Q - this might seem like an odd question..

What packages need to be removed from the tar file that you generate to strip it down to a minimal installation with just the "sane tools" installed?? Im quite interested in doing a minimalist version for my L-50 and want to see how low in disk space and memory usage i can go.

Im pondering this so i can see what modules i can blacklist that arent needed etc and to swap apps for super light versions... its mostly just to keep me out of mischief and occupied whilst i wait for domestic things to come to fruition and stop me buying more toys from Flea-bay with which to play and then pack away....

I know i could setup and environment and make my own root filesystem - but i dont want to get bogged down into doing that on the Proxmox box i am currently tinkering about with

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Breaking stuff since 1994 :-)
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Gravelrash,

> What packages need to be removed from the tar file
> that you generate to strip it down to a minimal
> installation with just the "sane tools"
> installed?? Im quite interested in doing a
> minimalist version for my L-50 and want to see how
> low in disk space and memory usage i can go.[/b]

The basic packages that I installed on the basic rootfs are quite minimal. It is really not worth removing any.

If the quest is to make it smaller to a minimal rootfs, the following can be done:

- Remove all symbols. They are for debugging purpose. That will shrink the initramfs.
- Compress all kernel modules. And when they are actually used, they are uncompressed. This is the Arch Linux ARM approach.

If those steps did not achieve the size that you are looking for. Then strip down the kernel to remove all uneeded modules and rebuild. This I think will not save much space, because the Kirwood kernel should accomodate all Kirkwood boxes.

OTOH, the L-50 kernel would be much smaller after we remove all other Kirkwood boxes supports :)

Note the current size of the latest rootfs Debian-5.13.6-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2:

Quote

- tarball size: 234M
- install size: 668M

So if you are thinking about writing the rootfs to flash, the fash space should have about 1GB, to be comfortable.

-bodhi
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Thanks Bodhi - i thought that was the case :) I will stick to doing the "quick and easy" stuff as im only playing about for now, i dont see a need to go the whole hog and mod what is a working kernel and go through the debug scenario..... i will have some meraki kit coming my way shortly and mangling that will take up some of my time for sure!

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Breaking stuff since 1994 :-)
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