Installing the Software

Now that you have the software, you will need to install it on the node. Installing the software can be a complicated process. This page describes the various methods used to install software on the node. These methods can be broken down into the following methods: PXE Booting, Using the ISO, and Online Upgrading. So which one do you want to use? If you have purchased a Soekris board (or something similar), you will need to PXE Boot. If you are making a node out of an old computer, you are going to want to use the ISO. If you already have a functioning node but need to update the software, you can upgrade the node online (or by PXE booting, if you find that easier).

PXE Booting

A brand new net4526 or net4826 node has to be flashed with an initial version of the software. This is done by PXE booting the node, logging into it, and executing a dd to it's flash drive. PXE is a protocol for booting remotely over ethernet. In order to do this you will need to set up a PXE server.

If the node is already non-bootable then it'll default to PXE booting. If it has a bootable but non-upgradable image on it then you can render it unbootable by logging in and wiping out the boot block:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/rwd0d count=32

Just connect the non-bootable node's ethernet to the same ethernet segment as the PXE server and turn it on. Within 2 minutes or so you should be able to log in to the node over the ethernet wire via SSH. You can then issue the following command:
dd if=/staboot.net4526.img of=/dev/rwd0d bs=8k
You can get the appropriate IP address to connect to by checking the PXE server's DHCP log or by pinging the broadcast address.

Instructions for PXE booting and setting up a PXE Server can be found in the "How-to" section of this manual.

Installing from an ISO

If you are using an old computer, you simply need to insert the live CD-ROM you created when you downloaded the software into the CD player. The system should boot on its own to CD-ROM. If it fails to do that, you will need to change your CMOS settings, which you can do by entering either Del, F1, or Esc shortly after start-up. You will need to set your CD-ROM to be bootable before the harddrive becomes bootable.

Online Updates

If a compact flash node is bootable then it should be possible to do an on-line upgrade without a PXE boot server. This can be done over the wire or over the air.

Log into the node, become root, and run the script
/sbin/upgrade user@host:/path/to/upgrade.tgz

You will need to have the .tgz file on a host that is running sshd and is accessible to the node. Luckily sshd is available for all major platforms, including Windows (with Cygwin) so it is easy to turn any laptop into a roving upgrade platform.

Sometimes upgrades go badly. If you need to revert to your former installation, you should follow these instructions, provided by spditner.

If you find that the upgraded version isn't working all the great, you can roll back to the previously installed image by marking the alternate partition as "active".