Syslinux - Apr 2013 - Syslinux "new" vs "old": strange difference on USB flash set-up

Hello,

CONFIGURATION
Syslinux "old": 3.36
Syslinux "new": 5.01
(B)LFS i686-pc-linux-gnu 3.8.0
Machine #1:  ASUS P5E-VM HDMI.  Latest BIOS.  circa 3 years ago.
Machine #2:  ASUS P8H77-I.      Latest BIOS.  This year.
USB Flash stick:  Kingston "Data Traveler" 4GB.  Clean (blank)

STRANGE (UNEXPLAINED) syslinux BEHAVIOR DIFFERENCE
Steps:
1.  Set up KNOPPIX 7.05 (latest) on the flash drive.
Trivial.  Approx. 2 min.  Script (to avoid human finger errors).

2.  Last command of the tried and true script above (either):
 "2.Good":  'syslinux(3.36) -s /dev/sdb'     Command succeeds
(no surprise).
   or:
 "2.Bad":   'syslinux(5.01) -i /dev/sdb'     Command succeeds
(no surprise).

3.  Reboot on the just created Knoppix USB boot drive.
 "2.Good":  You get the "regular" Knoppix splash,
            The big Leo de Vinci/Linux Vitruvian Penguin culminating in
            the expected two text lines with the "boot: " prompt at
bottom.
            Black background.

 "2.Bad":   The Knoppix "splash" consists of just the two
text lines with
            the "boot: " prompt at bottom on an ugly
            Blue background.
            NO Vitruvian Penguin in sight :(

COMMENTS
1.  Weird.
2.  On "2.Bad", it seems the loader doesn't/cannot paint the
graphical logo
    ('logo.16' in the 'boot.msg').
3.  'syslinux(5.01) -s /dev/sdb' leads to identical "2.Bad"
results.
4.  For the record;  both variants do subsequently work correctly in
    bringing up the Knoppix (7.05) graphical system.

Any helpful/interesting words will be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
-- Alex

On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 4:34 PM, alex lupu <alupu01 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> 2.  Last command of the tried and true script above (either):
>  "2.Good":  'syslinux(3.36) -s /dev/sdb'     Command
succeeds (no surprise).
>    or:
>  "2.Bad":   'syslinux(5.01) -i /dev/sdb'     Command
succeeds (no surprise).
> Any helpful/interesting words will be highly appreciated.
> Thanks,
> -- Alex
I wouldn't use superfloppy mode on a USB disk so large.  Why not
partition it?  Are you writing an ISO straight to the disk?

Where did you get the syslinux installers from?  The precompiled in
the official binary/source archive on kernel.org perhaps?

--
-Gene

Hi Gene:
> I wouldn't use superfloppy mode on a USB disk so large.
> Why not partition it?
My Knoppix 7.04 (i.e., the previous release) is installed on a 2G USB.
Installed by an identical procedure using syslinux(3.36) and the
fateful command ' syslinux -s'

I agree, the subject test 7.05 USB (4G) is rather large for the
purpose.  It's been the only stick I could get my hands on for these
experiments quickly.  Anyway, plenty of space left to fit the
Vitruvian Penguin image (if I can get it :)

When fully satisfied, I'll probably end up with the existing (updated) 2G
USB
or maybe 1G (no matter how expensive these USB sticks are these days
money is no object for me.   If somehow I'm left with the 4G stick, at the
exorbitant prices USB flashes sell today, i definitely set up three more
primary partitions or that much more logicals to fit as many distributions
on the stick as practicable :).
As an aside, on first knoppix boot-up, you're offered to set up an optional
space
for permanent data on the USB.  So, on a typical 740M or so ISO image I
transfer to the stick, I have at least another 300M to play with on a
say, 1G stick.
> Are you writing an ISO straight to the disk?
Yes.  The usual procedure.  As a current example, the downloaded
'KNOPPIX_V7.0.5CD-2012-12-21-EN.iso' takes about 731115520 bytes
(or 700M, as they say).
> Where did you get the syslinux installers from?  The precompiled in
> the official binary/source archive on kernel.org perhaps?
I downloaded the
 syslinux-5.01.tar.bz2 (6726562 bytes)
from www.kernel.org//pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/5.xx
and compiled syslinux(5.01) executable (240002 bytes) from this source
tarball.

