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Phase 4 overview — booted ONIX base userspace

Phase 4 starts from the Phase 2 boot proof.

Phase 2 answered:

Can ONIX assemble a disk image and reach systemd multi-user mode?

The answer is now yes.

Phase 4 asks a different question:

Can the booted image become a usable base system?

What “base userspace” means

The kernel gets the machine started, but userspace is what makes it usable.

After the kernel mounts the real root filesystem, it starts PID 1:

/usr/lib/systemd/systemd

From that point onward, userspace is responsible for:

  • creating or validating /etc state
  • starting udev
  • discovering disks and network devices
  • mounting local filesystems
  • creating users and groups
  • starting login prompts
  • starting SSH or other remote inspection tools
  • preserving persistent state under /persist

Phase 2 proved the minimum handoff.

Phase 4 makes that handoff useful.

The important boundary with Phase 3

Phase 4 does not own the kernel.

For now the image keeps using the borrowed Alpine virt kernel/initramfs/module payload proved in Phase 2:

vm/state/vmlinuz-virt
vm/state/initramfs-virt

That lets Phase 4 focus on the booted system itself:

/etc
/usr
/persist
/home
/nix
systemd units
users
login
networking

Kernel ownership remains reserved for Phase 3.

Initial Phase 4 direction

The first Phase 4 subphases should be small and observable.

Proposed path:

400 — Phase 4 readiness and direction
401 — materialize live /etc from /usr/share/defaults
402 — create base users/groups/shell policy
403 — prove bootstrap serial root console
404 — add minimal QEMU user networking inspection
405 — prove host-to-guest TCP inspection
406 — prove authenticated SSH access
407 — audit temporary Nix-sourced system payloads
408 — define local stone/repo contract
409 — build `onix-busybox.stone`
410 — install/use `onix-busybox` in the image
411 — rerun shell/network/SSH proofs against stone BusyBox
412 — build `onix-dropbear.stone`
413 — install/use `onix-dropbear` and rerun SSH proof
414 — systemd stone dependency audit
415 — build first `onix-systemd.stone`
416 — install `onix-systemd` into the image
417 — boot with `onix-systemd` as PID 1
418 — move bootstrap units/defaults into stone ownership
419 — audit no Nix-sourced systemd/busybox/dropbear payload remains

The exact list can change as we learn, but the theme should stay stable:

make the booted image inspectable, login-capable, and base-system shaped

What Phase 4 should not do yet

Phase 4 should avoid:

  • building the ONIX kernel
  • designing the desktop stack
  • adding Nix integration
  • solving Mesa/graphics
  • making a huge package set

Those are later phases. The base system must become understandable first.

Steps