Welcome to the DruidBSD project homepage

Druid(R) is a build platform that aims to produce truly universal boot images (*.iso files) that can be downloaded once and then mastered onto any type of media, including (but not limited to) CD/DVD optical media, USB flash media, and even hard disks.

DruidBSD(tm) is a FreeBSD micro-distribution which exists as a 1.9MB floppy image (GZIP-compressed mfsroot). When paired with the Druid(R) platform, you get a universal LiveCD and/or Installer environment.

NEW! pkgbase updated to support FreeBSD 10.0+ pkg(8) (aka pkgng).

Previously only supporting the legacy pkg_tools (pkg_*) on FreeBSD-9.0 and older, pkgbase has been updated to support the new MANIFEST-based [pkgng] packages.

Head on over to Downloads to get the latest copy of pkgbase.

Meet pkgbase ("Package Base") — A Multi-Platform Packaging System

pkgbase is a multi-platform packaging system for integrating package version control into any CVS/Perforce server.

Currently supported packaging systems include:

  • FreeBSD Packages (*.tgz, *.tbz, or *.txz)
  • RedHat Packages (*.rpm)

Hightlights include:

  • Author FreeBSD packages on RedHat Linux
  • Author RPMs on FreeBSD
  • Easily unpack any package from any source
  • Easily make changes to any binary package
  • Easily import working trees into any CVS server
  • Low learning curve (use any make and text editor)
  • Entirely self-contained within any base directory
  • Implemented as cross-platform shell scripts/Makefiles

See the downloads section for the latest version of pkgbase.

Meet the FreeBSD Druid

The FreeBSD Druid(R) is a unified installer platform targeted at the Enterprise FreeBSD market.

 

 

The following features make the FreeBSD Druid(R) a unique FreeBSD installer:

  • Built on the trusty sysinstall(8) installer used for over 15+ years by the community at-large
  • Graphical boot menu provided by SYSLINUX(tm)
  • Offers both scripted installation and advanced installation (traditional sysinstall(8) menu)
  • Can install FreeBSD in minutes with as-little-as 6 keystrokes
  • Install either 32-bit or 64-bit FreeBSD from an easy-to-use selection menu without rebooting
  • Anti-foot-shooting measures (CPU architecture sanity checks, etc.)
  • Automatic disk partitioning for scripted installation (if only one target-installation disk is probed)
  • Option to always-invoke interactive disk partitioning for scripted installation, if desired
  • Interactive rescue script for fixing non-bootable systems
  • Holographic shell with bash-prompt and hundreds of utilities
  • Easily run sshd from the Druid boot media
  • Pre/Post install hooks for easily extending the installer
  • Automatically enables Soft Updates Journaling
  • Installs and configures sysutils/host-setup for first-run
  • Contains "perl" distribution that installs perl-5.14.1_3 package
  • Contains "local" distribution that installs rsync-3.0.9, bonnie-2.0.6_1, and sup-2.0.20060802 packages
  • Easily customizable on any OS that can modify an ISO filesystem
  • Much much more!

Head on over to the downloads section to get your own copy of this polished Enterprise FreeBSD Installer.

 


 

Other News (past and present)

2012-09-29: sysrc updated (new version 5.1 replaces previous version 5.0).

Revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Sync with HEAD code cleanups.
2012-08-25: sysrc updated (new version 5.0 replaces previous version 4.1).

Revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Modularize code.
2012-08-24: sysrc updated (new version 4.1 replaces previous 4.0).

Revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Add `-D' flag for querying default values only.
2012-08-23: sysrc updated (new version 4.0 replaces previous 3.2.2).

Revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Shorten default usage statement and add `--help'.
  • Allow `-f file' or RC_CONFS to be NULL (show defaults).
  • Add `-q' flag to be quiet even if SYSRC_VERBOSE is set.
  • Add `-F' flag for querying which file something is in.
  • Minor changes in-preparation of import to HEAD.
2012-01-31: host-setup updated (new version 4.0.2 replaces previous 4.0.1).

Minor revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/host-setup.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Skip rc_conf_files that don't exist
  • Prevent spurious warnings when using stat(1)
  • Fix broken inline parameter expansion
2012-01-12: netwait package released for FreeBSD versions older than 9.0 (which lack this feature).

