ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)

[tablet_guy]

Hi Gilles,

to update your initrd to the new Knoppix, will replacing all the
modules in the image with the new ones suffice?

I don't think I followed all the instructions on this thread, but
with with boot stanza:

title Knoppix 3.8.2 from NTFS hda2 ISO scan ramdisk=32MB
        kernel (hd0,1)/boot/knx382/linux ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda2/boot/knx382/KNX.iso config=scan home=scan ramdisk=32768 noprompt nodhcp
        initrd (hd0,1)/boot/knx382/minirt_ntfs.gz
        boot

,
it hangs (on 3.8.2) at reboot/halt, by saying something like "hanging process" etc. Am I missing
something?

Thanks,
Tom

ps: oh, BTW, this /dev/hda2 isn't even an NTFS volume. It's plain VFAT.

[ruymbeke]

Hi Gilles,
to update your initrd to the new Knoppix, will replacing all the modules in the image with the new ones suffice?
... it hangs (on 3.8.2) at reboot/halt, by saying something like "hanging process" etc. Am I missing something?
Thanks, Tom

The initrd and menu.lst updated files for 3.8.2 have been here for a while:
http://s119307663.onlinehome.us/Knoppix382.zip
I will work on 3.9 asap... Cheers, Gilles

[tablet_guy]

Hi Gilles,
to update your initrd to the new Knoppix, will replacing all the modules in the image with the new ones suffice?
... it hangs (on 3.8.2) at reboot/halt, by saying something like "hanging process" etc. Am I missing something?
Thanks, Tom

The initrd and menu.lst updated files for 3.8.2 have been here for a while:
http://s119307663.onlinehome.us/Knoppix382.zip
I will work on 3.9 asap... Cheers, Gilles

Actually, I meant whether the 3.8.2 minirt_ntfs.gz from this fileset will
work on 3.9 after a copying in the modules from 3.9 minirt and /lib/modules.

I was booting off my linux grub actually. I'll check out the menu.lst
from your files, and see if the hang goes away.

thanks,
Tom

[doobs]

My laptop's main OS is WinXP, but I'm looking to boot ISOs from the HDD (many knoppix-based, but not all). I already have Grub installed (from a botched Gentoo install) and an EXT2 partition (/dev/hda2). I've perused this thread, but I'm still a little confused. If I copy the ISOs to my NTFS partition, I'll need a special version of Grub, yes? And I'm also not guaranteed compatibility - especially older Knoppix-based distros, 2.6 kernels, etc., right? So, would I be better off copying the ISOs to my EXT2 partition? And if so, should I use the existing Grub install I have now? Would grub be able to handle menu selection of multiple ISO images? How do I configure that?

Thanks for your help!

[ruymbeke]

My laptop's main OS is WinXP, but I'm looking to boot ISOs from the HDD (many knoppix-based, but not all). I already have Grub installed (from a botched Gentoo install) and an EXT2 partition (/dev/hda2). I've perused this thread, but I'm still a little confused. If I copy the ISOs to my NTFS partition, I'll need a special version of Grub, yes? And I'm also not guaranteed compatibility - especially older Knoppix-based distros, 2.6 kernels, etc., right? So, would I be better off copying the ISOs to my EXT2 partition? And if so, should I use the existing Grub install I have now? Would grub be able to handle menu selection of multiple ISO images? How do I configure that?Thanks for your help!

Well, grldr (grub flavour started from a XP/NT boot loader) is required to read data (kernel and initrd file) from a ntfs partition.
Once the kernel is started, the initrd_ntfs ramdisk is required to both boot from a iso file and read the iso data from the ntfs partition. So if you have already grub as a bootloader and are willing to boot from an ext2/3 partition, the only thing you need is the initrd_ntfs file to have the option to boot from a iso file. You obviously need to add some entry lines into your grub menu.lst and add the iso, kernel and initrd_ntfs files somewhere in your ext2 partition and have the apropriate path for these files in your menu.lst. Hope this help, Gilles

[ruymbeke]

Actually, I meant whether the 3.8.2 minirt_ntfs.gz from this fileset will
work on 3.9 after a copying in the modules from 3.9 minirt and /lib/modules.
I was booting off my linux grub actually. I'll check out the menu.lst
from your files, and see if the hang goes away. thanks, Tom

Most likely yes. But you may need to update the linuxrc script file and do some more patch work...
I will work on a Knoppix39.zip package asap, hopefully tomorrow...
but it looks like that 3.9 is buggy regarding the unionfs, see the 3.9 forum news: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...19285&start=10
so I may just wait for the 3.9.1

