Minimal MINIX3.3 install (basic system wanted)

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Kris

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Jul 2, 2015, 4:46:34 PM7/2/15
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Hi MINIX Users,

I think I need a bit of your help here.  I want to install MINIX3.3 on resource-contrained machine (ThinClient, 256MB RAM, the same for Flash). Moreover it does not have CDROM (offers boot from disk, USB and PXE though).  Lack of CDROM for install can be relatively easy overcome by suggestion found in Joan-Babtiste post (to use virtual machine install and then do a byte copy of virtual disk of the same size to target). 

So far so good... and now the famous 'but' comes...  Install script does not allow me to continue installation of there is less than ~667MB on HDD.  That made me surprised as I installed 3.1 on the same machine, it took something like 60MB and runs happily.  However now I am being presented with a message "too small for MINIX" and that's it, no other option.  I do not like that...
Is there any way to 'hack' / change / advise install script not to install some items? (I increased the size of virtual drive to 1G to install and just to discover that there are: /usr/tests ; /usr/benchmark ; /usr/games(!) - I do not need them.)
After removing this stuff it decreased its appetite to ~181MB which is much better than 667MB claimed by the installer.  However I am still with 1G virtual drive so either I find a way to (securely for a content) shrink it, or, preferably, install reduced base in the first place directly on 256MB.

Do you have any experience or hints on how to "convince" installer to install what I want to be installed rather than all the stuff (which I am not saying it is unnecessary, it is simply not needed by me and thus I would like to have a choice, rather than see "your HDD is too small for MINIX")

Thanks
Kris

Sambuc Lionel

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Jul 3, 2015, 2:18:25 AM7/3/15
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Hi Kris,


The simplest in your case, to reduce the size of the installed system is to rebuild it yourself while disabling the features you do not want.

So doing something like:
$ BUILDVARS="MKATF=no MKKYUA=no " ./releasetools/release.sh -c -p

will skip the KYUA / ATF tests, which are about 200MB+ if memory serves right.
To skip benchmark, I believe you will have to edit a Makefile so that it reads like

minix/Makefile:3 #SUBDIR+= benchmarks

As a general note, there a lot of things which can be deactivated by using MK??=no variables. I think this is the easiest way to trim down your install. For a list of those variables take a look in share/mk/bsd.own.mk.

The release.sh scrip will generate a new iso for you, which will by trimmed down, as there will be simply less tools & applications available.

The setup script simply checks the CD size to compute the minimum install requirements, so this will be picked up automatically.


Regards,

Lionel
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Kris

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Jul 3, 2015, 12:04:01 PM7/3/15
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Hi Lionel,

Thanks a lot - that is exactly what I have been looking for.  I am glad the case is not hopeless.
I'll give it a try - looks like the process is mature so should not cause issues.

Many thanks for replying,
Kris
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