[indiana-discuss] Single CD/USB-stick requirement (Was: Tim's 0.02)

[Eric Boutilier]

On Sun, 10 Jun 2007, Gary Gendel wrote:
> Tim Foster wrote:
>> ...
>> ... 1 CD to install would be great too.
>
> +1
> The CD would put together a base system and then the user can pick up additional
> pieces off the net. And it has to be much faster than the current install. We
> need to get it so it takes a fraction of the time it does now.

As with network-based repository, there is also proven, readymade code
available for single CD/USB-stick requirements. Namely, the OpenSolaris
Live Media project, which has been under steady, and very open development
for a long time now. (Though for some reason it seems to have remained
mostly anonymous.)

Here are highlights from the last few months of changelogs: Support for
generating USB memory stick images; switch to NWAM for networking; add
compression of pkg database; add wifi drivers to root; add simple
installer, hsfs with scheduler.

The project, which is led by Dave Miner and Moinak Ghosh, produces a
do-it-yourself (customizing) kit too. I took the initial release for a
(really interesting) testdrive a long time ago:
http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=13470&tstart=0

And others have done the same with more recent releases:
http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=32347&tstart=0
http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=30472&tstart=0

Eric