From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Message-ID: <3817D7C5.24905FE3@jlc.net> Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 00:57:41 -0400 From: Dan Malek MIME-Version: 1.0 To: wung_y@263.net CC: linuxppc embedded mail list , linux-ce-devel , linux embedded maillist Subject: Re: Root FS on Flash? References: <3817A40D.F62BC2FA@263.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: owner-linuxppc-embedded@lists.linuxppc.org List-Id: Wang Yong wrote: > .... i have a question: how to make root file system on the > flash memory? by now, most embedded linux employ NFS as root file > system. The diskless NFS root file system is simply used for convenience and to reduce application development time. You can put a root file system on anything that will hold the bits. > does anyone has any experience on it? is there a embedded linux > has done it? any comment and suggestion are welcome. thank you. Yes, there are many systems using a variety of solutions to Flash rom root file systems. You have to consider your own application requirements to choose what is appropriate for you. You can use a compressed initrd stored in flash rom, which is uncompressed into a ram disk. Another popular alternative is PCMCIA flash disks, compact flash or Smart Media cards. You can put a file system on them, partition them, and compress some or all of the data. Least favorite on my list, but used by some people, is soldered on-board flash rom parts. Wear leveling and dynamic allocation are complex algorithms, and above a rather small size compact flash cards are more cost effective. All of this is supported by standard Linux distributions, and the boot code in the PPC port handles it well. -- Dan ** Sent via the linuxppc-embedded mail list. See http://lists.linuxppc.org/