Re: modifying and verifying debian installer for armhf board (a10-eoma68)
On Sun, May 19, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Ian Campbell <ijc@hellion.org.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, 2013-05-18 at 12:18 +0100, luke.leighton wrote:
>> * create a modified netinst-initrd that uses usb0 ethernet gadget
>> *blind* (no console!!) which gets far enough on its own to do DHCP
>> client
>>
>> * also pre-install some sort of service (ssh? busybox telnet? other?)
>> which allows an interactive login
> [...]
>> * log in (somehow) to the board over usbnet
>
> Sounds like you want a network-console flavour image, like the ones used
> for kirkwood, http://www.cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/qnap/ts-41x/install/
it does, doesn't it? i've been thinking that through (and also
looking at the source of debian-installer). the only thing that
doesn't make sense is: it's all set up to require a password. why
would you need a password for connecting to something that - pretty
much without fail - is going to be sitting 1/2 a metre away on the end
of a usb cable and nothing else?
i.e. there's no guarantee on these devices especially things like the
MK802 that there will be ethernet. there's almost certainly no
tablets using allwinner a10 processors that have ethernet (not even
the flying squirrel).
so i'm tempted to just do an experiment - just because i can - to use
busybox-telnetd - because the route of using openssh _has_ been solved
already but isn't quiiite appropriate, and i think
telnetd-over-g_ether will turn out to be a very useful combination.
i'd do g_serial and it would be done already but i need the damn
micro-usb port for a network! :)
> (obviously the bit about using the factory image to flash the firmware
> you can ignore in favour of fel boot).
yes. once running, still need to resolve what kernel to install (if
any). is that possible with debian-installer? the procedures for
installing a kernel (which are normally required to be in the 1st
partition, fat-formatted) and even just _obtaining_ a kernel are
tricky: absolutely everyone right now either custom-builds or uses
stock ones.
how do you tell debian-installer "i don't want a kernel installed
thanks for offering"?
> The main thing you need to be included in the image to make it this type
> seems to be the network-console openssh-server-udeb udebs.
> debian-installer/build/pkg-lists/network-console also lists
> libnss-files-udeb
ah good. that's a big clue. got hold of network-console.udeb and
openssh-server.udeb, unpacking them... ah ha!
bin/network-console-menu and friends, _great_.
hmmm... now... where's the best place to put these [for execution as
/sbin/telnetd -l /bin/network-console-something]
l.
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