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MP790 *nix, other H/PC Experience also welcome...

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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 4:13 PM
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I am thinking about slapping NetBSD or equivalent on my HPC. I have a 128mb CF and my wifi is in the pcmcia (prism based I believe). I think NetBSD base install can fit on 128mb with some space to spare if I remember right. I just thought I'd ask if anyone had done it, and how much experience they've had with it.

I am basically looking to install packages for penetration testing (read: security testing). I have been using EttercapNG-GTK, as well as EtherPEG on my iBook, but having it in a package this portable would be great. I have read that the power management on NetBSD, well, sucks... and there is no suspend.

I guess I'm asking, is it worth installing? Personally, I'd like to get xfce running as well as Kate, and gFTP if I could but that's optional I guess. If I could get that, and then the NEC VGA cable... I'd be set to use it as a mobile desktop.

I have been playing with coLinux and the like, it's pretty darn slick. Been using the Debian image, as it is well documented for networking and sound. No luck setting up the sound to always go over the network, may need to try nasd for that. ESD for XMMS to windows is working though.

Anyways, any and all thoughts are welcome! I just wanted to see how many of you all have tried it, and if its even useful.

Thanks.
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sophisticatedleaf Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 4:38 PM
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You can try searching this forum and the others for stuff - snappy got netbsd running on his 7** in "Á confession..."

Why is that thread not in this forum? It absolutely should be.

Anyways - the mips install of netbsd is pretty good - at least, it is somewhat active. This means, unlike hpcarm (GRR) that they have an installer, all the files you need, and good instructions to get you started. I am not sure of a mips build of linux at the moment.
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corporate
corporate Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 7:01 PM
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abyssknight - 2005-08-10 2:13 PM

I have read that the power management on NetBSD, well, sucks... and there is no suspend.


It's this exact reason that I've never even given it a try - if this was taken care of I'd be all over trying to get Linux on my 790.... but as it is it just doesn't seem worthwhile.
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sophisticatedleaf Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 7:19 PM
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Snappy! says that version 3 fixed that. Also, kernel 2.6 (for linux) now works and will be ready for mainstream soon. That will give linux excellent power management.
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corporate
corporate Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 7:43 PM
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ProgramSynthesiser - 2005-08-10 5:19 PM

Snappy! says that version 3 fixed that. Also, kernel 2.6 (for linux) now works and will be ready for mainstream soon. That will give linux excellent power management.


Hmm, this makes me excited. If I can get linux up and running well on this thing I can also go ahead and ditch Windows on my main machine (syncing with CE from linux isn't the most enjoyable right now)... hmmm!
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 9:25 PM
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Well, I did some more research... it sounds like if you want to get a decent X environment going you need at the minimum a 512mb CF. I am guessing a microdrive would be the best bet as you'll be reading and writing like mad to the drive, no?

The only reason I've been kind of leaning towards NetBSD as the solution to all problems is that at work all we use are Linux thin-client machines. This means, I am so incredibly used to using Linux as a workstation that I 'need' it.

Essential Applications:

Xfce 4/Blackbox (Window Manager -- Lightweight, no bloat, unlike KDE and Gnome.)
Kate (KDE Advanced Text Editor)
gFTP (Gnome FTP)
Mozilla/Konqueror (Browser... maybe minimo?)
Gaim/Kopete/etc. (IM client)
Ettercap-GTK (Sniffer)

The main issue I see is that OPIE (Open Palmtop Integrated Environment) does not work for MIPS, apparently its ARM/x86 only. Shame really, its pretty...

Do you think I could get these apps onto a microdrive? Also, how is the power management in version 3, and where can I procure a copy? I believe NetBSD is only on v2... I can't imagine they've added suspend, and lcd dimming to the mix... but I guess it's worth asking. Snappy!?
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cmonex Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 10:38 PM
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abyssknight - 2005-08-11 3:25 AM


Also, how is the power management in version 3, and where can I procure a copy? I believe NetBSD is only on v2... I can't imagine they've added suspend, and lcd dimming to the mix... but I guess it's worth asking. Snappy!?


i'm interested too.... i can't really imagine *real* suspend
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Snappy! Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 10:46 PM
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abyssknight - 2005-08-10 7:25 PM

Well, I did some more research... it sounds like if you want to get a decent X environment going you need at the minimum a 512mb CF. I am guessing a microdrive would be the best bet as you'll be reading and writing like mad to the drive, no?

The only reason I've been kind of leaning towards NetBSD as the solution to all problems is that at work all we use are Linux thin-client machines. This means, I am so incredibly used to using Linux as a workstation that I 'need' it.

Essential Applications:

Xfce 4/Blackbox (Window Manager -- Lightweight, no bloat, unlike KDE and Gnome.)
Kate (KDE Advanced Text Editor)
gFTP (Gnome FTP)
Mozilla/Konqueror (Browser... maybe minimo?)
Gaim/Kopete/etc. (IM client)
Ettercap-GTK (Sniffer)

The main issue I see is that OPIE (Open Palmtop Integrated Environment) does not work for MIPS, apparently its ARM/x86 only. Shame really, its pretty...

Do you think I could get these apps onto a microdrive? Also, how is the power management in version 3, and where can I procure a copy? I believe NetBSD is only on v2... I can't imagine they've added suspend, and lcd dimming to the mix... but I guess it's worth asking. Snappy!?


hmmm ... not sure about that ... 'cos a Zaurus with 64MB ram (split into 32storage+30mb memory) and 16MBflashrom has Qtopia running. ... 512mb ... but since CF cards are bargain price now, just get a 512 or 1gb to go!

the current build 2.0.2 has LCD dimming ... erm, as in for "suspend" mode. How? Ready to take the plunge into NetBSD?
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-10 10:59 PM
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As for the suspend question, I meant suspend to RAM or suspend to disk. Either one would be lovely.

