✎ soc:2009:pravin:journal:week2

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====== Week 2 ======
=== June - 1 ===
  - Checkout httpfs, may be it can be used to mount file-system from server http://httpfs.sourceforge.net/


== My understanding of HTTP boot with HTTPFS ==
  - Download the Linux kernel with fuse support ( or insert fuse module later )
  - download initramfs with 
     - fuse module
     - httpfs executable
     - Network setup tools and modules script to set root filesystem to the HTTPFS.
  - Boot with this setup.

It seems I am missing many things here, let me try out [[wiki:BootOverNFS|booting over NFS]] first

== Problems with mounting with httpfs ==
[[HttpFSProbs]]
I am able to mount but the problem I am facing is that file is mounted as nosuid,nodev, which does not allow further mounting.
<code>
$ ./httpfs http://127.0.0.1/dsl.iso ./test
$ mount
httpfs on /home/pravin/Etherboot/v2/httpfs/test type fuse.httpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev,user=pravin)

$ sudo losetup /dev/loop0 ./test/dsl.iso 
./test/dsl.iso: Permission denied

$ sudo mount -o loop,ro ./test/dsl.iso mpoint/
./test/dsl.iso: Permission denied

</code>
Finally, the problem is solved with leson learned.
__FUSE allows only the user to see the content of mounted partition who have mounted the partition__ \\
The mistake that I was doing was, I was running //./httpfs// without //sudo// but I was trying to mount the partition with //sudo//

few worries : 
  - If FUSE is used to mount root partition, then when actual user logs in, he may not see any of those files as they are mounted by root.
  - Need to find FUSE option which will allow everyone to see the file.
  - httpfs program does not accept any option :-(, How can I pass options ?

PS: One way out can be that, root mounts iso over HTTP, then uses the local loop to mount that ISO.
I guess that, the ISO mounted by root is mounted using normal mount command, and hence should be readable by all.
and can also support other mount options if needed. \\
I have not done this experiment yet, need to confirm before proceeding on this path.

=== June - 2 ===
Done nothing useful, just some random reading 

=== June - 3 ===
  - Writing PHP code to support booting and using pxelinux from machines with static IP address.\\
  - Stuck with issue of permissions regarding opening files in write mode :-(

=== June -4 ===
  - Suddenly enlightened by the memory that I have code for rom-o-matic :-)
  - Got it running on my machine.
  - Wrote and sent the patch so that it will be easy to host rom-o-matic on any machine.
  - Patched rom-o-matic is hosted at http://www.alien.doesntexist.org/rom-o-matic/

==== Few useful links ====
  - http://httpfs.sourceforge.net/net_boot.htm

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