Chromium OS Intro.

Google says that Chrome OS is…

• Fast
  • SSD Only
  • Customized BIOS, Less HW probe/init
  • No splash, No AntiVirus
• Simple
  • Web application/browsing
  • Useless without Network Connection
• Secure
  • No modification on FS – almost no threat of virus & troian

推薦評論: http://www.tgdaily.com/software-features/44704-chrome-os-lame-copy-or-amazing-new-os-
Reference from: ChampYen

想法:
今天早上聽了 “網路黑貓” (ChampYen) 學長的演講後獲益良多. 有感而發一下, 面對現實層面! 在 PC,NB,Netbook 等部分消費性電子產品都被微軟居高不下的市佔率所霸佔下, 除了利用 Android 進攻行動裝置(智慧型手機等)市場外, 或許 Chromium 也許有機會賦予 Tablet PC / UMPC (MID) 東山再起的機會. 畢竟也只剩下這塊還是處於百家爭鳴的場面.  在智慧型手機市場上, 由於領導廠商 Nokia 也剛好卡在 Symbian & Maemo 的不明世代交替下而市場有逐漸被侵蝕的趨勢以及微軟並未取得廣大市佔率的情況下再加上半路殺出程咬金的 iPhone 憑藉著劃時代的操作方式以及強大的軟體市場及平台的支援下也吃了不小的市場, 或許 android 市佔率擴大的程度會遠比 Chromium 樂觀許多.

Building Chromium OS to USB drive & VMs

Development Platform:
Machine: HP 6910p
Kernel: 2.6.24-25
Version: Ubuntu 8.04.3 LTS

Chromium OS:
Arch: Intel Menlow
Kernel: 2.6.30
Rootfs: Based on Ubuntu Karmic

Steps:

1. 安裝所需套件
   sudo apt-get install git-core
2. 下載 depot_tools @ 家目錄 (Home directory)
   svn co http://src.chromium.org/svn/trunk/tools/depot_tools
3. 設定環境變數
   echo “export PATH=/home/rider/depot_tools:”$PATH”" >> .bashrc
   source .bashrc
4. 下載 Chromium source code
   mkdir chrome
   cd chrome
   gclient config http://src.chromium.org/git/chromiumos.git
   gclient sync
5. 建立連結與儲藏庫
   ln -s /home/rider/chrome/chromiumos.git chromiumos
   cd /chromiumos/src/scripts
   ./make_local_repo.sh
6. 建立環境
   ./make_chroot.sh
7. Build
   ./enter_chroot.sh
8. 建立本機使用者帳戶
   cd ../src/platform/pam_google/
   ./enable_localaccount.sh rider
   (Enabling local account. Remove chromeos_pam_localaccount.h to disable)
9. 設定共享使用者的密碼
   cd – ( 進入目錄: cd /chromiumos/src/scripts )
   ./set_shared_user_password.sh
   (Enter password for shared user account:)
   (Shared user password set in /home/rider/trunk/src/scripts/shared_user_passwd.txt)
10. 建立平台所需套件與核心編譯
    ./build_platform_packages.sh
    ./build_kernel.sh
    (Kernel build successful, check /home/rider/trunk/src/build/x86/local_packages/linux-image-2.6.30-chromeos-intel-menlow_002_i386.deb)
11. 產生印象檔
    ./build_image.sh
    (ImagePath: /home/rider/chromiumos/src/build/images)
    (Image created in /home/rider/trunk/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1
    To copy to USB keyfob, outside the chroot, do something like:
    ./image_to_usb.sh –from=~/chromeos/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1 –to=/dev/sdb
    To convert to VMWare image, outside the chroot, do something like:
    ./image_to_vmware.sh –from=~/chromeos/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1)
12. 離開 chroot
    exit
13. 測試所產生的 image file (rootfs check),檔案系統掛載測試.
    cd ../build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1/
    sudo mount -o loop rootfs.image rootfs (掛載 rootfs)
    sudo chroot rootfs (切換 chroot)
    exit (離開 chroot)
    sudo umount rootfs (卸載 rootfs)
14. (For USB drive) 建立 Chrome USB drive, 我的隨身碟裝置在 /dev/sdb1. 之後就可以 umount /dev/sdb1 然後拿隨身碟去 Netbook 開機吧.
    (注意: 至少備妥 4GB 以上的容量)
    cd /home/rider/chromiumos/src/scripts/
    ./image_to_usb.sh –from=~/chromiumos/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1/ –to=/dev/sdb1
15. (For VMs) 轉換為 VMware 用的 image file (vmdk). VMware 的 vmdk 亦可直接用 VirtualBox 掛載起來使用.
    cd /home/rider/chromiumos/src/scripts/
    ./image_to_vmware.sh –from=~/chromiumos/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1 –to=~/chromiumos/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1/chrome.vmdk
    (Created VMware image /home/rider/chrome/chromiumos.git/src/build/images/999.999.32809.093157-a1/chrome.vmdk)

