Welcome to NanoBSD, ​FreeBSD default method for installing ​FreeBSD on embedded devices, like ​Soekris and others. The manual described below is (loosely) based on the Concept plan of Tim Baas, but also consists of many hints by ​official 'Introduction to NanoBSD' manual

Have to remember links

• ​http://people.freebsd.org/~phk/nanobsd/soekris_4x26/make.soekris_4x26.conf
• ​http://www.paeps.cx/weblog/2005/Jul/10
• Active work in progress node images at ​http://webfolder.wirelessleiden.nl/rick/nodefactory/

Procedure

Please note to find the supporting files in the subdirectory nanobsd

Build environment

Get yourself a fresh freebsd host with ports and subversion installed

1. Run the basic CD installer of 7.x. Manual tested with 7.1-RELEASE (real basic install will fit our needs). Installing FreeBSD is not scope of the document, take a look into ​the FreeBSD handbook Chapter 2 Installing FreeBSD if you do not know the details.

Please do mind that all commands below needed to be executed as root user, due to the many mounts and un-mounts done in various phases.

1. get latest sources csup -h cvsup.nl.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/standard-supfile
2. install subversion pkg_add -r subversion
3. fetch ports portsnap fetch extract
4. OPTIONAL, every developer has his own preferences, these are mine ;-) pkg_add -r vim-lite sudo screen

Introduction

XXX: Make all paths into variables for easy reading

First download the environment and run initial build

$ setenv R /root/nanobsd
$ svn checkout http://svn.wirelessleiden.nl/svn/projects/iris/nanobsd $R
$ cd $R
$ sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -c $R/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden

Even the little script got flags, check the output of sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -h

-b suppress builds (both kernel and world)
-k suppress buildkernel
-w suppress buildworld
-c specify config file
...

Briefly:

1. Compile all packages below using $ /root/nanobsd/tools/package-build.sh
2. Set your favorite root password to be used in the image

   $ setenv CFG_ROOT_PASSWORD `dd if=/dev/random bs=10k count=10 | & tr -cd '[a-zA-Z0-9]' | cut -c -15`; echo $CFG_ROOT_PASSWORD
   

   (if you like a simple password substitute the `dd if=/dev/random bs=10k count=10 | & tr -cd '[a-zA-Z0-9]' | cut -c -15` for your password
3. Build nanobsd (make sure to prepare some coffee;-) )

   $ sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden 
   

   take a coffee, this normally 2 - 8 hours depending on the machine configuration
4. Fetch configuration onto image (pick your situation)

   $ /root/nanobsd/tools/config-image.sh 
   

   1. New image: Put full image on flash disk

      $ dd bs=64k if=/usr/obj/nanobsd.wleiden/_.disk.full of=/dev/da0
      

      (giving /dev/da0 is your compact flash entry
   2. Existing image: Put partial image on slice (slice 2)

      $ dd bs=64k if=/usr/obj/nanobsd.wleiden/_.disk.image of=/dev/da0s2
      

   3. Existing image remote update (slice 2)

      $ gzip -c /usr/obj/nanobsd.wleiden/_.disk.image | ssh root@192.168.4.100 'gzip | sh /tools/updatep2'
      

5. All done! Place the image in the new machine and boot it up, you should be good to go!
6. For next nodes you can skip the build if you are not going to use the same image again and go directly for step 4

Development

For small changes there is a shortcut in the build (to save you some coffee ;-)). Pick the situation applicable

1. First lets pump it's source to the latest version

   $ svn up /root/nanobsd
   

   1. Only changes in kernel options - rarely done kernel.wleiden altered - ETA 0:45

      $ sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -w -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
      

   2. Only changes in world options - rarely done CONF_WORLD in nanobsd.wleiden altered - ETA 2:00 - 6:00

      $ sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -k -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
      

   3. _NO_ changes in build options - ETA 0:10

      $ sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -b -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
      

WL specific

stumber, hidden gem maybe /usr/src/tools/tools/net80211/stumber

Packages needed are to be found in svn:/tools/package-build.sh

Testing

TestingViaNFS

Light based packages =

• dnsmasq instead of isc-dhcp30-server and bind
• thttpd instead of apache

Hints

• You could always decide to install your FreeBSD base instance into a ​virtual environment
• cvsup.nl.freebsd.org is the local dutch cvsup mirror, replace nl with your proper country code
• It seems tempting to follow /usr/share/examples/cvsup/stable-supfile instead of /usr/share/examples/cvsup/standard-supfile please DO NOT unless your like big trouble as stable-supfile is the stable DEVELOPMENT branch e.g. upcoming stable.
• Default username/password = root/welkom01
• Always use cu or putty for serial communication minicom, screen, putty all issues of some kind.

Comments, questions or remarks?

Feel free to edit this page or send an email to our ​techniek mailinglist

• Handy .cshrc hints

  alias quicknano sudo -E sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -b -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
  alias slownano sudo -E sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
  alias slownewkernelnano sudo -E sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -w -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
  alias slownewworldnano sudo -E sh /usr/src/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh -k -c /root/nanobsd/cfg/nanobsd.wleiden
  alias prepare-nfs sudo -E /root/nanobsd/tools/prepare-nfs.sh -f -n