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A NetBSD microVM provides a quick environment for cross-platform build tests

olddeuteronomy.github.io 6 min read Editor score 6/10

The author uses a smolBSD microVM to test a C networking library and toolchain on NetBSD; the VM boots and starts a service in a few milliseconds. This is a practical option for isolated, lightweight platform testing.

What
A smolBSD microVM provides a minimal NetBSD environment for testing a C library and toolchain.
How
A SMOLerfile selects the base, configuration, and compiler/toolchain sets to build a raw NetBSD image; the environment includes Emacs.
Why it matters
This gives engineers a way to check cross-platform builds on NetBSD when they do not have a dedicated NetBSD machine.
builds boots SMOLerfile raw NetBSD image smolBSD microVM
A SMOLerfile defines the contents of an image used to run the NetBSD microVM. Sketched from the article's own text.

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