[PLUG] Linux on CompactFlash for VoIP

[Eug <eug+plug@esmiley.net>]

Last night there was a question about hardware for running Linux from
CompactFlash for a VoIP application.

The folks up in NYCWireless are using a custom Debian based distro
called Pebble on Soekris hardware (http://www.soekris.com/) as
wireless mesh routers. These are basic x86 PCs.

The website says it's "smaller than 64megs, larger than 8 megs" but
the README says "more than 16 megs, less than 400 megs, designed to
fit on a 128 meg CF card". Take it with a grain of salt. You can trim
the wireless specific packages and put in VoIP packages you need
fairly easily.

http://www.nycwireless.net/pebble/pebble.README
"This is a somewhat minimal (more than 16 megs, less than 400 megs,
designed to fit on a 128 meg CF card) Debian stripped distro aimed for
use in wireless embedded devices.  It's biggest advantage is that it
mounts read-only.  You don't have to worry as much about wearing down
the compact flash, and you don't have to worry about doing proper
shutdowns."

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/belinuxsys/
"Building Embedded Linux Systems" by Karin Yaghmour, 4/2003, ISBN
0-596-00222-X. It has a good deal to say about working with CompactFlash.

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT4540125636.html
OpenBrick with Debian under 32Mb. Includes a comparison of the three
compressed filesystems in use -- Cloop (Knoppix), Cramfs (Linksys),
and JFFS2(Linux on iPaq).

http://leaf.sourceforge.net/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=908&page_id=27
WISP-Dist based on the LEAF (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall)
micro-distribution "fits in 8 MB disk space and requires only 16 MB
RAM, making it ideal for use on embedded motherboards such as Soekris."
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