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
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)
--------------------------------
-Where can I get the grml2usb?
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+[[X5]]
+Where can I get grml2usb?
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-grml2usb is available via link:http://deb.grml.org/[the grml-testing Debian
-repository]. Please make sure you've the Debian package installed, just having
-the grml2usb script available is definitely *NOT* enough!
+grml2usb is available as Debian package via link:http://deb.grml.org/[the
+grml-testing Debian repository]. Please make sure you really have the Debian
+package installed as having just the grml2usb script available is definitely
+*NOT* enough!
+
+If you do NOT have a Debian based system but still want to be able to use
+grml2usb you can use the provided
+link:http://grml.org/grml2usb/grml2usb.tgz[http://grml.org/grml2usb/grml2usb.tgz]
+(link:http://grml.org/grml2usb/grml2usb.tgz.md5.asc[gpg signed md5 hash]).
+Download and extract the tarball and execute the provided script 'install.sh'.
What's the difference between grml2hd and 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?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-You have to use a FAT16 filesystem only if you consider using syslinux, Syslinux
+You have to use a FAT16 filesystem only if you consider using syslinux. Syslinux
(currently) does not support any other filesystems. If you want to use another
filesystem (like ext2/3) just don't use syslinux (drop the \--syslinux option)
but use the default bootloader (grub) instead.
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.