dvdr boot (and other) problems

[bl00mie]

i'm pretty new to linux, so forgive my newbie lack of understanding. anyway, here we go:

i'm in charge of a web-server at work. i'm trying to create an easy system-revcovery method, in case stuff breaks and i'm unavailable. i have a plextor px-708a dvd+-rw drive, that's eventually going to be used for backup-purposes.

anyway, after looking around for a while, i decided that it'd be pretty easy to add a tarball and a short set of instructions containing all my important stuff onto a re-mastered knoppix boot disc.

as a first step, i tried to just burn the knoppix 3.4 image to a dvd+r, since that's the only kind of media i have on hand right now.
i messed around a lot:
-i tried using growisofs with the -Z flag, but it didn't like that at all:

# growisofs -Z /dev/scd0=/path/to/knoppix34.iso
:-( unable to open64("0,0,0=/path/to/image",O_RDONLY): No such file or directory

(which just is not true)

-i tried using cdrecord.prodvd, but couldn't get it to like the CDR_SECURITY key.... it always 'Alarm'ed out. so i eventually gave up.

every time i tried using cdrecord with the -doa flag, it complained about not being able to send the CUE sheet.

# cdrecord -v -eject -dao speed=1 dev=0,0,0 /path/to/knoppix34.iso
{normal-looking cdrecord stuff...}
cdrecord: WARNING: Data may not fit on current disk.
Starting to write CD/DVD at speed 62 in write mode for single session.
...
Performing OPC
Sending CUE sheet...
cdrecord: CUE sheet not accepted.  Retrying with minimum pregapsize = 1.
cdrecord: Input/output error. send_cue_sheet: scsi sendcmd: noerror
CDB: 5D 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00
...
cdrecord: Cannot send CUE sheed.
cdrecord: fifo had 64 puts and 0 gets.
cdrecord: fifo was 0 times empty and 0 times full, min fill was 100%

anyone know what that means, or what i might be doing wrong?

anyway, that's beside the point. back to my problem. i ran it without the dao flag and it appeared to work fine. i couldn't mount the resulting cd... but i tried booting anyway, since i didn't know if i should be able to.

when i booted, i got the pretty knoppix boot-loader-esque screen. i hit enter and stuff started flashing... i got all excited.... then....

(hand copy, so there could be small mistakes)

Welcome to the KNOPPIX live Linux-on-CD!

Scanning for USB/Firewire devices ...... Done.
Enabling DMA acceleration for: hda                [IBM-DHEA-38451]
Enabling DMA acceleration for: hdb                [Maxtor 6Y080L0]
Enabling DMA acceleration for: hdc                [_NEC DV-5500A[
Enabling DMA acceleration for: hdd                [PLEXTOR DVDR PX-708A]
<flashed lots of stuff i couldn't read>
Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem, sorry.
Dropping you to a (very limited) shell.
Press reset button to quit.

i haven't been able to find any answers on the web or here. i know this isn't probably a knoppix-centric question, but i figured maybe somebody'd be able to help. is the fact that it won't mount telling, or is that expected behavior? am i using cdrecord wrong? do i have it set up incorrectly, perhaps? i'm going to try burning the drd+r using nero and windows from home and see what happens. but i'd be more than happy to take any suggestions you might have... as i need to get this stuff working eventually so i can automate these damn backups.

thanks in advance.

--chad

[UnderScore]

Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem, sorry.
Dropping you to a (very limited) shell.
Press reset button to quit.

I have been getting that a lot lately. I am a sysadmin and I use knoppix for testing all sorts of PCs, new or old or just junk. At the splashscreen boot prompt, try knoppix nodma and see if that works for you. As for the rest of your issues, I will have to defer to someone else who really knows cdrecord.
I hope this helps.
James

[bl00mie]

i tried nodma with no difference. the problem seems to arise in the step that takes place just after the dma scans, which on a successful boot is labled "Accessing KNOPPIX CDROM at /dev/scd0.

at any rate, i think i've decided that it's the media's fault. i burned the image at home last night using alcohol 120%. it worked the first time i tried, but not after. my initial reaction to that is that i've got a $50 spindle of crap. i re-burned it onto a disc from my personal stock and it _seems_ to work fine.

at any rate, if there're any cdrecord pros in the audience, i'd still love some help there.