Syslinux - Sep 2005 - standalone bootable usb-stick

hi ya syslinuxerz 

- i've been slowly working on a making a custom bootable
  standalone usb-stick with X11 and kde

	
- it's basically builds itself off of a slackware-10.1 server

	- create a custom initrd.gz  ( /dev/ram0 ) 
	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/InitRD/

	- create a custom rootfs.gz  ( /dev/loop0 ) 
	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/RootFS/

	- create X11 and kde loopfiles
	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Patches.X11/
	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Patches.KDE/

	( i created this mess because i do not want to use busybox )

- there's nothing odd about initrd.gz, rootfs.gz, x11 and kde  
  since it works ( boots up and runs fine ) with:

	- it boots with lilo-22.7
		http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Patches.RootFS/ \
			Patches/boot/lilo/lilo.sda.2.4.31.conf

	- it boots with grub ( from cvs )
		http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Patches.RootFS/ \
			Patches/boot/grub/menu.usb.lst

	- it fails with syslinux

- i suspect i'm missing a line in /linuxrc that is required by syslinux
----------------------------------------------------------------------

	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/InitRD.LinuxRC/ \
		LinuxRC-2005/linuxrc.cfusb

    =========    /linuxrc:
    =========	mount -n -o rw,remount /
	mount -t proc proc /proc
	mount -n -o rw,remount -t ext2 /dev/ram0 /
	mount    -o rw,remount -t ext2 /dev/ram0 /
	- load vfat, fat, dos, usb-modules

	# mount the usb stick
	mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
	losetup /dev/loop0 /mnt/sda1/LoopFile  ( the rootfs )
	mount /dev/loop0 /mnt/RootFS 

	# instead of pivot_root
	echo '0x700' > /proc/sys/kernel/real-root-dev

	# # not used, seems to work without it for lilo/grub
	# exec chroot /mnt/RootFS /sbin/init

	# exit /linurc and turn control over to /sbin/init which
	# works  since i can get into init 3, init 4 or init 5 

---------------------------------------------------------------
- but syslinux cannot find /dev/loop0 for some reason that has
  been driving me batty
---------------------------------------------------------------

	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Patches.RootFS \
		Patches/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

	#
	# the 2 lines that i'm wondering about:
	#
	kernel vmlinuz
	append initrd=initrd.gz load_ramdisk=1 ramdisk_size=8192 \
		boot=/dev/ram0 root=/dev/loop0

	- it still will not boot even if i have init=/linuxrc
	or root=700


	- what am i looking at that is flying right past me for 
	configuring syslinux to boot /dev/sda1 ??
        
        - yes, i have USB-HDD and it gets thru initrd and /linuxrc
        but it cannot find /dev/loop



- the script that builds the usb-stick

	http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/Bootable-HOWTO-Scripts \
		Scripts-2005/Standalone.Install.2005.0912.sh.txt

    making the bootable usb-stick
   -------------------------------
	dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=446 count=1 conv=sync
	mkfs.msdos -n USB-Stick -F 16 /dev/sda1

	mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/USB
	cp vmlinuz-2.4.31ow.p4 initrd.gz rootfs.gz /mnt/USB


	# use the mbr form syslinux-3.11
	dd if=/$path/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda bs=446 count=1
	cp /$path/syslinux-3.11/isolinux.bin  /mnt/USB


----

another odd thing is syslinux-3.11 ( the way i've built the usb-stick )
does not like the hierachy ( it can't find linux, even if i'm using
vmlinuz ) 

	/boot/vmlinuz
	/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cf

thanx
alvin

Alvin Oga schreef:
>	- it fails with syslinux
>
>- i suspect i'm missing a line in /linuxrc that is required by syslinux
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  
>
No idea, but Syslinux (ldlinux.asm/sys) does not support (sub)directories.
As it's a Linux on USB Flash drive anyway, consider changing to 
ExtLinux, a derived version of Syslinux but available in the same package
(just like PXElinux and ISOlinux). That would also mean changing 
filesystem on the USB drive from FAT to EXT2.

All files references by syslinux have to be in root directory, by the way.
(well, at least kernel, probably also initrd)

Good luck with your project :)

if anyone corrects my thoughts..I hardly have any Linux knowledge, so 
spare me :)

Bernd

>- i suspect i'm missing a line in /linuxrc that is required by syslinux
>        http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/InitRD.LinuxRC/ \
>                LinuxRC-2005/linuxrc.cfusb
This is probably all you need in linuxrc.

        # - load vfat, fat, dos, usb-modules
        /sbin/insmod modules
	# mount the usb stick
        /bin/mount -n /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
        /sbin/losetup /dev/loop0 /mnt/sda1/LoopFile

--- syslinux.cfg ---

        kernel vmlinuz
        append initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=8192 root=/dev/loop0 ro
>another odd thing is syslinux-3.11 ( the way i've built the usb-stick )
>does not like the hierachy ( it can't find linux, even if i'm using
>vmlinuz )
>
>        /boot/vmlinuz
>        /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cf
It should be like this.

        /initrd.gz
        /vmlinuz
        /syslinux.cfg

>This is probably all you need in linuxrc.
>
>        # - load vfat, fat, dos, usb-modules
>        /sbin/insmod modules
>	# mount the usb stick
>        /bin/mount -n /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
>        /sbin/losetup /dev/loop0 /mnt/sda1/LoopFile
Correction.

        # - load vfat, fat, dos, usb-modules
        /sbin/insmod modules
	/bin/sleep 6 # time for usb to register
	# mount the usb stick
        /bin/mount -n /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
        /sbin/losetup /dev/loop0 /mnt/sda1/LoopFile

>hi ya kent
>On Tue, 20 Sep 2005, Kent Robotti wrote:
> >- i suspect i'm missing a line in /linuxrc that is required by
syslinux
> >        http://linux-boot.net/Bootable/InitRD.LinuxRC/ \
> >                LinuxRC-2005/linuxrc.cfusb
>
> This is probably all you need in linuxrc.
>
>         # - load vfat, fat, dos, usb-modules
>         /sbin/insmod modules
>         # mount the usb stick
>         /bin/mount -n /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
>         /sbin/losetup /dev/loop0 /mnt/sda1/LoopFile
>
> --- syslinux.cfg ---
>
>         kernel vmlinuz
>         append initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=8192 root=/dev/loop0 ro
>i think you're missing a couple points:
>a)  the same /linuxrc ( /dev/ram0 ) and RootFS ( /dev/loop ) works
>   when booting with lilo and grub
That's the way I did it and it worked, but maybe you're trying
to do something else.

ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/loop-root-fs.txt
>        - ie ... /linuxrc does not need to be changed
>        or does it because it doesnt work with syslinux
I don't think it's a syslinux problem.

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