[Soekris] "Squashed" versions of FreeBSD

[Brett Glass]

All:

Several years ago, I developed several embedded systems using 
"PicoBSD," a "squashed" version of FreeBSD. I then was diverted 
from embedded UNIX development for a few years and am finally 
returning to it. I need to upgrade/revamp some of my older work and 
then develop some new things. I'd like to use a derivative of 
FreeBSD 7.0 (or the upcoming 7.1), and need to come up to speed on 
the various existing schemes for reducing FreeBSD 7.x to manageable 
size and putting it on a CF card. All of the systems I'll be 
developing will need to be configured remotely, and I may need to 
do remote firmware updates, so I'm especially interested in schemes 
which accommodate these things. I expect to build the systems 
around Soekris boards, PC-compatible "set top boxes," or similar hardware.

So far, I've seen two possibilities: "miniBSD" and a "nanoBSD". Are 
there others of which I should be aware? What are their pros and 
cons? How does each of them handle issues involving 
nonvolatile/read-only media vs. read/write media? Are good "howtos" 
and architecture papers available for them, so that I do not have 
to reverse engineer them to fully understand how they work? Any 
input would be MUCH appreciated.

--Brett Glass