ploplinux iso booting

[swed]

Hallo Elmar,

I've got a USB stick with installed GRUB2 on it and with few OS (like LinuxMint) saved as iso files.
I am booting the OS directly  from iso files.
I tried to do the same with Plop Linux.
This is the entry in my grub.cfg

menuentry "ploplinux" {
   set isofile="/boot/iso/ploplinux-4.1.2.iso"
   loopback loop $isofile
   linux (loop)/syslinux/kernel/bzImage iso_filename=$isofile vga=1
   initrd (loop)/syslinux/kernel/initramfs.gz
}

After start (initramfs) there is first the message:
searching on usb drives
waiting for new usb drivessh: sdb2: bad number
after several tries on usb it will be search on usb cdrom
and finished with
*** plop linux not found, starting busybox.

If I copy the folder ploplinux from Plop Linux CD to the USB stick and  then start, the Plop Linux is starting properly.

Question
Is there any way to boot ploplinux from the iso file without copying first the folder ploplinux to the USB stick or without remastering the ploplinux iso file?

Best wishes for the NewYear.
swed

[Elmar]

hi,

I am booting the OS directly  from iso files.
I tried to do the same with Plop Linux.

directly from the iso is not supported. until now, i did not think about that feature.

is there a special reason why you want only have iso's for booting?

If I copy the folder ploplinux from Plop Linux CD to the USB stick and  then start, the Plop Linux is starting properly.

the iso is not needed, but you have to set the kernel and initrd to the correct path.


best regards
elmar

[swed]

Hallo,

>> is there a special reason why..

Yes, sure.
On the USB stick with installed GRUB2, there is the folder boot and in it there are sub folders grub and iso.
In the folder iso there are the iso files LinuxMint12, LinuxMint11, LinuxMint10, Ubuntu11..., PartEdMagic and so on. In grub.cfg there are needed entries.
So, I've got with me many distributions, releases and can very easy start one of them e.g. for testing.
If a new release is out, I just download the new iso file, copy to the iso folder, make an entry in grub.cfg and without any further installation can start it for testing.
E.g.  PartEdMagic (PM) is always on the latest level, end for this, very often there is a new release.

16 GB or 32 GB stick are nowadays not more so expensive, so is possible to have in a pocket plenty of different OS and use them on own or friends computers, (viruses checking, secure banking...)

A different ways are use for iso booting, I like the one from PM. PM can, if requested; save session, settings for future, even started from iso file. LM or Ubuntu can do this too, but not so easy, additional partition needed.

Have a look on the Mathias's page:
http://de.hardware-wiki.org/wiki/Multiboot-USB-Stick

It will be very nice, if Plop Linux will be possible to boot from the iso file too.
Regards
swed

[Elmar]

hi,
i updated my plop linux boot routines and iso booting is possible with the next release.

its also possible to boot the iso over the network

best regards
elmar

[chucha]

Hi!
Is ploplinux-4.1.3-test2  still "test"
or it's good idea not to wait anymore for "final"
release and to start to use it?
Regards!

[Elmar]

hi,
a big release (4.2.0) will come this weekend or on monday.

a few points of the big release:

• 
  software updates
• documentation will be restructured
• 
  gnome 3.3.91
• 
  new developer release
• 
  example how to use plop linux developer version as full desktop and how to add and compile software
• 
  howto use the livecd as NAS
• 
  support for blind people (brltty and orca)
• 
  boot from tftp, ftp and http support
• 
  iso boot

best regards
elmar

[Elmar]

a few days later as planed, but now its available http://www.plop.at/en/ploplinux/download.html

[swed]

Hi Elmar,

tnx for your big job.
I would be much more happy, if this, what I asked for, would work on my notebook.

Yesterday I downloaded first the big iso and try to boot from the iso file, without success.
Then I downloaded the smaller one, and the same, on my notebook I cannot boot from the iso file.

The file is saved, as the another, in /boot/iso
In /boot/grub there is the grub.cfg with the needed entry.

After start, initramfs will be started and, as before, several times the message will be given out:

Searching on USB dtive
Waiting for new USB drivessh: sdb2: bad number

Then one time
Searching on USB CDROM drives

And then in red
> Plop Linux not found, starting busybox. Use 'exit' to continue.

