Embedded 1.2.3 on a 256 MB DOM

[Olek]

Hi,
The target machine is an 800 MHz thin client with 256 MB RAM and a 256 MB DOM.
Do I have to modify a 512MB-flavored image (pfSense-1.2.3-RELEASE-512mb-nanobsd.img.gz) in order to fit it on the 256 MB module?
If yes, how?
Pardon if this has been aswered already, but a quick googling did not produce relevant results.

Thanks in advance.
Olek

P.S. I have Linux/Windows machines available. Can build a *BSD box, if necessary.

[cmb]

You can't easily modify the images to fit in 256 MB, 512 is the minimum supported. You could hack the build scripts to build your own single slice 256 MB version but it's not worth the effort, unless you want to spend probably 50 hours figuring out the build scripts and how to change things around. A 512 MB DOM is $30-60 USD roughly.

[Olek]

@cmb,
Thanks for a quick reply.
I am working on a tight budget here, however $30-$60 for a larger capacity module is not too bad and I may take that route, eventually.

@all,
Another objective that I failed to mention, is to learn the 101's, so perhaps building a custom embedded image file fitting on a 256 MB DOM would be a good idea? (Or so it seems to a newbie.)
As explained here:  http://devwiki.pfsense.org/DevelopersBootStrapAndDevIso
or here: http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=26188.0

TIA

[cmb]

@Olek:

Another objective that I failed to mention, is to learn the 101's, so perhaps building a custom embedded image file fitting on a 256 MB DOM would be a good idea? (Or so it seems to a newbie.)

That's the "unless you want to spend probably 50 hours figuring out the build scripts and how to change things around" that I mentioned. Not a simple process to get rid of a slice, and you can't just build a smaller image with two slices.

[Olek]

@cmb,
Looks like my existing pfSense router with a noisy hard drive will have to stick around for a little longer then… :(
Thanks again for your replies, Sir.

Olek

[wallabybob]

@cmb:

A 512 MB DOM is $30-60 USD roughly.

I expect you could also get a 1GB or 2GB DOM in that price range.

I've been running the full version of pfSense from a 1GB DOM for over 2 years now.

[tomaristaserve.com]

@cmb:

You can't easily modify the images to fit in 256 MB, 512 is the minimum supported. You could hack the build scripts to build your own single slice 256 MB version but it's not worth the effort, unless you want to spend probably 50 hours figuring out the build scripts and how to change things around. A 512 MB DOM is $30-60 USD roughly.

Its actually less about money and more about fun and walking tall after wasting few hours!!!

I have a 300mhtz fanless machine with 256mb ram and 128mb flash.

I successfully flashed Embedded 1.2.2.

Now it boots fine and then hangs after a while and its expecting me to configure that from serial console,

Turns out that I don't have access to serial null modem cable and also an available serial port on my laptop.

Here is what I am thinking…...

Take a USB flash drive formatted in FAT.
create a directory \conf
then store a skeleton config.xml file from another machine and edit to give it important stuff like interfaces and dhcp etc... and keep everything else fairly blank.
store it in this usb drive as \conf\config.xml

fire it up to see what happens....

Will this work? Or damage my image. Don't want to go through a painful imaging again.

If it worked, then I can use either a wget on shell or
Diag > Edit file

to create a good copy there and reboot using the Ethernet laptop......

Please let me know. Much appreciate help....