As far as the CF card size, I was thinking about getting a MagicStor 2.2gb (~$60?). Of course, I would test all this on the 128mb just to make certain everything will run (console only first) and get network pinging and all.

PkgSrc has always been a mystery to me, I mean I get that it is much like apt-get and emerge... but it doesnt always work on my Alpha (DEC3000). Maybe its a platform binary issue... not sure.

Qtopia? I'll have to look into what that is... sounds OPIE like to me.
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 12:23 AM
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Hey guys, just ran across the Matchbox Project when looking for info on NetBSD and my mobilepro... here's some links:

http://movil.be/index.php?s=delicious.p&tag=hpcmips
http://projects.o-hand.com/matchbox/


Oh and I didn't realize NetBSD was so automated, here's what the install process is supposedly. (What about formatting?!):

check ftp://ftp.NetBSD.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-1.6.1/hpcmips/
binary/sets:NetBSD/hpcmips binary such as base.tgz, comp.tgz..
installationbsdboot.exe.gz and netbsd.gz
source:source files
place pbsdboot.exe and netbsd on your CF card and run pbsdboot.exe to start netbsd installation kernel (includes sysinst). You can boot netbsd.gz without unzipping it if space is tight.
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corporate
corporate Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 1:06 AM
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abyssknight - 2005-08-10 10:23 PM

Hey guys, just ran across the Matchbox Project when looking for info on NetBSD and my mobilepro... here's some links:

http://movil.be/index.php?s=delicious.p&tag=hpcmips
http://projects.o-hand.com/matchbox/


Oh and I didn't realize NetBSD was so automated, here's what the install process is supposedly. (What about formatting?!):

check ftp://ftp.NetBSD.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-1.6.1/hpcmips/
binary/sets:NetBSD/hpcmips binary such as base.tgz, comp.tgz..
installationbsdboot.exe.gz and netbsd.gz
source:source files
place pbsdboot.exe and netbsd on your CF card and run pbsdboot.exe to start netbsd installation kernel (includes sysinst). You can boot netbsd.gz without unzipping it if space is tight.


Looks interesting! I'd be willing to try it but I don't have the time at the moment - mayhaps sometime this weekend...
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 10:42 AM
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I might see if I can't install Tiny-X and Matchbox along with a barebones NetBSD install this coming week... That'd be sweeeet.
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 3:24 PM
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Ugh. I was so close...

I managed to backup my HPC using bUseful Backup Plus, then I ran the pbsdboot.exe and wham, I'm off to a great start! Of course, the "ugh" has to come into play... After I finally got my NetBSD installer to access the network (had to drop WEP, and pray for DHCP to work) ... it gets all the files it needs... opens a progress bar...

Then it just hangs at:

Status: Running
Command: progress -zf /targetroot/usr/INSTALL/kern-GENERIC.tgz tar -zepf -

0% | | 0 0.00 KB/s --:-- ETA

*sigh*

Any ideas? I bet it has something to do with the 128mb CF, or the way I partitioned. Will give it another 15min then retry. *grr*
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Snappy! Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 4:18 PM
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abyssknight - 2005-08-11 1:24 PM

Ugh. I was so close...

I managed to backup my HPC using bUseful Backup Plus, then I ran the pbsdboot.exe and wham, I'm off to a great start! Of course, the "ugh" has to come into play... After I finally got my NetBSD installer to access the network (had to drop WEP, and pray for DHCP to work) ... it gets all the files it needs... opens a progress bar...

Then it just hangs at:

Status: Running
Command: progress -zf /targetroot/usr/INSTALL/kern-GENERIC.tgz tar -zepf -

0% | | 0 0.00 KB/s --:-- ETA

*sigh*

Any ideas? I bet it has something to do with the 128mb CF, or the way I partitioned. Will give it another 15min then retry. *grr*


well ... by now you would have known how automated NetBSD installation for hpcmips is! ...

As I mentioned offline, copy to CF fat partn, and install from local directory, remembering to do a mount before that!

Step after copying files to fat partn.

# cd /
# mkdir /mnt/cf
# mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/cf <== assuming CF is detected as /dev/hda and fat is on first partition
# install (I think the install script is called install! )

If you are using NetBSD to partition your CF into ||-Fat-64MB-|-ffs-remaining--|, remember to specify the type during fdisk ... 6 - FAT16 ... 83 - linux ...

#mkfs -t msdos /dev/hda1 <- format first partition into fat16 format

leave the 2nd partition to the install script.
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abyssknight
abyssknight Page Icon Posted 2005-08-11 4:43 PM
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Hmm... I fdisked the CF and gave 5mb to the netbsd.gz and pbsdboot.exe (FAT16), and then the rest I made an FFS (NetBSD) partition. I got all the way to pulling the third tarball down and it said the device was full... I know I must have done something wrong again... lol.

They really need NetBSD on the MP790 for Dummies, I'd buy it!



I'll play with this more this weekend...


Just for everyone who didn't know:

- NetBSD detected my network card.
- NetBSD has a suspend function EVEN in the installer. (hpcapm suspend)
(I push power, everything goes off. I push it again, I get back where I was. Genius.)
- NetBSD can install the core files to 128mb CF card, but ... that's where my trouble is!

I hope I can get a definitive newbie guide to this written when I finish. Snappy! is currently the man to talk to, so I'll bug him again later... hehe.
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