[olpc-software] How fast does it take to write a system from a scratch?

[Jim Gettys]

Yes, exactly.

It isn't clear we can fit everything we'd like in the boot ROM; but by
putting additional modules and files in a special partition on flash,
one way or the other we should be able to boot this way.  The question
is just how much work it takes to get there.

The biggest headache we have here is the size of the USB modules for usb
storage and wireless, and the drivers themselves.  This is why we're
currently carrying an 8mbit flash on the BOM, even though we'd prefer to
use a 4 mbit part due to cost.
			- Jim




On Wed, 2006-03-15 at 10:57 +0700, James Clark wrote:
> 
> > I'd like to get to the point we can even boot/install over the
> wireless
> > network (one of the attractions of LinuxBIOS).
> 
> I think wireless installs would be a huge win.
> 
> Even if we can't get a BIOS that can boot wirelessly, I am wondering
> whether we could enable wireless installs by shipping the laptop with
> a
> minimal system (just a kernel and an initrd) that would download the
> real kernel and initrd over the wireless network and then kexec those
> to
> do the install.
> 
> James
> 
-- 
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child