Soekris Net 4511 kernel config and script

[coroner]

Anyone familiar with routing devices know that low-power consumption routing appliances can be useful when you have enough to warrant a low cost solution to networking in specific situations.

Here is a kernel configuration for the Soekris Net 4511 device using the 2.6.27 kernel and a script I wrote which originally would definitely only run on my machine, I would be open to suggestions in making it more dynamic, distribution independant and all that. Take a look at the notes at the top to see where I was headed with this.

The Soekris Net 4511 device uses AMD's 486 ELAN processor at 100MHz and consumes a massive 3 Watts.

This script creates almost any size image file using loop devices eventually to be written to a physical CompactFlash card or other hot-loadable storage medium which the Soekris devices can boot from.

In this particular instance the Soekris device has two ethernet ports and can take a wireless adapter. It is a fully functional routing appliance and/or firewall, proxy, pretty much anything.

As you can see I've already started the process of making it more dynamic.
Here is the configuration for kernel 2.6.27:
http://autopsy.liveprojects.info/SOEKRIS/config.soekris

Here is the script:
http://autopsy.liveprojects.info/SOEKRIS/mkfsimage.sh

Any contributions or fixes or even flames welcome.

[coroner]

So far I've started this: http://autopsy.liveprojects.info/SOEKRIS/script.sh
to make the original script more flexible. It might be possible to make functions that would deal with distribution specific dynamics between some well known distributions..

[coroner]

I need some quick suggestions for fixing embedded while loops to check for multiple flags. I want to use two while loops where one is inside the other. If you look at the script link above you will see what I'm saying.

My positional parameters or special parameter "#@" specifically the positional number of parameters "$#" is exhausted, since 'shift' actually unsets the parameter. With no way to assign to this variable, I cannot simply make a function that stores and restores the original positional parameters to check for more flags.

On top of this, the only thing I could think of immediately was "duplicating" the positional parameters and using the secondary array or list in the next while loops, checking for flags.

For example, if someone specifies only --tmpdir=/tmp --new-kernel --device=/dev/sdb --logfile=/tmp/script.log my positional parameters are exhausted within the --new-kernel loop looking for --kernel-archive, now you ask.. maybe why not just remove the --kernel-archive and other kernel stuff to simply avoid it, well, some people need to use a specific kernel version with specific patch sets and don't want to retrieve a new kernel everytime they test a simple patch for an embedded device. So.. this presents somewhat of a problem because I like the embedded while looping.

Anyone got any quick suggestions?