[syslinux] [PATCH 0/8] extlinux: support unmounted ext2/3/4 filesystem

Robert Yang
Thu, 25 Dec 2014 02:32:23 -0000

On 12/25/2014 04:33 AM, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On 12/24/2014 12:16 AM, Robert Yang wrote:
>> Hello syslinux,
>>
>> Merry Christmas! These patches will make extlinux work with umounted
>> ext2/3/4 filesystem, for example:
>>
>> $ extlinux -i /dev/sdXN
>> or
>> $ extlinux -i file_block
>>
>> Also it can work with something like:
>> $ extlinux /dev/sdXN  --reset-adv
>> or
>> $ extlinux file_block --reset-adv
>>
>> We don't use a new option (I planed to use "-d" but it is
already in
>> use), it will check whether the target is a directory or device and
>> decide what to do, it would stop and error if the device is mounted.
>>
>> I put these patches on github so that you can easily get them in case
>> you'd like to test them. (The repo's name is sys_tmp, which
avoids
>> confusing others, I will remove the repo when these patches are
>> reviewed).
>>
>> More info:
>> * It will use libext2fs to read and write the file.
>> * It will be used when the target is a extX device or file block, and
>>    work as before when the target is a directory.
>> * It will be used for both modifing the existing adv when
>>    update_only == -1, and install the files to the filesystem.
>>
>> We will begin to use this feature in Yocto Project once it is fine to
>> the syslinux community.
>>
>
> I believe we should unify this with the syslinux installer, which is
> used for unmounted FAT filesystems.  Ideally we should unify that with
> the extlinux installer too, but that may be a later project.

Hello hpa,

What does "unify that with the extlinux installer too" mean, please ?
And
I will add the patches to syslinux (not syslinux-mtools), and we don't
require
the root privilege if it is ext2/ext3/ext4 since it doesn't need mount,
what's
your opinion, please ?

// Robert

>
> 	-hpa
>
>
>
>