A modern, fully-featured operating system designed for Zima boards and Raspberry Pi platforms.
IceNet-OS aims to be a lean, secure, and performant operating system that learns from decades of OS development. Built with modern practices and cross-platform support from the ground up.
- Zima boards (x86_64 architecture)
- Raspberry Pi (ARM architecture - Pi 3, 4, 5)
IceNet-OS can be used in multiple ways:
Run directly from USB drive or SD card without installation
- Try IceNet-OS without affecting your system
- Perfect for testing or temporary use
- Optional persistence to save changes
- Can load entire system to RAM
Install to internal drive for permanent use
- Graphical installer (GTK-based, similar to Linux Mint)
- Text-based installer (for headless systems)
- Automatic partitioning and bootloader setup
- Preserves existing data during installation
Quick Start: See live-installer/QUICKSTART.md
IceNet-OS uses a pragmatic approach:
- Kernel: Linux kernel (customized and optimized)
- Userspace: Completely custom implementation
- Init System: Custom lightweight init (icenet-init)
- Package Manager: Custom package management (ice-pkg)
- Core Utilities: Comprehensive system utilities
- Network tools (ping, netstat, wget)
- System monitoring (top, free, df)
- File management (ls, cat, grep)
- Network configuration scripts
- Integrated Software: Optional specialized components
- Thermal management for cold environments
- Meshtastic radio bridge (headless and GUI)
- Network mesh management tools
- Security First: Minimal attack surface, secure by default
- Performance: Optimized for embedded and edge computing
- Simplicity: Clean, understandable codebase
- Cross-Platform: Single codebase for x86_64 and ARM
- Modern: Learning from past mistakes, implementing best practices
IceNet-OS/
├── kernel/ # Kernel configuration and patches
├── bootloader/ # Boot configuration for both platforms
├── init/ # Custom init system
├── core/ # Core system utilities
│ ├── netutils/ # Network utilities (ping, netstat, wget)
│ ├── sysutils/ # System monitoring (top, free, df)
│ ├── fileutils/ # File operations (ls)
│ ├── textutils/ # Text processing (cat, grep)
│ └── scripts/ # Management scripts
├── pkgmgr/ # Package manager implementation
├── rootfs/ # Root filesystem structure
├── build/ # Build system and tools
├── live-installer/ # Live USB and installer system
│ ├── initramfs/ # Live boot hooks
│ ├── installer/ # GUI and TUI installers
│ ├── iso-builder/ # ISO/image generation scripts
│ └── boot-menu/ # Boot menu configurations
├── integrations/ # Integrated software components
│ ├── thermal-mgmt/ # Thermal management system
│ ├── meshtastic-bridge/ # Meshtastic bridge (headless)
│ ├── mesh-bridge-gui/ # Mesh bridge GUI
│ ├── icenet-desktop/ # Desktop environment
│ └── mesh-radio-suite/ # Mesh & SDR software
└── docs/ # Documentation
- Cross-compilation toolchains (x86_64 and ARM)
- Linux kernel source
- Build essentials (make, gcc, binutils)
Phase 1: Foundation - Complete
- Project initialization
- Build system setup
- Kernel configuration
- Custom init system
- Package manager
- Core utilities suite
- Network management tools
- Integrated software components
- Desktop environment
- Mesh & Radio suite
- Live USB system
- Graphical and text installers
- Comprehensive documentation
-
Build ISO or ARM image:
cd live-installer/iso-builder sudo ./build-iso.sh # For x86_64 (Zima boards) # OR sudo ./build-arm-image.sh # For ARM (Raspberry Pi)
-
Write to USB/SD card:
sudo dd if=output/icenet-os-*.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress -
Boot from USB/SD card
-
Choose "Live Mode" from boot menu
Full Guide: live-installer/QUICKSTART.md
From live mode:
- GUI: Click "Install IceNet-OS" icon on desktop
- CLI: Run
sudo icenet-installin terminal
Installation takes 10-15 minutes and includes:
- Automatic disk partitioning
- User account creation
- Bootloader installation
- System configuration
IceNet-OS includes native integration for specialized applications:
Automatic CPU-based heating to prevent equipment freezing in cold environments. Perfect for outdoor installations and remote deployments.
Installation: cd integrations && sudo ./install-integrations.sh --thermal
Production-ready bridge service for Meshtastic radio networks. Forwards messages between radios with automatic recovery and monitoring.
Installation: cd integrations && sudo ./install-integrations.sh --bridge
Note: Installed but disabled by default. Enable when needed.
Desktop application for visual configuration and monitoring of Meshtastic radio bridges.
Installation: cd integrations && sudo ./install-integrations.sh --gui
Lightweight graphical desktop environment with taskbar, start menu, and full GUI for all tools.
Installation: cd integrations && sudo ./install-integrations.sh --desktop
Boot: System offers GUI/Shell choice at startup (defaults to shell after timeout)
Features: Xorg, Openbox, tint2 panel, jgmenu start menu, all IceNet tools with icons
Complete turnkey solution for mesh networking, LoRa communications, and Software Defined Radio (SDR).
Included Software:
- Microsoft Edge - Modern Chromium-based browser
- Meshtastic Ecosystem - Complete toolset (CLI, flasher, web interface)
- Reticulum Stack - Cryptographic mesh protocol with NomadNet, Sideband, LXMF
- LoRa Suite - ChirpStack, gateway software, packet tools
- SDR Suite - GNU Radio, GQRX, SDR++, dump1090, rtl_433, Ham radio tools
- Mesh Protocols - Yggdrasil, cjdns, Babel, BATMAN-adv
Installation: cd integrations && sudo ./install-integrations.sh --mesh-radio-suite
Quick Start: See integrations/mesh-radio-suite/QUICKSTART.md
Full Documentation: See integrations/mesh-radio-suite/README.md
All software appears in desktop start menu with organized categories and icons.
Documentation: See docs/INTEGRATIONS.md for complete guide.
This is an active development project. More details coming soon.
MIT License - See LICENSE file for details