Re: [cobalt-users] Re: Sun Fire V100/V120

[Bruce Timberlake <bruce@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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> OS restore isn't that hard - set up a DHCP, NFS, and DNS server and
> share out a Linux filesystem.  Then have the init scripts "do the
> right thing" to do the install.

True... it's just working out the 'right thing(s) to do' that would 
take the most work... but it's definitely very doable.  I don't 
suppose you've got documentation of what you did, in order to get the 
group started...? :)

> You could probably get the Red Hat Linux installer to work in
> kickstart mode with very little effort

As I recall from my early efforts to understand the os restore 
process, there are two common methods to do network-based installs in 
the linux world: PXE-based systems and a TFTP-based system.  PXE is 
far and away the most common, so of course, Cobalt (or rather the 
contractor they hired to create the os restore process for them) 
chose the less-documented, less-popular method.

> As for the ROM: IIRC, there is a "slimmed down" Linux kernel in
> ROM. That could make the ROM a "derived work", which would require
> Sun to release the code (bringing me back to my continuing rant
> about Sun _not_ releasing all the sources to GPL stuff).

I agree, but even if they released the actual ROM source code, it 
wouldn't do most of us a lick of good without the development 
know-how (and tools) to alter and test changes to the code... thus my 
listing it as a 'major' obstacle to overcome.  I know Cobalt has 
(had?) at least one full-time ROM engineer, so it can't be too 
trivial...

- -- 
Bruce Timberlake

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