Category: AWS

Notes – Specialized FreeBSD Workflows – FreeBSD for AWS EC2, FreeBSD for Embedded Computing

Concerning applications of the FreeBSD operating system on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services architecture – specifically in the AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) – and applications of FreeBSD on embedded computing platforms, a few very short notes:

Conceptual Overview

  • Concept: Workflow
    • Workflow e.g. for building a FreeBSD distribution for local LAN
      • Some characteristics of Note
        • Objects of work: “Bare metal” computing hardware (PCs, Racks); “Twisted pair”, “Fiber”, and “Wireless” network media
        • Hardware accessible to administrative team
        • Installation may be managed in correlation with networked file services – including NFS – and networked credential services, viz a viz YP/NIS
    • Workflow e.g. for building a FreeBSD distribution for installation to AWS EC2
      • Characteristics of Note
        • Objects of work: EC2 virtual machine instances; S3 and EBS storage modules; RDS data services; other modules in AWS modular service mix
        • Hardware not accessible – juxtapose to virtual console as available with Digital Ocean
        • AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) networking – IP address allocation, address assignment, subnetting, routing all configured via VPC API – largely independent of indiviual EC2 virual machine instances
        • Credential services via AWS IAM
    • Workflow e.g. for building a FreeBSD distribution for installation to an embedded computing platform
      • Characteristics of Note
        • “Bare metal” computing hardware (single-board computers, systems on chip, systems on module)
        • Hardware components – once configured – may be applied without immediate network availability
        • Functional systems tests may be exceptionally important – e.g. functional unit testing for new software components; integration testing for all software components, in emulator
  • Concept: Modularity
    • Not just a buzzword: Component-Based Software Engineering (CBSE)
    • Platform modeling – cf. Cadena – may be assistive in phases of design, testing, and in application phases
  • Concept: Documentation
    • Topically focused documentation schema: DITA

Technical Resources

  • EC2 AMI: FreeBSD 10
    • Ed. Notes
      • UFS Root Filesystem
      • SCHED_ULE
        • EC2 t2.micro instances provide only one virtual processor core to each instance. Therefore, the 4.4 BSD scheduler may be appropriate for such instances
      • sysrc parameters available via configinit
      • IP addressing via AWS VPC
  • Configuration File: /usr/src/release/release.conf.sample
  • Makefile: /usr/src/release/Makefile.vm
    • Application: Makefile is sourced in correlation with release.conf
  • Makefile: /usr/src/release/Makefile.ec2