adresses, VPN, accounting) just use 
vi to edit files on the diskette.

Any idea about a cool doc ?



-- 
__________________________________
David TAILLANDIER
david.taillandier@domainename.com