Best FreeBSD version for NanoBSD on an old SBC

[Bruce M. Simpson]

Matthew Smith wrote:
> Hi Folks
>
> I am putting together a machine to act as a GPS-disciplined time 
> server (NTPd with kernel PPS) and acquire data from my 1-Wire weather 
> system (OWW).
>
> The hardware I have to hand are a Pentium SBC with 16Mb RAM and a 12Gb 
> laptop disc.
>
> I assume that the best OS to put on this would be NanoBSD but was 
> wondering if there was a specific version of FreeBSD that would be 
> best to base it on.  (Recent experience with a certain other Unix-like 
> OS has taught me that newer versions suck with older hardware; I don't 
> know if this is the case with FreeBSD.)

    NanoBSD is absolutely great. XORP, Inc. are using it for their 
LiveCD/LiveUSB builds at the moment. I got good results on a 400MHz 
Celeron w/128MB of memory.

    The key thing is to be able to leave enough in the base install for 
what you need -- it doesn't strip absolutely everything, and whilst the 
XORP LiveCD is now considerably smaller, and thus quicker to download, 
than it was (thanks to NanoBSD), it is quite a generic place to start:
    http://cvsweb.xorp.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/other/LiveCD/

    The stuff there is intended to be checked out and copied 'on top' of 
a FreeBSD 7-STABLE source tree checkout. The USB stick generation stuff 
has been merged back to FreeBSD itself, but not the LiveCD bits.

    Of course NanoBSD would work just fine w/o the patches for making 
ATA drive images. You would probably do much better with CompactFlash in 
your rig. For DRAM, 16MB may be seriously pushing it now, 32MB is really 
a realistic minimum for FreeBSD on x86 these days on any platform.

>
> I can get away with putting a bigger disc on although I don't 
> particularly want to as this would cause issues with the power supply. 
> (Using a vehicle power supply so that I can run it on float-charged 
> gel cells.)  The RAM, however, can't go any bigger.

Gels are nice, though I believe they can't be reconditioned.
Of course the embeddability situation should get better as time goes on.

I would LOVE to see pfSense running on non-x86 embedded hardware. Don't 
forget I have an Emprex STR9104 ARM to donate to an interested developer.

cheers,
BMS