OpenBSD 3.9 remote installation

[Tony Abernethy]

Daniel Staal wrote
>
> --As of Sunday, May 7, 2006 23:27 +0200, Leines is alleged to have said:
>
> > So I just want to know how to start the OpenBSD 3.9 boot disk on this
> > machine. Can I copy the bootdisk into the bootsector (well, I tried, it
> > did not worked, but perhaps someone here has an idea...)?
>
> --As for the rest, it is mine.
>
> Very good question.  It probably is possible... *If* you know *exactly*
> what you are doing.  It is not documented or supported at all as far as I
> know.
>
> If you are good enough, you might be able to figure out what you
> need from
> reading the install scripts on the CD.  Otherwise, *if* you can
> talk one of
> the developers into helping you, they could probably tell you
> what need to
> do.
>
> Linux and *BSD aren't that similar; at least not to the machine as it
> boots.  I have no idea what needs changing.  Probably more than
> you'd think.
One that I can think of. Can you change (actually establish) the
OpenBSD disklabel from the presumably Linux recovery console.
Windows and Linux use the DOS partition table.
OpenBSD uses the OpenBSD disklabel.
Other than that I think BSD is Berkeley Unix and Linux more like ATT
(really more a difference in "style")

>
> Considerably easier, if you could stand paying the money, would
> be to have
> someone insert the OpenBSD CD and running the install over the remote
> console access.  (Assuming it is a real console, not a terminal.)
>
> Look at it this way: You could spend several hundred dollars
> worth of your
> time learning exactly what happens when a computer boots up, and how that
> differs under Debian vs. OpenBSD, or you could spend half that time
> learning how to use the OpenBSD once it is booted, by spending
> the money to
> have someone insert the CD.  If you are really interested in
> learning how a
> computer boots, the experiment would interesting.  If you have
> other things
> you'd rather spend your time on, it's easy to avoid.
>
> But there are no manuals for this.  Unless you managed to talk one of the
> actual developers into helping you (and I doubt that), you are on
> your own.
This is one of those thing that if you need a manual, don't even
attempt it. Don't even think about it.
You have to think and experiment for yourself.


First, get something local to experiment on.
If it were me, I'd use Linux and dd to put on disk an image
of OpenBSD as I wanted it to run on the target.
You probably want to be able to play with a raw disk editor
both under Linux and OpenBSD.
Recover thingees tend to be somewhat bare.

Likely the recovery console does NOT have a working disklabel.
Almost certainly it does have a functioning dd.
There is a lot of work involved in not having someone babysit the
installation.
Probably worthwhile only to prove something to yourself.
(Which is probably the real reason a lot of stuff gets done;)

> It's hard to do, and nearly impossible to document for every system.
> Since, for most users it is easy to avoid, this is not something that's
> been made easy.  *Very* few need it at all.
>
> I wish you luck.
>
> Daniel T. Staal
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> This email copyright the author.  Unless otherwise noted, you
> are expressly allowed to retransmit, quote, or otherwise use
> the contents for non-commercial purposes.  This copyright will
> expire 5 years after the author's death, or in 30 years,
> whichever is longer, unless such a period is in excess of
> local copyright law.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> _______________________________________________
> Openbsd-newbies mailing list
> Openbsd-newbies at sfobug.org
> http://mailman.theapt.org/listinfo/openbsd-newbies