[ARMedslack] micro root rescue system

[Davide]

Sorry for starting a new thread on something that was started elsewhere .... but maybe the shoot-off needs better attention with a new thread.

>> This is a mix of a few I built myself and some gotten from current.
>> This is what I'll be working with and should fit in a compressed
>> jffs2 image 64Mb big.
>> root at slackware:/usr/src/surap_packages# du -ms * | sort -n
>> 1   busybox-1.18.4-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    dropbear-0.53.1-arm-1.tgz
>> 1   hostapd-0.7.3-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    iptables-1.4.10-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    iw-0.9.20-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    ppp-2.4.5-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    udev-165-arm-2.tgz
>> 1    usb_modeswitch-1.1.6-arm-1.tgz
>> 1    wireless-tools-29-arm-2.tgz
>> 2    httpd-2.2.17-arm-2.tgz
>> 2    kernel-firmware-2.6.38.3-noarch-1.tgz
>> 5    glibc-solibs-2.13-arm-1.tgz
>> 8    kernel_kirkwood-2.6.38.3-arm-1.tgz
>> 10   php-5.3.5-arm-1.tgz
>> 15   kernel-modules-kirkwood-2.6.38.3_kirkwood-arm-1.tgz
>> root at slackware:/usr/src/surap_packages# du -ms .
>> 43      .
>> root at slackware:/usr/src/surap_packages#
>>
>> Since booting from jffs2 image does not require initrd ... and maybe
>> one can do without documentation .... I'll see if I can fit that in a
>> 32Mb image.
>>
> Build a custom kernel with few modules ;)

I will strip all unnecessary modules for a rescue system, remove initrd, strip documentation and carve down as much as possible ... if it won't fit I'll consider thttpd and some lighter web scripting language. Maybe web stuff is not really necessary for a rescue system anyway.

Now I've a question.
there are 2 ways to do this:
1) repackage the single packages and append some suffix to distinguish them from the standard packages, possibly modify the build scripts for them so that future maintenance will be easier,

2) just shove everything needed somewhere and remove all that is not needed and then build the jffs2 image.

Now if this micro root system is just going to be my personal AP/3g/NAS/router/rescue the second way will take much less effort, on the other hand if you like the idea of having an armedslack micro root system that will be more then just a rescue system and possibly fit in a 32Mb compressed image; well then we should go about the first way.
I say we because I'm just a user and even if I do most of the dirty work I'll need assistance from the ARMedslack team to do some of the required actions if this is of any interest to ARMedslack community. 

I've no reservation in sharing my work as I consider all my work GPL + it's mainly just administration so the question really is: Does armedslack want a smart micro root system ?

Best regards
David Rao