Syslinux - Mar 2014 - installing extlinux on a fresh system. Why does it fail ?

Hi All,

I am trying to install extlinux on a fresh system.

Here are my steps :
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A) Create an ext2 partition. I did the following steps :

1) boot from CD
2) Activate GParted
3) Create Partition table on the "fresh disk" (/dev/sda).
4) Create 1 ext2 partition (and mark its flag as "boot").

B)mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition
C) mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/Ext2_partition
D) mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux
E) extlinux --directory /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux --install /dev/sda1
Step E fails (as if the command line is incorrect).  I get the same output
as if I typed "extlinux" without arguments.

What's wrong ?

I also tried
 E) extlinux --install /dev/sda1 -->  fail  ""
 E) extlinux --install /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux
      The output was the following two lines :
          /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux is device /dev/sda1
          extlinux : cannot open device /dev/sda1


What's wrong ?


Thanks

Am 24.03.2014 14:13, schrieb Mau Z:
> Hi All,
>
> I am trying to install extlinux on a fresh system.
>
> Here are my steps :
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> A) Create an ext2 partition. I did the following steps :
>
> 1) boot from CD
> 2) Activate GParted
> 3) Create Partition table on the "fresh disk" (/dev/sda).
> 4) Create 1 ext2 partition (and mark its flag as "boot").
Did you use mkfs.ext2 to create the filesystem or let GParted create it? 
Which version of GParted? Which version of libparted? There were some 
bugs regarding quite recent versions of GParted resulting in filesystems 
larger than the partition. And I do not trus "mkfs ext2" within parted
as well.
> B)mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition
> C) mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/Ext2_partition
I experienced some bad behaviour up to unclean filesystems using the 
ext2 and ext3 drivers in kernels from 3.2 upwards. You might want to 
mount explicitly using the ext4 driver.

Regards,
Mattias

-- 
Mattias Schlenker - Redaktion + EDV-Beratung + Linux-CD/DVD-Konzepte
August-Bebel-Str. 74 - 04275 LEIPZIG - GERMANY

Bitte fuer geschaeftliche Telefonate vorzugsweise die VoIP-Telefonnummer
+49 341 39290767 verwenden, da ich diese aufs Mobiltelefon routen kann!

> Hi All,
> 
> I am trying to install extlinux on a fresh system.
> 
> Here are my steps :
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> A) Create an ext2 partition. I did the following steps :
> 
> 1) boot from CD
> 2) Activate GParted
> 3) Create Partition table on the "fresh disk" (/dev/sda).
> 4) Create 1 ext2 partition (and mark its flag as "boot").
> 
 
Have you actually formatted the created partition as ext2?

I mean, maybe you just have marked the partition as "ext2" in the 
partition ID field, without actually formatting the partition.

Before creating a directory (or a file), the partition should be 
formatted.
 
> B)mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition
> C) mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/Ext2_partition
> D) mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux
> E) extlinux --directory /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux --install /dev/sda1
> Step E fails (as if the command line is incorrect).  I get the same output
> as if I typed "extlinux" without arguments.
> 
> What's wrong ?
> 
 
The EXTLINUX installer (since version 4.xx) operates on mounted 
filesystems. The "--directory" option is for the SYSLINUX installer, 
which operates on devices.
 
> I also tried
>  E) extlinux --install /dev/sda1 -->  fail  ""
>  E) extlinux --install /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux
>       The output was the following two lines :
>           /mnt/Ext2_partition/extlinux is device /dev/sda1
>           extlinux : cannot open device /dev/sda1
> 
> 
> What's wrong ?
 
Your last extlinux command "should" work an a mounted fs, if the 
partition was actually formatted with a supported fs and the 
directory was already created.

Regards,
Ady.

Thanks

I let GParted create the file system. It was done on a rescue disk of
Ubuntu 12.04  (GParted 0.11.0)

I think that the problem is in my command line.

Mau


On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 4:04 PM, Mattias Schlenker
<ms at mattiasschlenker.de>wrote:
> Am 24.03.2014 14:13, schrieb Mau Z:
>
>  Hi All,
>>
>> I am trying to install extlinux on a fresh system.
>>
>> Here are my steps :
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> A) Create an ext2 partition. I did the following steps :
>>
>> 1) boot from CD
>> 2) Activate GParted
>> 3) Create Partition table on the "fresh disk" (/dev/sda).
>> 4) Create 1 ext2 partition (and mark its flag as "boot").
>>
>
> Did you use mkfs.ext2 to create the filesystem or let GParted create it?
> Which version of GParted? Which version of libparted? There were some bugs
> regarding quite recent versions of GParted resulting in filesystems larger
> than the partition. And I do not trus "mkfs ext2" within parted
as well.
>
>
>  B)mkdir /mnt/Ext2_partition
>> C) mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/Ext2_partition
>>
>
> I experienced some bad behaviour up to unclean filesystems using the ext2
> and ext3 drivers in kernels from 3.2 upwards. You might want to mount
> explicitly using the ext4 driver.
>
> Regards,
> Mattias
>
> --
> Mattias Schlenker - Redaktion + EDV-Beratung + Linux-CD/DVD-Konzepte
> August-Bebel-Str. 74 - 04275 LEIPZIG - GERMANY
>
> Bitte fuer geschaeftliche Telefonate vorzugsweise die VoIP-Telefonnummer
> +49 341 39290767 verwenden, da ich diese aufs Mobiltelefon routen kann!
>
> _______________________________________________
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>

On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 3:04 PM, Mattias Schlenker
<ms at mattiasschlenker.de> wrote:
> Did you use mkfs.ext2 to create the filesystem or let GParted create it?
> Which version of GParted? Which version of libparted? There were some bugs
> regarding quite recent versions of GParted resulting in filesystems larger
> than the partition. And I do not trus "mkfs ext2" within parted
as well.
>
I saw someone suggested to use ver.4 of extlinux instead of 6 due to
bugs related to booting from USB sticks...
Could you state/recommend versions of GParted, libparted, extlinux?

Regards,
Alexey