Nathan Ward <nanog@daork.net> writes:
On 19/08/2008, at 11:32 PM, Robert E. Seastrom wrote:
Also, from time to time I have to reflash these to repurpose them (NanoBSD vs. pfSense vs. AskoziaPBX). It's a complete pain to disassemble their enclosures so I can get at the CF cards. I've often thought that if someone had whipped up a memory-resident image of something (anything, linux/bsd/whatever) that I could pxeboot, then I could just dd the new image in over the net. Haven't gotten around to doing that yet. Has anyone else?
My thing is memory resident, the kernel and root fs are all in one file. That's not exactly hard to do. Not quite what you're looking for though, as config (including passwd etc.) isn't. Wouldn't be difficult to change though.
Having said that, I strongly recommend getting your stuff to the point where it's a FAT formatted CF card, with a couple of files - 1 kernel, 1 filesystem image. Filesystem images are good. That way, you can mount your CF card somewhere, and 'reflash' from a live system. Just like, for example, a Cisco router. Upgrades are easy, just copy a new root FS+kernel on there.
I already have filesystem images (both from other people and of my own manufacture). I'm not sure I'm down with the fat32 cf card concept though I can see where it could be useful. What I want to do is have a minimal functionality netbootable image that is sufficient to set up network interfaces and then do: ftp> get pfsense.img "| dd of=/dev/ad0" and completely blow away what's on the flash and replace it with something new (even via serial console over a networked console server from my desk, without getting up and going to my lab where I have a small herd of these puppies as packet pushers), but particularly without having to break out a screwdriver and a nut driver and pull four sheet metal screws, four machine screws, and two rs232 retaining screw standoffs. There is pxe in the bios on the ALIX... perhaps you know of something that's already pxebootable that will do this? ---rob