Bubble overview
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About Bubble
Bubble is a kind of mini Linux distribution designed to run a wireless RéseauCitoyen node.
Unlike Pebble which offers a full Debian environment, Bubble is rather small and designed to run on limited hardware -- typically without hard disk and in less than 16MB.
Also Bubble is designed to run as a diskless node. Once booted it does not need any disk.
Motivation
There is already a lot of good stuff available today, so why do we need an additional distribution?
The main vector of motivation was to be able to build a cheap node for RéseauCitoyen, that is on top of depreciated hardware that some companies are throwing away these days.
In a pure economical context, re-using old hardware can be more expensive as buying a new one, since the setup takes time and man-days are (very) expensive!
On the other hand, from an hobbyist standpoint, your free time does not cost anything, so refurbishing an old hardware that you get for nothing is very attractive.
The costs will then be limited to a Wireless card and a self-made antenna, so I do believe we can build a node for less than 50 Euros.
The Big Picture
Note: All these pictures are a bit obsolote in the sense that the alias on the wireless interface is a trick to allow non-linux clients to join the network when the routing is done with Kernel AODV. This feature is deprecated since:
- I am not using Kernel AODV anymore
We had stability issues during real-life tests in 2004. Since most of the protocol resides in kernel, it seriously impact the stability of the whole system. - It does not work with AODV-UU which takes control of the whole interface
- It is less relevant with OLSR as this protocol is widely available.
Fully configured node
The above figure illustrates a fully configured Bubble node.
All parts are optional and configuration is flexible
Typical applications:
- RéseauCitoyen relay;
- All the computers on the wired Lan get access to RéseauCitoyen;
- Internet bandwidth can be offered to RéseauCitoyen.
Minimal configuration
This is the minimal configuration for the Bubble node. In this configuration, it acts only as a relay.
Typical applications:
- Standalone RéseauCitoyen relay to drop on the top of a building;
- Personal relay: the Bubble node is located in a place where he can see other nodes, and acts as a relay for home computers with a (cheap) wireless card.
Classic configuration
The node is linked to a user workstation using a LAN cable.
- RéseauCitoyen relay;
- Personal relay: the Bubble node is located in a place where he can see other nodes, and acts as a relay for home computer connected with a simple network cable.
Key features
- Run on virtually any Intel-based PC
- Runs in 16MB memory
- Ram disk based.
No hard-disk need -- boots from a floppy, a CD-ROM, a CF-Card or from the network - Modular distribution -- depending on the available additional packages can be installed (ssh, ...)
DiskLess Vs. Bubble
What's the difference between DiskLess and Bubble?
At runtime there is almost no difference, the packages available for Bubble arejust more current.
The main difference is in the build process. For DiskLess, you have to know the node hardware at compile time. Build and runtime parameters are mixed. Bubble uses a pre-build environement and is therefore much more flexible.
