running OpenBSD from live CD's

[ocicat]

Originally Posted by bsd-keith

... if we can not discuss how other BSD created & used their systems, we will not be able to discuss what is needed in a live OpenBSD CD, should anyone decide to give it a go.

This is a valid point, but to date, discussion appears quite disjointed.

I will knit all responses back into one thread with the hope that convergence is ultimately made.

[bsd-keith]

Thanks for that.
I am interested in this project, but unlikely to be able to create such myself. Hoping to spur on some one who is capable.

[fn8t]

There are some live-media build scripts and guides floating around already. Since *BSD users are pretty capable, this might be a good practice to continue with. Projects of actually usable images make more sense when a complex configuration is the target (nas or firewall/router). If a final product is really flexible, then a lean base demo image with optional add-ons also makes good sense.

To me it would seem in good spirit to start with a method of build useable by all BSD's. Everyone has support for Union mounts (needed for overlay fun). I don't know if everyone supports creation and use of cloop(2) images. I haven't looked around, so I don't know what other compressed filesystem(s) exist on the *BSDs alone or jointly.

Alteration of already existent install images might work. Just repackage sets into mountable filesystems. Make the required changes in the installation environment so the altered sets are still usable. Then create a non-installation environment for use similar to an installed system. A filesystem in memory would need to be available and replaceable with an overlay partition kept on the memstick or harddrive. If running from a live-cd persistent home, configuration, and installed packages would need to be specified at by boot options directing to the filesystem image and disabling the ram filesystem. Maybe a live configuring boot script could be made, allowing for selection of which sets to mount on boot. This wouldn't be needed on memory sticks, since the user could just edit a boot configuration file. The end product could then be used as a near standard installer and highly customizable live medium which could also be installed. If this method were attempted, tools to resize/grow the initial image would need to be available. I can't remember if they already are.

I admit it would be easier to build for just one platform. But, being usable by everyone provides more likely relations with and contributions from existent projects (like Ghost) and others who have been thinking about dabbling in this already.

Like some of the online "DIY" pages a Wiki might be a good start. Links to existent projects and demos would be wise. It might even generate traffic being a directory for *BSD live media. At some point when build toolkits are available in packaged format, then maybe a wiki would be less valuable. A sister dev-forum or mailing list might be nice also. This might be a good way to limit noob supporting, since you'd need to already know your way around a working installation.

I wonder if there are some unexplored uses for live-mediums. Would more persons be interested in development testing if live-medium snapshots where available? The medium could be geared toward data submission. Then again maybe the investment overwhelms any benefit, unless most of the work was already done.

I think overall the idea of making live mediums more useful to those that already partake of *BSD bliss is prudent. It doesn't seem likely that we would benefit from live mediums the way Linux has. In some cases it might actually scare some people away, with them having invested less investigation time. Probably the most usable form, for less adept like users, would be a live desktop medium that can install itself to disk, afterwards having regular package installation capabilities. I know plenty of Linux folk that started off this way and remained as such for quite awhile before switching to a full distribution.

Some reading:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/livecd/
http://www.volkerroth.com/tecn-obsd-diskless.html
http://www.bsdnexus.com/NetBSD_onast...tall_guide.php
http://www.google-melange.com/gci/ta...ci2012/7986208
http://imil.net/nlk/
https://ezunix.org/index.php?title=B..._NetBSD_LiveCD