Installing OpenBSD 3.9 on a Soekris 4801

There are many ways to install OpenBSD 3.9 on a Soekris 4801. One can refer to flashdist and OpenSoekris. This is an alternate method. Why? Because it can be done. Flashdist and OpenSoekris aim at smaller distributions (~ 32MB) while using my way you get a more complete OpenBSD installation.

1. Setup a DHCP server

   I use the ISC DHCP server. The relevant part in the dhcpd.conf is:

   host foo {
           hardware ethernet 00:00:24:XX:YY:ZZ;
           fixed-address foo.bar.tee.gr;
           filename "pxeboot";
   }
   

   The above configuration presupposes that your DHCP server is going to be used as a TFTP server also.

2. Stuff to do on the TFTP server

   Assume that the tftp root directory is /tftpboot. Place on /tftpboot the file
   pxeboot that is found on the OpenBSD distribution.

   Also, place on /tftpboot the install kernel, bsd.rd.

   Next, mkdir /tftpboot/etc. Create a file named /tftpboot/etc/boot.conf with the following contents:

   set tty com0
   stty com0 9600
   boot bsd.rd
   
   

   If your 4801 console is setup to a different baud rate, either change this here, or on your 4801’s console. Refer to the Soekris BIOS documentation on how to do this.

   If your inetd/xinetd makes use of /etc/hosts.{allow,deny} then take care to allow foo.bar.tee.gr to access the tftp server.

3. Netboot your Soekris 4801

   According to the Soekris documentation on the Soekris BIOS prompt you should type:

   boot f0
   

4. Install OpenBSD 3.9

   This procedure is best covered by the OpenBSD documentation.

   What you need to remember is that you are installing on a Compact Flash. Therefore you do not need a swap partition. But OpenBSD does not install unless you have a swap partition. So you can create a swap
   partition with size of 1 (yes one):

   
   Initial label editor (enter '?' for help at any prompt)
   > p
   device: /dev/rwd0c
   type: ESDI
   disk: TOSHIBA THNCF25
   label:
   bytes/sector: 512
   sectors/track: 32
   tracks/cylinder: 16
   sectors/cylinder: 512
   cylinders: 978
   total sectors: 500736
   free sectors: 0
   rpm: 3600
   
   16 partitions:
   #             size        offset  fstype [fsize bsize  cpg]
     a:        500703            32  4.2BSD   2048 16384  578
     b:             1        500735    swap
     c:        500704            32  unused      0     0
   > w
   > q
   

   When you need to select what sets to install, you select only:

           [X] bsd
           [ ] bsd.rd
           [ ] bsd.mp
           [X] base39.tgz
           [X] etc39.tgz
           [ ] misc39.tgz
           [ ] comp39.tgz
           [ ] man39.tgz
           [ ] game39.tgz
           [ ] xbase39.tgz
           [ ] xetc39.tgz
           [ ] xshare39.tgz
           [ ] xfont39.tgz
           [ ] xserv39.tgz
   Set name? (or 'done') [bsd.mp] done
   

   Halt the system

5. Configure the System

   Boot in single user mode. Interrupt the OpenBSD boot procedure (not the Soekris BIOS one) and type boot -s. When the system boots, perform the next steps:

   mount -o rw /
   mkdir /mfs
   

   Modify /etc/rc to execute the following script:

   # add a line after the rm -f /fastboot entry in /etc/rc to execute this
   # script: /usr/local/sbin/setup_mfs.sh
   #
   # This preassumes that you have moved /var/log to /var/log.template
   # and /var/mail to /var/mail.template
   #
   # /tmp -> /mfs/var/tmp
   # /var/tmp -> /mfs/var/tmp
   # /var/log -> /mfs/var/log
   # /var/run -> /mfs/var/run
   # /var/mail -> /mfs/mail
   #
   echo mfs: mounting /mfs...
   mount_mfs -s 16384 /dev/wd0b /mfs
   mkdir -p /mfs/var/run
   mkdir -p /mfs/var/tmp
   chmod 1777 /mfs/var/tmp
   cp -Rp /var/log.template /mfs/var/log
   cp -Rp /var/spool/mqueue /mfs/mqueue
   cp -Rp /var/spool/clientmqueue /mfs/clientmqueue
   cp -Rp /var/mail.template /mfs/mail
   #
   # EOF
   

   Do not create the symbolic links yet!

   chmod +x /usr/local/sbin/setup_mfs.sh
   

   Edit /etc/mail/sendmail.cf and /etc/mail/submit.cf and change the entries for clientmqueue and mqueue to point at /mfs/{clientmqueue,mqueue}

   Create all the symbolic links discussed above and reboot.

   After the first reboot, edit /etc/fstab to mount / as read-only:

   /dev/wd0a / ffs ro,noatime 1 1
   

   On a 256MB Compact Flash df -h shows:

   # df -h
   Filesystem     Size    Used   Avail Capacity  Mounted on
   /dev/wd0a      240M    136M   91.8M    60%    /
   mfs:28643      7.8M    112K    7.3M     1%    /mfs
   

Comments, flames and improvements are welcome.

P.S. What about the PC Engines WRAP?