# 補充: Bug
Checking for latest build of Chrome
Downloading http://chrome-web/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-linux-chromiumos/LATEST
–2009-11-24 08:46:29– http://chrome-web/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-linux-chromiumos/LATEST
Resolving chrome-web… failed: Name or service not known.
wget: unable to resolve host address `chrome-web’
make: *** [build-stamp] Error 1
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2

Solution:
方法(1): 編輯 ~/chromium/src/platform/chrome/copy_chrome_zip.sh :18
更改 USE_RELEASE_CHROME=1 or 維持 USE_RELEASE_CHROME=0 去改 URL

方法(2): 編輯 ~/chromium/src/platform/chrome/copy_chrome_zip.sh :55
Change URL
{{{
# Use released version of Chrome
BASE_FROM=”http://codf196.jail.google.com/archive/chrome-official”
else
# Use most recent snapshot from Chrome buildbot
BASE_FROM=”http://chrome-web/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-linux-chromiumos”
}}}

BASE_FROM=”http://build.chromium.org/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-linux-chromiumos/”

PS: Customization:
(1) 修改 Kernel: /home/rider/chromiumos/src/build/kernels/kernel-i386-intel-menlow/linux-2.6.30
(2) 平台所需套件: /home/rider/chromiumos/src/build/x86/local_packages

Reference:
Google Chromium: http://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/chromium-os/building-chromium-os
Kernel_config: ChromiumOS Kernel config

File sytem Profiling

I/O profiling methods:
blkparse – produce formatted output of event streams of block devices

Profiling tools:

• blktrace
• blkparse
• seekwatcher
• e2block2file

No journaling:
Using non-journaling file system (ext2,vfat…)

Rider@Canada(Banff) Day#6

今天真的是一整個溫度大回昇, 回到 -2度果然就感覺到暖意了. 早上的積雪也沒了,所以昨天還真的是一個令人難忘的回憶. 接下來要返回溫哥華去了, 應該可以開始穿短袖了吧 XD

本日議程的主題是:

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything ?
by Anthony D. Williams (author)

• Mobile device -> sensor ~ In your Life and life style.
• Blogger.com beats CNN.com ~ Internet , social network impact
• Fighting Climate change ~ Save the earth
• The world is your department ~ Collaboration
• Provider – > Chanel -> Customer ~ Chain

Example: Local Motors – Customization

1. Vote for the design as you want
2. Open source development
3. Choose the locale
4. Build your local motor vehicle

Thinking:

• The Human Genomer: A Public Biological Blueprint for All Human Life. ~ Identity identification
• The Open Source Energy Grid.
• Same process + new technology = same old mess ~ Need innovation !
• Wiki enables intelligence: From “Need to know” to “Need to share” ~ Open & Share
• Intellipedia: A place to think out loud.
• Department -> Enterprise -> Partners -> World

Key point:

• Open & Share
• Globalization
• Collaboration
• 1+1 >2

Rider@Canada(Banff) Day#5

今天早晨的班夫溫度終於回溫不少,總算突破雙位數上升到 -6度. 不過早上的積雪還真是搞死我們,每台車都被覆著滿滿的雪. 好運的是車子還能輕易發動. 不過行動還真是不便,除了車子覆著滿滿的積雪,路上到處都是將近 2 ~ 5cm 的積雪. 不只寸步難行,鞋子也是乾了又濕,濕了又乾.

