Log inUsernamePassword
Log me on automatically each visit    
Register
Register
Log in to check your private messages
Log in to check your private messages
SMS Forum Index » Installation Support

Post new topic   Reply to topic
Usb install
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
jmdlcar
Junior Member


Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:51 pm    Post subject: Usb install Reply with quote

I have an usb 2gb memory stick and my computer can boot from it. Can I do a full install to it?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
baboo
Senior Member


Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 676

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

If you click on faq tab you will find how to install to usb stick.

regards
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jmdlcar
Junior Member


Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
baboo
Senior Member


Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 676

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wasn't clear about which faq. Not the faq tab on forum but the one on the sms main home page.

sorry about that
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
roarinpenguin
Junior Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 am    Post subject: USB "full" install, not live Reply with quote

Hi all.

I tried running boot/bootinst.sh from USB disk and it works fine, but it does a LiveCD install of SMS on USB Flash.
My goal was more to make a permanent install on my 2Gb Kingston so that password change to root and configuration changes survive reboots...
Is it doable? Should I use "sms-text-installer" for this purpose, once system is booted from my USB key?

Thanks in advance.
Marco Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gerasimos_h
Site Admin


Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Greece

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as I know usb flash disks have a certain thousands of read/write, so using it for operating system it may be not such a good idea, as it will shorten your flash disk's life a lot.
There are a few ways to make a bootable usb, but I'll show linux-live-scripts way...
Download savedat.zip
You will find inside 4 zip files
128MB.zip
256MB.zip
512MB.zip
1024MB.zip
Each one of them has compressed image of empty loop XFS filesystem (save.dat).
Unzipping 1024MB will result a "save.dat" of 1GB size.
Place it on folder sms on your flash disk, and edit the file /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg and add at sms label after "splash=verbose quiet"
changes=/sms/save.dat
That way all your changes will be stored in save.dat automatically.
The good part is if you place the save.dat in a partition and boot SMS.Live.CD with the parameter changes=/dev/yourdisk/save.dat you will have an exact copy of your flash disk OS and if done testing it you can install it on your disk Wink

You can edit the contents of save.dat by booting without the changes=/sms/save.dat parameter and mount it with
mount -o loop save.dat /mnt/dat
and umount it with
umount /mnt/dat
If /mnt/dat create it with
mkdir /mnt/dat
or use another mount point.

If your 512 or 1024 dat file is full you can boot with e.g. chexpand=[yoursizeinMB] and increase you dat file as much as you want.

I hope that was helpfull
gerasimos_h

_________________
Superb! Mini Server Project Manager
http://sms.it-ccs.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
roarinpenguin
Junior Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:47 pm    Post subject: One more bit... Reply with quote

suppose I want to install VMWare or whatever other sotfware I could compile... this will not work with this method you described, since it would require that executables placed in /bin/ or in /etc/ would survive to reboot, thus having write access to whole filesystem not only to mounted directory...

Maybe one of the other methods you know to install over USB would solve this?

What if, after booting with Live USB, I run sms-text-installer?

Thanks in advance...

Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gerasimos_h
Site Admin


Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Greece

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You will have no problem, with the save.dat
You can install anything and anywhere...
I haven't try sms-text-installer on a usb might work, might don't ...
I'll check on that, but try if you like save.dat you will not have any problem.

gerasimos_h

_________________
Superb! Mini Server Project Manager
http://sms.it-ccs.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
roarinpenguin
Junior Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:58 pm    Post subject: Thank you! Reply with quote

This is great news.

I'll make a test and will keep this forum posted about my findings...

Not only you have made an EXCELLENT distro, but you're sooooo reactive on forum providing very good level of information.

Kalispera! (hopt it's correct)

Marco Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
roarinpenguin
Junior Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:06 am    Post subject: Apparently save.dat is not working... Reply with quote

I've downloaded 1024.zip, unzippped it and copied save.dat (about 1Gb on my USB Pendrive).
Then I modified my syslinux.cfg to read as follows:
LABEL sms with save.dat
MENU LABEL Run Slackware Mini Server [SMS]
KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz
APPEND vga=791 max_loop=255 initrd=/boot/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=6666 root=/dev/ram0 rw splash=verbose quiet changes=/sms/save.dat


When I boot from USB it mounts /dev/sdb1/sms/save.dat, althogh I do not see it mounted if I type "mount" command once system is booted.

I tried creating a folder under /root/ folder and changing root password, but such changes do not survive to system reboot as they should with save.dat.

Did I do anything wrong?

TIA,
Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gerasimos_h
Site Admin


Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Greece

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I don't have a usb to test it,but I use it a lot the save.dat with SMS.Live.CD and it works quite well...
Try to move save.dat usb root ( /dev/sdb1) outside sms folder..
You can't mount it if system has mount it for changes, that's normal...
Try to boot manually with this parameter, on boot prompt press [tab] and see if changes=/dev/sdb1/save.dat exist, if not type it your self...
I'll check later today for native usb install method...

gerasimos_h

_________________
Superb! Mini Server Project Manager
http://sms.it-ccs.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
roarinpenguin
Junior Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've tried also moving it from /sms to / but nothing changes.

Boot parameter is there... strange...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
J3rry
Junior Member


Joined: 31 Oct 2008
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hey, im also intrested of installing sms to my usb that it saves all settings and changes

but so far ive tried the save.dat method, it boots but doesnt save changes

i tried the instal method with the installer but then after the install it cannot write the mbr to the usb

ill post the errors later
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    SMS Forum Index » Installation Support All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

SMS - Superb! Mini Server Project © 2016
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
iCGstation v1.0 Template By Ray © 2003, 2004 iOptional