Re: Compact Flash lifetime/failure detection?

I've got DragonflyBSD running on my boards - inserted a static RAM disk into the kernel using mdsetimage and so the OS boots off RAM disk then mounts partitions on the CF readonly. I use syslog's remote logging feature to log critical stuff off box. Boot logs,  etc, get spooled to /var/log on the ramdisk.

Pretty simple set up.  My CF boot partition has only the standard FreeBSD/Dragonfly boot loaders and a gzipped kernel containing the ramdisk. I keep a small snapshot of /etc in a tar file which the rc scripts apply on startup - this allows me to save customizations and easily upload them for safekeeping.

Having said all that, I've yet to experience a cf failure in over 9 years. In fact I do have a couple of original WRAP 2c's and cf cards in radios up in trees that I've never replaced.

Hope that helps .. :)

--Andrew

------Original Message------
From: Jed Clear
Sender: [email protected]
To: Philip
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Soekris] Compact Flash lifetime/failure detection?
Sent: Jan 6, 2015 5:40 PM


> 
> I am now worried that my Soekris could go the same way.  That machine is
> net5501 running FreeBSD.

You can use the nanobsd configuration script to build FreeBSD. It only writes to the CF when you upload a new build of the OS image. And then it only updates alternating halves of the card. It was designed when flash was smaller and writes were a big concern, but it's still FreeBSD.  See the FreeBSD Handbook and nanobsd man page for more details.  I've been using nanobsd and an old camera CF on my 5501 since I got it. 
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