EDIT: actually my 3.8.2 minird_ntfs file also works with 3.9 !!!
Most of the drivers are the same but the linuxrc scripts slightly are different.
The unionfs.o kernel module is different but as the new one is buggy, I like to keep the old one for now.
I didn't get the time to look at all this in details... but I am writing this from knoppix 3.9 booted from the iso file on my ntfs partition...
So to summarize, use the new 3.9 kernel and iso file with the 3.8.2 initrd_ntfs file included in: http://s119307663.onlinehome.us/Knoppix382.zip
Have fun, Cheers, Gilles

[tablet_guy]

[quote="ruymbeke"]

EDIT: actually my 3.8.2 minird_ntfs file also works with 3.9 !!!
Most of the drivers are the same but the linuxrc scripts slightly are different.
The unionfs.o kernel module is different but as the new one is buggy, I like to keep the old one for now.
I didn't get the time to look at all this in details... but I am writing this from knoppix 3.9 booted from the iso file on my ntfs partition...
So to summarize, use the new 3.9 kernel and iso file with the 3.8.2 initrd_ntfs file included in: http://s119307663.onlinehome.us/Knoppix382.zip
Have fun, Cheers, Gilles

After you put out a basic version of your initrd for 3.9, would you like to
iterate over linuxrc and affiliated files offline (over email?) to get the
unionfs overlay to work properly?

One idea I have it this:
mount the unionfs image overlay (i.e. knoppix.img image sitting on the HD) from initrd itself
(at perhaps the /ramdisk mount point) instead of handling it later with the
knoppix-image shell script once inside. A new directive (something like
"mount_ufs_overlay=/dev/hdxy/knx/knoppix.img") could be used for this
purpose.

Tom

[ruymbeke]

After you put out a basic version of your initrd for 3.9, would you like to
iterate over linuxrc and affiliated files offline (over email?) to get the
unionfs overlay to work properly? Tom

I am not sure to understand what you are asking for. Knoppix 3.9 seems to be buggy because of the unionfs and it is expected to have soon a new 3.9.1 release. Knoppix 3.9 can already boot from the iso files on a ntfs partition (or fat,ext,...) using my 3.8.2 initrd. So I will just wait for the new knoppix 3.9.1 to update my grub.zip.
Cheers, Gilles

[doobs]

So if you have already grub as a bootloader and are willing to boot from an ext2/3 partition, the only thing you need is the initrd_ntfs file to have the option to boot from a iso file. You obviously need to add some entry lines into your grub menu.lst and add the iso, kernel and initrd_ntfs files somewhere in your ext2 partition and have the apropriate path for these files in your menu.lst.

Well, to avoid having to boot into my crippled Gentoo install, I decided to try the NTFS way first. I downloaded the grube.zip file (and 3.8.2 updates) and now launch grub via boot.ini. I've got whoppix 2.7.1 (knoppix 3.8.2-based) launching, but it complains about the modules not being correct for the kernel ("xxx: version magic '2.6.11.9 SMP preempt 386 gcc-3.3' should be '2.6.11 SMP preempt 386 gcc-3.3'" all over the place). It launches the windowing system, but doesn't get beyond loading the background image -- i.e. none of the apps, control panel, etc. are loading. So, I'm guessing this is because they compiled a new kernel which isn't happy about what I've done here. I tried using the stock Whoppix kernel (copied 'linux' file off iso -- right?), but it complains immediately at boot about lack of ntfs support, etc., similar to earlier threads here.

So, my questions, I suppose, are:
1) Would booting this off my existing EXT2 partition help fix this issue?
2) If no, what will this require? Patching and then recompiling the kernel?
3) Is there an alternate way that I'm overlooking?

Thanks again for all your help!

[ruymbeke]

... So, my questions, I suppose, are:
1) Would booting this off my existing EXT2 partition help fix this issue?
2) If no, what will this require? Patching and then recompiling the kernel?
3) Is there an alternate way that I'm overlooking?
Thanks again for all your help!

Well, if the knoppix 3.8.2 drivers (inside the initrd) do not match the whoppix 2.7.1 kernel,
I am afraid that there is some work to be done to get it working...
To boot from ntfs you need the ntfs drivers matching your kernel version inside the inirtrd boot ramdisk.
To boot from an iso file you need a modified linuxrc script also inside the initrd file.
So you basically need to make a new initrd_ntfs boot ramdisk based on the whoppix 271 initrd
with at least a patched linuxrc and may want to add the ntfs drivers and other utilities as well
to have the option to boot from your xp ntfs partition.
FYI, I am also interested in whoppix, so when I have some time
I will update an initrd for the last release of whoppix.

EDIT: Here it is: http://s119307663.onlinehome.us/WHOP271.ZIP

Cheers, Gilles