On Mon, 8 Jan 2007 06:36:28 +0100
Juan RP <juan@xtrarom.org> wrote:

> On Monday 08 January 2007 01:23, Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
> > I believe the distributed kernel configuration file with mklivecd is
> > incorrect, at least when running on -current.  The overlay mounts:
> >
> > 	/rescue/mount_null /ramfs/xxx /xxx
> >
> > don't work because 'file-system NULLFS' isn't included in the config
> > file.  I'm not sure if this is a problem for -current only.
> 
> True, the kernel config included by mklivecd was created in the 2.99.x
> days, so it's really outdated... please use your a more up to date
> file.
> 
> Let me know if you have more problems with mklivecd :-)
> 
A few, though less critical.  I haven't tracked any of them down yet,
though.  I also don't know if/when I will, since my build/test
environment isn't very convenient.  Maybe if I start with a LiveXen
kernel...

First -- I couldn't boot a LiveCD based on a GENERIC kernel.  I changed
the config line, but grub complained about the format.  It may be
multiboot-related, but multiboot is default on -current, so I'm not
sure.

When I rebuild iso files, new entries are appended to the grub menu,
even if they're identical.  

I was unable to ssh in to such a system.  I'd enabled sshd and copied
over the proper ssh keys and the like, but the logins hung.  ps showed 
that the livecd machine thought everything was fine, but I wasn't even
seeing linefeeds when hitting CR on the client.

What would be necessary to generalize this script to handle flash disks
or CF cards?  A lot of the essential stuff is identical to what has to
be done to, say, configure a CF-based Soekris.  (/etc/rc.d/livecd
should, in some form, be part of the base system.  Of course, the
amount of editing your script has to do shows why it isn't...)

Last -- I think the chroot target should create and
edit /etc/rc.d/livecd before the shell prompt, not after -- changes
made manually are destroyed.  This made it harder for me to figure out
what was going on, since I'd insert 'sleep' statements to keep things
from scrolling off, but to no effect...

Please don't take these as gripes -- it's still much easier to use than
the tools I found the last time I built a livecd.


		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb