| 1 | # Overview # |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Linode doesn't offer OpenBSD as an installation choice. These notes describe |
| 4 | the creation of an OpenBSD VM on Linode using the Linode rescue image to |
| 5 | bootstrap the OpenBSD installer. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | # OpenBSD Installation # |
| 8 | |
| 9 | 1. Create a new linode. The "Nanode 1GB" plan at $5/month is sufficient. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | 2. Under the "Advanced" tab, delete the existing disks and create two new |
| 12 | disks, both unformatted raw. The first should be 16 GB, named `root`. The |
| 13 | second should be 1 GB, named `install`. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | 3. Under the "Rescue" tab, set `/dev/sda` to the `install` disk and submit. |
| 16 | The system should boot into Finnix where you can download and apply the OpenBSD |
| 17 | install image. For example: |
| 18 | |
| 19 | root@ttyS0:~# dmesg | grep "sda" |
| 20 | [ 1.455839] sd 0:0:0:1: [sda] 2097152 512-byte logical blocks: (1.07 GB/1.00) |
| 21 | <snip> |
| 22 | root@ttyS0:~# wget http://mirrors.syringanetworks.net/pub/OpenBSD/6.5/amd64/install65.fs |
| 23 | root@ttyS0:~# dd if=./install65.fs of=/dev/sda |
| 24 | 922496+0 records in |
| 25 | 922496+0 records out |
| 26 | 472317952 bytes (472 MB) copied, 64.5331 s, 7.3 MB/s |
| 27 | root@ttyS0:~# shutdown -h now |
| 28 | |
| 29 | 4. Under the "Advanced" tab, delete the existing "configuration" and create a |
| 30 | new configuration with the following settings: |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Label: OpenBSD - Install |
| 33 | VM Mode: Full virtualization |
| 34 | Select a Kernel: Direct disk |
| 35 | Run Level: Run Default Level |
| 36 | Memory Limit: Do not set any limits on memory usage |
| 37 | Block Device Assignment: |
| 38 | /dev/sda: boot |
| 39 | /dev/sdb: install |
| 40 | /dev/sdX: None |
| 41 | Root Device: /dev/sdb |
| 42 | Filesystem/Boot Helpers: No to all |
| 43 | |
| 44 | 5. Boot the newly created configuration. From the console, perform a normal |
| 45 | OpenBSD install using `/dev/sda` as the target disk. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | 6. Under the "Advanced" tab, create a second configuration with the following |
| 48 | settings: |
| 49 | |
| 50 | Label: OpenBSD - Normal Operation |
| 51 | VM Mode: Full virtualization |
| 52 | Select a Kernel: Direct disk |
| 53 | Run Level: Run Default Level |
| 54 | Memory Limit: Do not set any limits on memory usage |
| 55 | Block Device Assignment: |
| 56 | /dev/sda: boot |
| 57 | /dev/sdX: None |
| 58 | Root Device: /dev/sda |
| 59 | Filesystem/Boot Helpers: No to all |
| 60 | |
| 61 | 7. Boot the new configuration. You should be able to login to the new system |
| 62 | via SSH. |