By contrast, I forgot where and how I obtained
 the syslinux(3.36) executable (20880 bytes).
The one that works for me ;)

Thank you for your interest,
-- Alex

Hi Gene:
> Did you try using the precompiled binaries as-is yet?
No.  I will.

Thank you for your interest,
-- Alex

Hi Gene:

I downloaded
 syslinux-5.01.zip (8876698 bytes).
(assuming that's the "binary" we've been talking about).
After unzipping, the 'linux/syslinux' executable is 191644 bytes
(a "little" different from my compiled one:  240002 bytes)

For reference:
[]$ linux/syslinux --version
 linux/syslinux 5.01  Copyright 1994-2013 H. Peter Anvin et al

The command
 linux/syslinux -s /dev/sdb                                               #
or -i
fails with
 "possibly unsafe /tmp/ permissions"

(for Xorg-7.7 reasons, my /tmp directory is root:root rwxr-xrwx)

I'm obviously missing something (hopefully, the something that can solve
my puzzle :).  I'd appreciate your help.here.

Thanks,
-- Alex

>  "2.Bad":   The Knoppix "splash" consists of just the
two text lines with
>             the "boot: " prompt at bottom on an ugly
>             Blue background.
>             NO Vitruvian Penguin in sight :(
> 
> COMMENTS
> 1.  Weird.
> 2.  On "2.Bad", it seems the loader doesn't/cannot paint the
graphical logo
>     ('logo.16' in the 'boot.msg').
 
One possibility is that the "ASCII 24" character in DISPLAY files 
(which indicates the presence of the LSS16 filename) is being parsed 
incorrectly in Syslinux 5.xx.

Considering that 16-bit code for COMBOOT was dropped out from 
Syslinux 5.xx, the other possibility is that Syslinux 5.xx is not 
supporting LSS16 files at all.

I would suggest using Syslinux 4.06 official binaries.

Regards,
Ady.

Hi Ady,

Alex:
On "2.Bad", it seems the loader doesn't/cannot paint the graphical
logo
('logo.16' in the 'boot.msg').

Ady:
One possibility is that the "ASCII 24" character in DISPLAY files
(which indicates the presence of the LSS16 filename) is being parsed
incorrectly in Syslinux 5.xx.

Alex:
You're right.
For completeness, 'boot.msg' starts like so:

0f 31 37 0c 18 6c 6f 67  6f 2e 31 36 0a 00 0d 20  |.17..logo.16... |
 ...

One can easily spot the Ctrl-X (0x18) "introducing" the
'logo.16'
graphics file.  So, as you say, the parsing might be incorrect here.

------

Ady:
Considering that 16-bit code for COMBOOT was dropped out from
Syslinux 5.xx, the other possibility is that Syslinux 5.xx is not
supporting LSS16 files at all.
I would suggest using Syslinux 4.06 official binaries.

Alex:
Right again!

------

TO SUMMARIZE
 Legend:
  GOOD:  Splash screen with the Vitruvian Penguin in all its glory.

  BAD:   No splashy screen.  No penguin of any kind.  Just two black text
         lines at the top (the second with the "boot: " prompt) on a
blue,
         ugly background
         (obviously, not as Dipl.-Ing. Klaus Knopper designed it).

1.  4.06 compiled.  /usr/bin/syslinux -i ...             GOOD

2.  4.06 binary.    ...mtools/syslinux -i ...            GOOD

3.  5.01 compiled or binary                              BAD

(now I expect to be the laughing stock of my neighbors and friends for not
 using the latest Syslinux version.  No problem.  I'm used to it.
 I've suffered many other indignities all my life)

Thank you very much.  Best wishes,
-- Alex

On Fri, 12 Apr, at 04:34:04PM, alex lupu wrote:
> COMMENTS
> 1.  Weird.
> 2.  On "2.Bad", it seems the loader doesn't/cannot paint the
graphical logo
>     ('logo.16' in the 'boot.msg').
> 3.  'syslinux(5.01) -s /dev/sdb' leads to identical
"2.Bad" results.
> 4.  For the record;  both variants do subsequently work correctly in
>     bringing up the Knoppix (7.05) graphical system.
I can reproduce this bug. I'll take a look at fixing it.

-- 
Matt Fleming, Intel Open Source Technology Center