Re: BDI install disk for EMC

Hi Dave,
I reviewed your post - seems like we are thinking somewhat along similar
lines.
What I really have in mind is your BDI option. In this case one would
have a low end pc (wouldn't need hard drive, video, keyboard, etc. if it
was just the "engine" with gui on a networked client) - but would need
ATAPI CD-ROM drive and floppy disc drive. In operation, the user would
insert the CD-ROM and a floppy (containing site specific configuration -
more on that later). The BIOS would be set to boot from the CD-ROM.
During the boot process, a ram disc would be set up, and a minimal root
file system copied to it; this becomes the root file system. /usr, etc.
would be mounted from the CD-ROM (obviously read-only). This way there
is no chance of disc corruption, etc. I think this is really necessary
for non-*nix users. WRT the floppy, there will be site specific data
that has to be stored somewhere (obviously can't be the CD-ROM!).
This would include IP address, netmask, names of any site specific
modules that need loaded and any EMC configuration that doesn't need to
be passed each time from the client. This would all be stored in ascii
files, and could be edited by the user in DOS/etc. The floppy is just
replacing some flash memory. The CD-ROM would contain an initial
(annotated) version of the floppy contents for transfer to a floppy
disk.
WRT the mechanics of this I would note the following:
I have already built Linux 2.2.13 with the RTLinux patch under RH6.0 -
works well. The version for the CD-ROM would need to have floppy and
CD-ROM support built into the kernel , but most other stuff could be
modules. I don't think there's any reason to put any other kernel on the
CD.
I'd also axe any development stuff, source, etc. and any daemons except
the bare minimum. We only need to include the .so libs needed for the
software we include. Also, (and I don't feel strongly about this), we
could streamline things somewhat by using a BSD-style init. The init
scripts need modified anyhow, to get conf info off the floppy. Probably
eliminating logging is best, since most people won't have a *nix host
set up to receive it. The client should be notified of anything really
important via whatever client will interface with EMC.
I absolutely agree that All the components of EMC would need to be built
and installed. If we elect to include a gui-based client, then this
could be on the CD for the user to copy to his own system. I have to
admit that I'm REALLY not sure what all is available in EMC, as I've
really just started to look at it. So I won't even try to say anything
more about it right now.
Summary: "BDI" looks very do-able, but I think we should use the latest
version of linux that has the patch. From my perspective, the biggest
issue is EMC ... I'm really a newbie there, but it sounds like you, and
some other list members know it pretty well.



daveland@... wrote:

> George
>
> I met you at Cabin Fever (I Think.. I met so many people).
>
> Today we need the following for EMC to get past the "linux Geek"
> status that it has now achieved.
>
> I think one idea that I have had that relates to EHP but I would
> call BDI (Brain DEAD INSTALL)IT IS a hacked and patcthed RH5.2
> CD with the kernel already patched with rtlinux and EMC precompiled on the CD,
> Just install it and run.
>
> This would involve
> extracting the existing REDHAT install CD to a "virtual" file
> system on a hard drive and replacing files in the distibution.
> Then we burn a "new" redhat5.1rt install cd. If we want to
> get fancy, we could even put a version of EMC on it if we were willing to delete
> some stuff to make some space (the foreign language DOCS for instance could
> go)
>
> I see several items that I am not sure how to do.
>
> Copy the CD image to a virtual file system on a hard disk. I saw a how-to on
> this but then I lost it. Perhaps it was in the
> CDR howto.
>
> 1) add the rtlinux source code and help files to the linux source code directory.
>
> 2) make sure the rtlinux .h files end up in the right place on
> the cd so they install later.
>
> 3) recompile the kernel so that the rtlinux patch is in it.
>
> 4) set lilo to boot either a 16MB,32MBor 64MB system. These are
> the most common. i.e lilo: would show
>
> linux_2.0.36-7
> rtlinux_16mb
> rt_linux_32mb
> rt_linux_64mb
>
> Then you select the kernel to boot based upon the memory you
> have installed. The 1MB shared memory is already accounted for
> in the default lilo script that we put on the cd. it then has 3 RT kernels
> and one non-rt kernel ready to boot. ( actually only
> two differnet kernels, just several parameters set for memory size in the lilo.conf
> file)
>
> 5) make sure the instal script will copy all this extra stuff
> when the install runs from the CD.
>
> 6) PRE Compile EMC and have the object files copied to /usr/local/EMC when the
> linux install script is finished.
>
> Remember we are not changing the files on and installed machine
> but modifying the install cd so that the result after the install is what we
> want.
>
> I know you have lots of linux experience. Is it possible
> to Hack the install disk in this way??
>
> This would be a large step forward and a great help to EMC.
>
> P/s we might need to do it again on RH6.1 when EMC is ready for
> the 2.2 kernel. I have both install media avaliable.
>
> dave
>

--

-------------------------------
George Fouse
G F I Consulting
-------------------------------