Summary: experiences with NanoBSD, successes and nits on a Soekris 4801

[Robert Watson]

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005, Marcin Jessa wrote:

> You can read how it's done on NetBSD: 
> http://www.wifibsd.org/support/netbsd-on-cf.txt
>
> We do similar things with FreeBSD, but in opposite to nanobsd, picobsd 
> and such we dont do any crunching of binaries, we just use dynamically 
> linked libraries. This makes live a lot of easier (ever tried to crunch 
> openssl?).

FYI, while PicoBSD does crunch binaries, NanoBSD does not.

> Also the rootfs on FreeBSD can be loaded as a module by loader or 
> "inserted" into the kernel. PicoBSD and i guess NanoBSD use the second 
> option.

PicoBSD does do this, but NanoBSD doesn't.  NanoBSD is basically a 
modified version of our diskless environment, in that it relies on a 
standard layout tree, with the exception that it uses populated memory 
file systems for /var and /etc.

As we see storage device size increase, we're seing embedded environments 
use more and more standard installs, and likewise, the FreeBSD CD install 
environment move over also (it now uses a live file system).

Robert N M Watson