How to Install FreeBSD on a DediBox.

This wiki page explain a method to install FreeBSD on a DediBox, it's different from the method of JcMichot and the one of Jean-Loic Tignon.

The main difference between this method and the two others is that this method doesn't download a preprepared image on the DediBox, but "Install" directly FreeBSD like doing it from an installation CD.

It's mainly based on the Depinguinator, with the necessary modifications needed for FreeBSD 6.1 and the DediBox. It should work with FreeBSD 6.2

Why using this method?

• Standard method to install the operating system on the server directly instead of downloading an image created on another server.
• Control the origin of the files to be installed. This point is in common with the method of Jean-Loic Tignon.
• Very simple method, based on 3 clear steps.

I would like to add that this method has nothing to do with the DediBox company, don't try to ask them for help about this procedure, they may not answer you.

How does it work?

To install FreeBSD, usually we boot on the CD-Rom or the floppy disks, but the DediBox doesn't have these options, but it has one Giga of RAM, which is big enough to simulate a CD-Rom then installing directly on the harddrive.

But how to start the FreeBSD CD? how to connect? and how to install it? It's very simple, just create an image of FreeBSD which will launch a virtual disk upon it's boot and extract the whole distribution on it.

Here are the steps and the snapshots to explain the details of this method.

Steps of the installation

1. Creation of the installation Image (must be done on a FreeBSD box)

I. Download these two files :

• An ISO image of FreeBSD 6.1 from the site FreeBSD or from another mirror. You can download FreeBSD 6.2 instead.
• This script to create the installer CD : dedibsd.tgz

II. Configure the init file

III. Launch the script to create the image.

2. Copy this image on the DediBox

• From the web interface DediBox, choose the rescue mode by cliquing on Configurer then Système de secours
• Connect to the box using SSH as root.
• Copy the dedibsd.iso file in /tmp ( Use FTP or SCP to do the copy)
• Launch the binary copy to the local disk :

• From the web interface, choose "normal mode".

3. Install the FreeBSD

• Connect to the box using SSH as root with the password you put in your init file. You are now connected to the FreeBSD running at 100% in the memory of your DediBox server.

• Use sysinstall to install FreeBSD. Standard, Express or custom method, it's up to you. The only remark is to change the Install Root in the Options and choose a path other than "/" and disable its softupdate.

• Note: you can create two partitions and install FreeBSD twice, a main installation and a pseudo rescue one, just in case you loose hand on the main one (the main rescue mode can't mount UFS).

• If you wish to see snapshots about these two installations, here are they :
  • Standard Installation of FreeBSD on a Dedibox
  • Double Installation (Rescue) of FreeBSD on a Dedibox

• You can add

  CFLAGS+= -march=i686 -mmmx -msse -msse2 -msse3 -mfpmath=sse

  in the /etc/make.conf file, to optimize the compilations on the VIA processor and the DediBox but it's not recommanded to use it while compiling the kernel.

• NB: FreeBSD version 6.2 will include the support of the PADLOCK instructions of the VIA C7 processors which will accelerate the encryption/decryption, this support doesn't exist in version 6.1

Good luck.

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