grml2usb installs grml on a given partition of your usb device and makes it
bootable. It provides multi-iso support, meaning you can specify several grml
ISOs on the command line at once and select the grml flavour you would like to
-boot on the bootbrompt then. Note that the *first* ISO specified on the grml2usb
+boot on the bootprompt then. Note that the *first* ISO specified on the grml2usb
command line will become the default one (that's the one that will boot when
just pressing enter on the bootprompt or wait until the boot timeout matches).
Options
-------
-The ISO[s] is the path to one or multiple grml-ISOs.
-/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-TODO:
-as well as the path to the currently running live-system (being /live/image).
-/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+The ISO[s] should be the path to one or multiple grml-ISOs and/or the path to
+the currently running live-system (being /live/image).
The device either might be a device name like /dev/sdx1 or a directory. When
specifying a device name the device is mounted automatically. When specifying a
Do not install /boot/addons/ files (like dos, grub, memdisk,...).
+ *\--skip-grub-config*::
+
+Skip generation of grub configuration files. By default the configuration
+files for syslinux *and* grub will be written so you've a working configuration
+file no matter whether you're using grub or syslinux as bootloader.
+
*\--skip-mbr*::
Do not touch/install the master boot record (MBR).
+ *\--skip-syslinux-config*::
+
+Skip generation of syslinux configuration files. By default the configuration
+files for syslinux *and* grub will be written so you've a working configuration
+file no matter whether you're using grub or syslinux as bootloader.
+
*\--syslinux*::
Install syslinux bootloader instead of the default (being grub).
Finally create a filesystem and execute grml2usb as needed:
# mkfs.vfat /dev/loop1
- # grml2usb --bootloader-only /grml/isos/grml-small_2008.11.iso /dev/loop1
+ # grml2usb --bootloader-only /grml/isos/grml-small_2009.05.iso /dev/loop1
Performance tracing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# blktrace -d /dev/sdx -o - | blkparse -i -
- # grml2usb grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
[[X6]]
Troubleshooting and Pitfalls when booting
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
--------------------------------
+[[X5]]
Where can I get grml2usb?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(being the squashfs file), some further informational files and a bootloader to
your device. This way you don't need as much space as with a harddisk
installation (just a USB device with >=ISO size) and when rebooting the system
-your changes will be lost (even though a persistent root feature is
-work-in-progress). Think of using a better CD version: booting is (usually)
-faster, you don't need to burn a new CD when a new ISO version arrives (just
-install the new ISO using grml2usb) and you can carry additional files on a
-writable medium with yourself.
+your changes will be lost (unless you are using the persistency feature, see
+link:http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency[http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency]).
+Think of using a better CD version: booting is (usually) faster, you don't need
+to burn a new CD when a new ISO version arrives (just install the new ISO using
+grml2usb) and you can carry additional files on a writable medium with yourself.
Why is there a menu.lst and a grub.cfg inside /boot/grub/?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
... is "normal". grub-install sends those messages to stderr. To avoid hiding any
possible real error messages grml2usb doesn't ignore those messages.
+grub-install complains about /boot/grub/device.map?!
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The following message:
+
+ grub-probe: error: Cannot open `/boot/grub/device.map'
+
+... is "normal" (at least with grub1). This isn't a problem, because the
+device.map file will be generated on the target device anyway.
+
+grub-install complains about a unary operator?!
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The following message:
+
+ '/usr/sbin/grub-install: line 374: [: =: unary operator expected'
+
+... is "normal". Just ignore it.
+
I'm getting something like "Error: /usr/share/grml2usb/grub/splash.xpm.gz can not be read"!?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Looks like you've just the grml2usb script available. Please make sure you've
-the grml2usb Debian package installed. It's available via
-link:http://deb.grml.org/[the grml-testing Debian repository].
+Looks like you've only the grml2usb script itself available. Please make sure
+you've the grml2usb Debian package installed. The most resent stable version is
+available via link:http://deb.grml.org/[the grml-testing Debian repository]. If
+you do not have a Debian system please see section <<X5,Where can I get
+grml2usb?>> in this FAQ.
Why do I have to use a FAT16 filesystem?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usage examples
--------------
- # grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1.
- # grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /home/grml/grml_small_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /home/grml/grml_small_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISOs on device /dev/sdx1 for multibooting ISOs.
Note: boot "grml" as usual, for booting grml-small use "grml-small on the
the one being the default (when just pressing enter or waiting until the timeout
is reached).
- # grml2usb --fat16 /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb /live/image /dev/sdx1
+
+Install currently running grml live system on device /dev/sdx1.
+
+ # grml2usb /live/image /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
+
+Install currently running grml live system and the specified
+ISO on device /dev/sdx1 for multibooting.
+
+ # grml2usb --fat16 /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1 and format partition /dev/sdx1 with
FAT16 filesystem.
- # grml2usb --syslinux /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb --syslinux /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1 and use syslinux as bootloader
(instead of grub being the default).
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
# grml2usb --kernel=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-grml --initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-grml \
- /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1 but use given kernel and initrd
instead of the ones provided by the ISO.
# grml2usb --squashfs=/grml/grml-live/grml_cd/live/grml.squashfs \
- /home/grml/grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ /home/grml/grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1 but use given squashfs
file instead of the one provided by the ISO.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- # grml2usb --bootoptions="lang=de ssh=mysecret" grml_2008.11.iso /dev/sdx1
+ # grml2usb --bootoptions="lang=de ssh=mysecret" grml_2009.05.iso /dev/sdx1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdx1 and use "lang=de ssh=mysecret" as
default bootoptions.
projects / grml2usb.git / blobdiff