Package contains:

  • Post-installation script that will automatically ensure that the mountcritremote rc.d script is set to require netwait.
  • Enhanced version of netwait rc.d script -- patched to allow a value of "NO" (case-insensitive) for "netwait_ip" in rc.conf(5); allowing you to safely set netwait_ip to defaultrouter.
  • Also modified to change rcorder(8) keywords to start netwait before mountcritremote.
  • Sensible defaults stored in /etc/rc.conf.d/netwait (also serves as documentation for the script, considering that the currently-installed /etc/defaults/rc.conf may not mention netwait unless running FreeBSD 9.0-RELEASE or higher).
  • This version of netwait -- if enabled by setting netwait_enable to "YES" (case-insensitive) in rc.conf(5) -- will automatically use the value of defaultrouter as the IP address to ping. This has the net-effect that one does not need to separately configure the IP address to ping during boot if a defaultrouter has already been configured. For most, this means that simply enabling netwait is all that is needed to fix the network race-condition that occurs on boot.
2012-01-11: tzdialog updated (new version 1.2 replaces previous 1.1).

Many revisions:

  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/tzdialog.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Synchronize with FreeBSD HEAD revision of tzsetup(8), including MFC of ...
  • Properly support `\n' escape-sequence in info/msg/menu boxes when calculating appropriate dialog(1) sizes.
  • Unlink /etc/localtime before creation.
  • Fix bug in preserving /etc/localtime as a symbolic-link.
  • Clear console in-between menus and on-exit when using dialog(1).
  • Update dependency list to include ln(1).
  • Bump dialog-height by-one on FreeBSD-9 for zone confirmations due to new implementation of dialog(1) (now based on cdialog).
  • Always override user-provided umask.
  • Update usage statement/synopsis (alphabetize -e flag).
  • Minor syntax changes.
  • Comments.
2012-01-03: host-setup updated (new version 4.0.1 replaces previous 4.0).

Minor revisions:

  • This version has [previously] been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/host-setup.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Abstract remaining instances of "/etc/resolv.conf" to "$RESOLV_CONF".
  • Minor syntax tweak for odd-duck eval.
2012-01-03: sysrc updated (new version 3.2.2 replaces previous 3.2.1).
  • This version has been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built and is available for download.
  • Fix minor bug (s/chmod/chown/) when using `-x' to remove a configuration variable from rc.conf(5).
2012-01-03: host-setup updated (new version 4.0 replaces previous 3.2).

Major new revision:

  • Added `-s' option for "secure-mode" (prompts for sudo(8) credentials). Designed to allow secure access when executed from either a window or display manager.
  • Updated dependency list (see code comments near top).
  • Display CVS revision (if available) in dialog(1) title.
  • Fully support Xdialog(1).
  • Introduce an initial delay when probing interfaces for carrier status information.
  • Fix Ctrl-C when aborting dhclient(8) setup.
  • Add detection of new vimage netgraph(4) bridged interfaces.
  • Fix typos.
  • Delete defaultrouter from rc.conf(5) when going DHCP.
  • Fix netmask calculation on 9.0-CURRENT.
  • Always allow network changes within a vimage jail.
  • Fix bug that could wipe-out resolv.conf(5) when switching from DHCP back to static.
  • Prevent hang when changing hostname via X11-Forwarded ssh(1) connection.
  • Add SYNCDHCP and NOSYNCDHCP support for appropriate releases.
  • Re-apply defaultrouter when switching from DHCP back to static.
  • Fix Xdialog(1) sanity checks for 9.0-CURRENT.
  • Add support for Xdialog(1)'s `--print-maxsize' feature.
  • Add support for tzdialog(8) -- available here at druidbsd.sf.net
  • Add support for executing tzsetup(8) within an xterm(1) when executing via Xdialog(1).
  • Add support for the `-s' flag of tzsetup(8) added in FreeBSD 7.3, 8.0, or higher.
  • Improved error reporting for tzsetup(8)/tzdialog(8).
  • Whitespace and other miscellaneous corrections.
2012-01-02: vimage-1.4 rc.d script released.

Critical change/bug-fix:

  • Deprecate inferior "vimage_*_services" variable in favor of new "vimage_*_prestart_services" and "vimage_*_afterstart_services" for both fine-grain control and to work-around a bug/limitation (see `/etc/rc.conf.d/vimage' for further details).
  • The above implementation-change was necessary to get firewalls based on ipfw to "boot" correctly as a vimage.

Read more about vimage.

2011-12-31: sysrc updated (new version 3.2.1 replaces previous 3.2).
  • This version has [previously] been accepted into the FreeBSD ports tree under sysutils/sysrc.
  • A package has been built from the ports tree and is available for download.
  • Fix 9.0-CURRENT bug resulting in "Canot create : No such file or directory"
2011-11-17: tzdialog updated (new version 1.1 replaces previous 1.0.2).

Changes include the following:

  • Add -e flag, which causes the exit_status to only return success if-and-only-if both the user selects a timezone and the system has successfully installed it.
  • Add support for Xdialog(1)'s `--print-maxsize' option.

2010-09-15: The DruidBSD(tm) project is registered on SourceForge.net

2010-09-13: The DruidBSD(tm) project enters public-beta

 


 

Links

SourceForge.net Project Page
SynHXD Project