Knoppix -- booting from HD USB/FiREWIRE

[komplikazione]

I needed a totally portable linux OS, i decided knoppix was the best .... then i tryed to install it on an USB HD .... it was just sooo simple..... then i worked around a way to boot it , my bios doesn't support the usb boot and also if it was possible it was not the good way to have a portable OS .... surfing around the world wide web i made an iso containig a kernel that can detect the /dev/sda1 and boot the knoppix on it.

I was thinking it was nice to have a such kind of iso ... i feel it's really useful ... it works with most of the hw i tryed but for sure it needs to grow.... if there is some good programmer (as i 'm not) that would implement my little work here there is a link to download the iso:

http://www.komplikazione.it/klinux/klinux.iso.zip

let me know what you think about it

mainly i worked around the "linuxrc"

[tschloss]

Exactly that what I was looking for (booting from CD but taking the system from USB-disk).

Could you please add what you put on the USB-disk?
(1)I have found several ways to copy Knoppix to a hard disk (like "knoppix tohd=...." or "knx2hd" or "sudo knoppix-installer".
(2)What partitions did you open on your USB (I assume sth like a GB Reiser of Ext2 (primary) and 0.5 GB SWAP)? Is it necessary to be sda1 or can it be sda2 as well?
(3)Does your ISO require a certain Linux or a ceratin Knoppix Version? Or is it universal (I could imageinge install a full SUSE as well....)
(4) Kernel 2.6 or 2.4 or "doesn´t matter"

Thanks in advance!!

Thomas

[komplikazione]

i used to install knoppix

knoppix installer

the iso surch for a /dev/sda1 and the kernel i used was:

kernel-image-2.4.27-om-20040808_10.00.Custom_i386.deb

for suse you can compile the following kernel

kernel-source-2.4.27-om-20040808_10.00.Custom_all.deb

for sure you'll need a debian based distro to unpack it (as knoppix)

the mirror for those kernels is

ftp://ftp.kulnet.kuleuven.ac.be/pub/...clusterknoppix

anyway i can explain you how to build your own kernel to use for booting, you need to install the same kernel you have in the iso on your external hd. i chose an openmosix kernel

my partitions are exactly the ones you told

[tschloss]

Thanks for the fast reply-

Thanks for the infos about kernels - but until now I have not tthe guts to play around with kernels I am still more hoping to slightly configure an existing plug&play solution.

Sorry to be to "difficult".

When I start "knoppix installer" from the boot menu of Knoppix Live CD the USB drive may not be ready at this time. And the command "knoppix" is not found when issued in a console after Knoppix has booted. (I have tried this when testing the "knoppix tohd=/dev/..." thing)

But I will try ((A) "knoppix installer" with (B) your "boot ISO" as provided above) and come back with my experiences after it.

Cheers
Thomas

[ruymbeke]

...Thanks for the infos about kernels - but until now I have not tthe guts to play around with kernels I am still more hoping to slightly configure an existing plug&play solution...

Did you look at this to boot from a USB dongle ? Some USB dongle need to be reformatted to be bootable... and boot dos from the dongle, and run grub.exe to start knoppix...

[komplikazione]

don't use my iso as a knoppix installer becouse it's not an installer, to use knoppix installer you should boot the live cd when kde is started

ctrl+alt+F2

and then sudo knoppix-installer

i did the multiuser installation

[tschloss]

So I am done. Unfortunatley the result is near worst case.

On my Notebook I had already a dual boot installation (GRUB-> XP Home + SUSE 9..2).
Knoppix install killed grub. Now LILO comes up after booting and offers me 3 Knoppix variants and my WInXP.
Unfortunately:
- SUSE 9.2 is not referenced in LILO
- the 3 Knoppix variants do not boot ("Kernel Panic ..." during boot routine)
- without the USB drive connected the PC does not boot at all.

I assumed that the MBR would only be changed on the USB disk, not on the PC´s main disk.
So first I have to restore the PC (to boot without USB disk and to find XP and SUSE).
I think I will have to dig into MBR / Bootloader stuff now... ;-(
Maybe I open another thread here in the forum?

Thanks anyway!
Cheers Thomas

[komplikazione]

well you've installed the new MBR ..... why did you do this?

anyway you'll need to install grub on your /dev/hdx

it's not so problematic....

take your live cd and boot it

then you'll be able to install grub again


just google "install grub dual boot " and you'll find everything you need.

you should install the mbr on you external hd by your hand not with automatic procedures

[tschloss]

I needed a totally portable linux OS, i decided knoppix was the best .... then i tryed to install it on an USB HD .... it was just sooo simple..... then i worked around a way to boot it , my bios doesn't support the usb boot and also if it was possible it was not the good way to have a portable OS .... surfing around the world wide web i made an iso containig a kernel that can detect the /dev/sda1 and boot the knoppix on it.

I was thinking it was nice to have a such kind of iso ... i feel it's really useful ... it works with most of the hw i tryed but for sure it needs to grow.... if there is some good programmer (as i 'm not) that would implement my little work here there is a link to download the iso:

http://www.komplikazione.it/klinux/klinux.iso.zip

let me know what you think about it

mainly i worked around the "linuxrc"

I have tested it:
Before I put a KNoppix 3.7 via knx2hd to my USB drive (partition 1).
On my notebook the USB drive mounts always as sdb - the boot failed probably due to the unexpected adress
On my PC it booted (I gave no cheat codes) displaying some warnings or errors
the USB disk was read only, so some things did not work, like Xwindows
there was an english keyboard layout (which may change if useg a cheatcode on the bootprompt?)

How can I achieve to habe the USB drive mounted as RW (persitently)?
Is it possible to tell the boot process to go to sdb instead of sda? This can happen again on any host you want to work on.

Thx
Thomas

[komplikazione]

for the eng keyb layout try "klinux lang=eng", for sdb we should change the partition that the boot process search for , actually it's sda1 , i'll made one for sdb1 too.(soon probably today )

>How can I achieve to habe the USB drive mounted as RW (persitently)?

i really don't know .... i hope someone will help you ....

*PS: general: for someone was helpfull "klinux acpi=off"