The RAMDISK_CD kernel bsd in /usr/src/sys/arch/`machine`/compile/RAMDISK_CD is not the same as bsd.rd as you have found out it has an empty ramdisk, it the initial stage, to get a bsd.rd you need to build a release after building the userland. Details for building a release are in the FAQ's and man pages.
Building the release will use the RAMDISK_CD to build the kernel in bsd, reserving space for the ramdisk, and then the make release process adds the ramdisk (miniroot) into this creating the bsd.rd. You will find what the build release does under /usr/src/distrib/ramdisk The install / update shells are in /usr/src/distrib/miniroot The resulting bsd.rd created by the release is placed into $DESTDIR/snapshot, and then into the release directory $RELEASEDIR. The RAMDISK - is for the floppynn.fs, RAMDISKB, RAMDISKC for floppynnB.fs, and floppynnC.fs. It all works for building a release, but as pointed out never needed for following current. I build a release so I have an install with all the patches for stable, I can use on a number of machines which use stable, rather than applying the patches on each. If what your are asking is can you just build bsd.rd without building the full release - possibly, maybe setting DESTDIR, RELEASEDIR and a make in /usr/src/distrib/ramdisk might work, really your on your own if your trying to do that. Regards Nigel Taylor Jordi Beltran Creix wrote: > I am NOT trying to boot my root partition using bsd.rd. Although I see > that I can using the -a option. I was trying to get a bsd.rd image > like the one from the CDs, with the Install Upgrade and Shell options. > I followed the instructions from release(8) closely but the generated > binary is the same - it tells me it tries to boot from the ramdisk > device and that it has size 0 and reboots. I don't intend it to use as > a way to upgrade, it is easier to download the newer snapshots, I was > just testing the functionality. I am obviously missing something and > this is why I asked. > I've just downloaded the one from the snapshots and see it is > RAMDISK_CD. Do I need to build the RAMDISK_CD kernel instead of > RAMDISK and it will work? > > Thank you > > 2008/9/28 Stijn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: >> Jordi Beltran Creix wrote: >>> I am using a virtual machine to try and follow -CURRENT.I have >>> installed a snapshot, downloaded the cvs source, built it and run to >>> see if it worked, up to there everything is okay. >>> Reading the FAQ I found out that the "official" way to follow current >>> more or less closely is to build a ramdisk image(or download a bsd.rd >>> image from the servers) and boot from that. However, when I place my >>> newly generated image in / and boot from it, it tells me that it lacks >>> a root filesystem. Obviously it is lacking a ramdisk, but I don't know >>> where to get that from and I have been unable to find the appropriate >>> manpage or piece of documentation. Could you please point it out to >>> me? >>> Thank you >>> >>> >>> >>> >> From the FAQ: >> http://openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#bsd.rd >> >> bsd.rd is used to install, upgrade or doing system maintenance. It's not >> used to boot of your machine for normal usage. >> >> HTH, >> Stijn
