this was recently discussed in an article on rootprompt.org - altho i should 
point out it was FreeBSD but the principals should be the same

http://rootprompt.org

GREG

> 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
>