Move most of the non essential cli tooling into a console container

[fransvanberckel]

The Rancher OS project uses os-* console container images.

• https://github.com/rancher/os-services/tree/master/images/10-alpineconsole
• https://github.com/rancher/os-services/tree/master/images/10-centosconsole
• https://github.com/rancher/os-services/tree/master/images/10-debianconsole
• https://github.com/rancher/os-services/tree/master/images/10-fedoraconsole
• https://github.com/rancher/os-services/tree/master/images/10-ubuntuconsole

These containers are servicing - all the non-essential cli tooling you want to - for the console. And the project created an easy option to switch from the busybox console (read the default and smallest) to one of the others.

• https://rancher.com/docs/os/v1.x/en/configuration/switching-consoles/

If so - you are able to install extra cli tooling - the way your favorite operating system of your choice is able to. No more questions to add extra cli packages. Just do it yourself.

I would say, go for the best of both worlds, and support the console containers idea. For Flatcar Linux there are two options, remove to doubling commands from /usr, or stripdown os-*console to avoid command duplication. A site-effect would be, less /usr, /lib and /var updates - so less reboots, and so - less maintenance windows to worry about. ;-)

Todo: build switching-consoles support into Flatcar ignition.

[pothos]

Thanks for the suggestion, sounds interesting. Though there is a difference between core utilities that services can use without needing to download container images for them and those utilities that a user would want. Switching should not impact the system services because they are tested with one specific version and not with something similar that breaks in subtle ways (cf. compatibility issues with busybox utility behavior or even musl as libc).