Re: [9fans] notes on fossil, ANTS, and 9front/Bell labs controversies

[Richard Miller <9fans@hamnavoe.com>]

steve@quintile.net:
> the issue is 9boot would need tls to be able download the kernel from a
> file server and it doesn’t have it. this is the labs boot procedure of
> course.
>
> 9front booting uses a full kernel to bootstrap (correct me if i am wrong)
> so tls is not a problem there.

There isn't a single "labs boot procedure".  Any 4th edition Plan 9 system
can use the kernel to load another kernel, with whatever embellishments you
care to dream up.  That's what /dev/reboot is for.

If you want to boot over the network mediated by tls, you need a bit of
local storage to hold a (stripped down if you like) first-stage kernel
and a few commands (which may be embedded in the in-kernel /boot filesystem).
That kernel can run a small rc script to do this:
  srv -e 'tlsclient tcp!$fs!777' reboot /n/reboot
  reboot /n/reboot/path/to/next/kernel
On the server you need a corresponding /bin/service/tcp777 with
  #!/bin/rc
  /bin/tlssrv -c /path/to/cert.pem -l listen /bin/aux/trampoline -9 tcp!127.1!564

No exotic extra facilities needed: tlssrv and tlsclient were introduced
with 4th edition Plan 9 in 2002.