tl;dr: How do you modify the usb installer image so that it automatically boots the live version and executes a script to setup sshd?
I have an embedded powerpc device that came with a debian based custom os. Since sadly debian has dropped powerpc support I am turning elsewhere and determined freeBSD to be the most fitting successor. Now I have never used BSD before, but this seems a good point to start - but since this is nothing like a regular install I have been hitting some walls and like to get some advice.
Problems:
- there is no way that device will support monitor or keyboard
- it does not have a serial port, I think using local wired network is the only option, this probably means some sshd, but I am open to hacky suggestions like a temporary telnet etc. setup
- since the architecture is non-standard, since it features some hardware (AFAIK nothing I could not live without, probably just some custom status LED lights) and since I am new to BSD: I require to test freeBSD if it will support my core use cases (if it boots up at all it probably will)
- architecture is powerpc (not really sure what, not apple; Bubba 2), I do not have another machine with a comparable architecture
How I was going to tackle it:
- set up a live usb stick that opens an sshd at startup - which seems to be surprisingly hard from what I have read so far - looked at mfsbsd a bit, but unsure if this is a trusted source and the way to go, seems to focus on amd64 only
- then I can test hardware and software support without destroying the current system which I am still actively using
- I have tested the usb installer images on a different machine and it seems to me I only need these changes:
- boot automatically in live mode
- run dhclient
- setup sshd
- ... which brings me back to the summarizing question: how to modify the installer image to do this? Others seem to install a system on the stick, not sure if this works across architectures.
- mount the powerpc image on another maching (i386, using a regular dvd live system)
- modify the startup scripts there
- test in vm
- ...
Concrete questions:
1) Is this doable, is there a show stopper I am not seeing? General advice?
2) Which files on the iso do I have to edit?
I have an embedded powerpc device that came with a debian based custom os. Since sadly debian has dropped powerpc support I am turning elsewhere and determined freeBSD to be the most fitting successor. Now I have never used BSD before, but this seems a good point to start - but since this is nothing like a regular install I have been hitting some walls and like to get some advice.
Problems:
- there is no way that device will support monitor or keyboard
- it does not have a serial port, I think using local wired network is the only option, this probably means some sshd, but I am open to hacky suggestions like a temporary telnet etc. setup
- since the architecture is non-standard, since it features some hardware (AFAIK nothing I could not live without, probably just some custom status LED lights) and since I am new to BSD: I require to test freeBSD if it will support my core use cases (if it boots up at all it probably will)
- architecture is powerpc (not really sure what, not apple; Bubba 2), I do not have another machine with a comparable architecture
How I was going to tackle it:
- set up a live usb stick that opens an sshd at startup - which seems to be surprisingly hard from what I have read so far - looked at mfsbsd a bit, but unsure if this is a trusted source and the way to go, seems to focus on amd64 only
- then I can test hardware and software support without destroying the current system which I am still actively using
- I have tested the usb installer images on a different machine and it seems to me I only need these changes:
- boot automatically in live mode
- run dhclient
- setup sshd
- ... which brings me back to the summarizing question: how to modify the installer image to do this? Others seem to install a system on the stick, not sure if this works across architectures.
- mount the powerpc image on another maching (i386, using a regular dvd live system)
- modify the startup scripts there
- test in vm
- ...
Concrete questions:
1) Is this doable, is there a show stopper I am not seeing? General advice?
2) Which files on the iso do I have to edit?