本日議程的兩大主題是:

• Exploring Mobile Devices as Grid Resources
• Green IT: Does it work ?

主題一: Using an x86 Virtual Machine to Run BOINC on an iPhone

當時光看到該議題就已經覺得這傢伙應該是各瘋子,作者在 iPhone 上 run 一個 仿 x86  的 VM, 然後連結到 BOINC Server 去 download 約 1k ~ 數百k 左右大小的資料下來在 iPhone 的虛擬機器上執行下載下來的 task. 整支 app 是用 python 來撰寫的, 無論是上傳下載等功能皆是用 python 來開發. 看樣子以後出現手機格網應該也不足為奇 XD  重點是在 iPhone 上的虛擬機器跑由 BOINC 下載下來的 “大量小檔案” ,其所表現出來的效能(Performance)與節能(Energy Efficiency) 都比在 laptop 上還好 ~ 真神.

The Goal:  Cell phone as a Grid node.

BOINC on an iPhone

1. Mimics BOINC client
2. X86 virtual machine
3. Runs in Python interpreter
4. Tested with simple apps

Experiment setup:

1. A BOINC server: Access LAN or 3G
2. iPhone: jailbroken running Python and our VM
3. Laptop: connected to LAN and iPhone 3G’s
4. Power supply: monitoring current laptop , iPhone

Key: The application doesn’t know it is running on a cell phone.

Author: Michael Black
Project source code:
http://nw08.american.edu/~mblack/software/boinc.tar.gz

主題二: Green IT: Does it work?

What is Green IT ? Green Power is the future.

-          IT deployments that are zero-carbon or at least carbon-neutral.

-          Huge opportunity to drive the green energy economy.

美國與加拿大的綠能屋協調會與其相關措施,願景與計畫 (LEED)
What is LEED ? Ans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design

LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design):
US: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
CA:  http://www.cagbc.org/leed/what/index.php

Green to the Core2: The key role of the data center in Green IT by Rackforce.com

Why Green IT? Because, IT is not green today!

Green IT Challenge:

1. Dirty Power
2. Datacenter efficiency: Modular design
3. IT Efficiency: Virtualization -> improve 1.5x

Top 5 reasons For resisting Green IT DataCenters:
(5) Too Expensive
(4) Protecting IT job
(3) Government chooses poor location for political reasons and jobs.
(2) Green IT isn’t important to the decision maker.
(1) Want to be close to servers.

Some Green IT Solutions:

• Source Green Renewable Power Locations
• Cooler climates are best
• Build Large Efficient Data Centers on rural building
• Thin client

Rider@Canada(Banff) Day#4

沒想到這次E2GC2 Workshop 還不少亞洲面孔,其中日本隊就兩組人馬了. 輪到我的時候是一位日本東京大學的教授擔任主席,老實說就是那種很道地的日式英文. 到會場才知道原來一個人有 30 mins的時間可以 presentation, 可惜我只準備了 15mins 的投影片. 就這樣我被問了 15mins 的問題(據阿碩的說法應該有 5~6 題吧 ~ 暈),問到差點招架不住 (=.=) , 早知道就準備多一點投影片就好了 XD

下午聽了一場有關 “Eucalyptus”的演說,  主講人是 Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Eucalyptus Systems Inc. 的 Dr. Rich Wolski, 這場演說讓我對Eucalyptus有了更深的認識, 不過大家似乎比較關心的是 Eucalyptus 的未來走向及展望. 就現階段來說, Eucalyptus 還是希望能藉由 OpenSource 的力量來推動Open Source 界的類 EC2 的平台, 並且 Rich 教授也提到未來與 Ubuntu 結合的方向並打算與 Ubuntu 合作共同推動 Cloud computing. 而且 Eucalyptus 未來也會提供更和善的 Web UI, 目前的 UI 還真的是相當的陽春.

Rich 教授所提出的 Eucalyptus 未來方針:

Phase1: Services and Consulting
Phase2: Enterprise Products Enterprise cloud products levering open source base.