nfs root for boot floppy? or initrd loaded via tftpd?

[Craig Sanders <cas@taz.net.au>]

has anyone managed to get root.bin running from an nfs-mounted rootfs?

i've spent the last day or so figuring out how to set up dhcpd, tftp,
nfs, etc for an nfs mounted root partition. and, of course, how to
put etherboot on a floppy so that it actually boots. 

(all this because mkfs.xfs and other XFS utilities won't fit on the
boot floppy and i have a dozen machines to build using XFS. i *could*
install the base system onto the swap partition, then reboot and install
xfsprogs and then mkfsx.xfs the real / and move it from the swap
partition...but that's a PITA when there's a dozen machines. and if i
can get this working then i'll never have to make another boot floppies
set again :)

anyway...the machine boots, loads the kernel and mounts the root fs with
nfs. so far, so good.

the problem is that dbootstrap says "I had trouble checking the choice
of root device.  I don't know what to use as the root fs." (and a
Continue button which reboots the machine).

looks like dbootstrap is no longer a shell script (it's been ages since
i last looked closely at the boot floppies)...so to change anything i
have to install boot-floppies (which forces installation of a whole
bunch of junk i don't want like tetex-base) and recompile the whole
thing.

rather than reinvent the wheel here, i'm wondering if anyone has done
this before.

if nfsroot is too much of a PITA, would i be better off making an initrd
image and configuring the kernel to load that via tftp somehow?

is there a size limit on an initrd? can i have one as big as 16MB or
32MB?

ideas and suggestions welcome...

craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>

Fabricati Diem, PVNC.
 -- motto of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch