Topic: Install from usb disk

[browsem]

Hi, i have a server that wont boot from my usb cdrom drive, and no internal cdrom drive.
Having played around a little, i think i got a usb install stick.
Firstly, i installed grub4dos on the usb stick.
There are plenty of manuals for that.
I edited the menu.lst to include

title find and load SMEboot.iso
fallback 7
find --set-root /SMEboot.iso
map /ubcd.iso (0xff) || map --mem /SMEboot.iso (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)
savedefault --wait=2


Then i copied the smeserver-7.5.1.iso to the usb disk
From this iso, i extracted the boot.iso, in images, and renamed that to SMEboot.iso.

Now if im right, and ill check soon. Then the smeboot.iso, will start(it does)
Then it will let me choose to install from harddisk im the installer, and then i choose the smeserver-7.5.1.iso
and off we go.
Now being me, i couldnt help myself.
I just had to mess with the boot.iso, to add some of my favorite options.. like nolvm and ext4 to the isolinux,cfg.
There you have it.
Usb boot disk, in no time, took longer to write than to do.
 

[Stefano]

please, get wiki access and create a page for it, thank you

[chris burnat]

please, get wiki access and create a page for it, thank you

Browsem,
Access has been arranged, would be good to check whether this works for sme8, since it will become the default distribution - Vs 7 is a little dated now...
Thanks.
chris

[browsem]

Hi Chris.
will check, if i can find the sme8 iso.
Btw, the torrent link isnt. working
Is v. 8 the recommended version now, and is it stable enough to risk the farm on ?
anyone know, if the kernels on the main sme. iso and the boot.iso are the same ?
If so, we could get the same effect, by doing a custom sme iso, with the initrd file from the boot iso.
IF that configuration would work in a normal cdrom based install, then perhaps we could just do this ?
I have no idea what the initrd contains, so i cant speak on matters of compatability and so on.
Just thinking out loud

[chris burnat]

will check, if i can find the sme8 iso.

http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/smeserver/releases/testing/8.0beta6/iso/i386/

Btw, the torrent link isnt. working

Use jigdo

Is v. 8 the recommended version now, and is it stable enough to risk the farm on ?

Ahhh... Well, I risk my farm on it, and so have many others... Been running 8b6 fully updated in production for a while, no problems.
But then again, at this stage, you are on your own until final release.  Note also that 8b7 is just about to be released, a good omen.

anyone know, if the kernels on the main sme. iso and the boot.iso are the same ?
If so, we could get the same effect, by doing a custom sme iso, with the initrd file from the boot iso.
IF that configuration would work in a normal cdrom based install, then perhaps we could just do this ?
I have no idea what the initrd contains, so i cant speak on matters of compatability and so on.
Just thinking out loud

I do not know, so look forward hearing from you on this count.

Thanks for your interest/help with Wikis.
chris

[browsem]

ok i checked today
The 7.51 installed like is should, exept that im stuck with ext3, not quite sure, if i used the right image, though, so ill do a couple of experiments.
Downloading the 8r6b now, will see what it will do, all test will be with it

[browsem]

OK.
Finally got time to check.
it works, if you do it directly on the smeserver 8.6b iso.
it just takes som time, to load, as basicly your trying to load all of the iso to memory,
Thats also the downside of this method, as i can imagine servers with less than 1 G ram.
For those, there is still the option of copying the good old boot.iso to the usbstick, and just send that to ram.
i didnt have any succes using the disc.img also included, so ill just stick to what works.
Can one of you old seasoned veterans, please help me create the wikipage ?
I have absolutly no idea of how to start, and where to put it.
And unfortunatly i dont have a lot of time getting to know the wiki system right now
Br Bjarke Fjeldsted

[Jáder]

browsen
I'll start a new page for you.... and send you the link.
I'll make all formating work, just fix any typos (English is no my first language) or procedures.

EDIT: Draft created: http://wiki.contribs.org/InstallationFromUSBstick
We need to change language and put a step-by-step procedure to allow anyone follow it.

Jáder

[browsem]

ok, try taking a peek, Is it ok, or any changes needed ?

br Bjarke

[Jáder]

Until I have time to test it by myself, I need you help me to get a clear path to build the USB drive.
Please read the updted page and point errors or include details.

I see references to usb drive as /dev and later as /media without a mount between them.
We should have a estimate time instead a "looong time"... it's 1 min or 5 minutes or 10 minutes ?

[browsem]

ok, better now ?

[browsem]

Just wanted to say thx to everyone who helped.
I now have a sme 8* server running as it should, and i hope others will too