install/58076: x86 live images don't support creds_msdos(8) and have confusing taxonomy

[campbell+netbsd%mumble.net@localhost]

>Number:         58076
>Category:       install
>Synopsis:       x86 live images don't support creds_msdos(8) and have confusing taxonomy
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    install-manager
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Mon Mar 25 19:50:01 +0000 2024
>Originator:     Taylor R Campbell
>Release:        current
>Organization:
The NetBSD Foundiso
>Environment:
>Description:
We have five different amd64 images and three different i386 images:

https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/amd64/installation/cdrom/boot.iso
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-amd64-bios-install.img.gz
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-amd64-install.img.gz
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-amd64.iso
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-amd64.iso

https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/i386/installation/cdrom/boot.iso
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-i386-install.img.gz
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/images/NetBSD-10.99.10-i386.iso

These are all qualitatively different from the arm64/armv7/riscv/octeon images like https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/evbarm-aarch64/binary/gzimg/arm64.img.gz and https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/HEAD/202403200640Z/evbmips-mips64eb/binary/gzimg/octeon.img.gz.

Here are some things that maybe distinguish them but I'm not sure and I'm not sure which is which:

- boots on CD vs use on r/w medium like USB/disk
- cd9660 vs ffs
- BIOS boot vs EFI boot
- MBR, disklabel, GPT
- boots into installer vs boots into live system
- has installation sets vs has no installation sets
- writes back to medium vs works in memory
- expands into medium or not (resize_root)
- supports creds.txt or not (creds_msdos)

I may have missed some properties too.
>How-To-Repeat:
try to navigate our dizzying array of images
>Fix:
Yes please!

I would like a smaller number of images, but short of that, I'd be satisfied with a clear description, maybe on a wiki page, of what these images are supposed to be and how to use them based on this rubric.