The difference to the beginning of the thread is, if I copy the ploplinux folder from the iso file directly to the USB stick, it will be not used.

So, I cannot boot plop linux from the iso file.

Regards
swed

[Elmar]

i assume you have one sata disk in the computer and the usb drive has one partition, or?

[swed]

Yes, indeed, my HDD is SATA NTFS, but on the stick there are two partitions.
The first FAT32, the second ext2

[chucha]

The same (?) case :
I'm going to boot ploplinux iso from ide hard disk
using grub4dos :

title    + /ISO-IMG/ploplinux-4.2.0-X-gnome-tiny.iso +
map  /ploplinux-4.2.0-X-gnome-tiny.iso (hd32)
map --hook
rootnoverify (hd32)
chainloader ()/syslinux/isolinux.bin
boot

and there is  ...USB...   ans ...USB CDROM... diagnostics,
and "ploplinux not found"

Am I doing something wrong ?

[Elmar]

@sweed:
shame on me. network iso boot had no problem, but iso from a drive had a small bug
try this, it should work http://download.plop.at/tmp/4.2.1-test/ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso


@chucha

Am I doing something wrong ?

you have to load the kernel and the initramfs.gz from the iso and set the iso_filename parameter for the kernel. and use the test iso

[chucha]

Hi!
Still I suspect some incompatibility with grub4dos :
Here are my menuitems :

title    1) /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso
map  /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)
map --hook
rootnoverify (hd32)
chainloader (hd32)

title    2) /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso
map  /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)
map --hook
rootnoverify (hd32)
chainloader ()/syslinux/isolinux.bin

title    3) /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso
map  /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)
map --hook
rootnoverify (hd32)
kernel ()/syslinux/kernel/bzImage
initrd ()/syslinux/kernel/initramfs.gz

All 3 of them [item 3) - without multyboot menu]
give the same fault :
"
Searching for system files
Searching on IDE CDROM
cat: can't open '/proc/ide/media' ...'  (zwei mahl)
Searching on SCSI CDROM ...
Searching on IDE hard disk ...
Searching on USB/SATA/SCSI hard disk ...
USB drive : No USB drive found
USB CDROM : No drive found
Plop Linux not found, starting busybox ...
"

But e.g. RIPLinux situated besides is booting OK.

Change (hd32) -> (0xff) doesn't help.

[Elmar]

riplinux is loaded completely into the ram (150MB) by grub4dos before it boots. ploplinux is booting in another way. you have to set the iso_filename parameter!

the advantage of my way to boot is a absolutely fast booting

[chucha]

I see, that diagnostics is a bit different with what I wrote:

"...
cat: can't open '/proc/ide//media' : No such file ...
"

NotaBene //, not / .
Maybe this is the reason?

[Elmar]

how did you use the iso_filename parameter?
on what device is the ploplinux iso stored?

[chucha]

I don't understand about "iso_filename parameter", sorry.
My grub4dos menuitems are above.
All is situated on IDE partition.
Not only RIPLinux, but other .iso and .img files
are booting properly.
Your .iso files, when burned on CD, are booting fine,
but it is not good - to multiply CDs on the desktop,
thus I prefer to use grub4dos.
At the moment I can't to use linux GRUB to look
for difference, sorry.

[swed]

Hi,

it seems the problem is solved.
On the screen there is now:
welcome to plop linux

Tnx for the iso booting.

By the way, after selecting the entry in grub2, for a while on the screen there is no info what will be done now. It is better give out at this time a message.
Please add in your documentation, in grub2 entry one line more

menuentry "ploplinux" {
   echo Loading ploplinux-4.2.1.iso  ...
   set isofile=

The problem of chucha is the same (.iso), but different, no booting from stick.
Maybe you can move this to a new thread?
This will be better for another having problem and looking for help.


Best regards and again thanks

swed

[chucha]

riplinux is loaded completely into the ram (150MB) by grub4dos before it boots. ploplinux is booting in another way. you have to set the iso_filename parameter!

the advantage of my way to boot is a absolutely fast booting

Hi again.
An attempt to use
"map --mem /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)"
  caused the boot into the RAM,
but finally - the same diagnostics as without "--mem"
and same faulty final.

[Elmar]

Hi again.
An attempt to use
"map --mem /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)"
  caused the boot into the RAM,
but finally - the same diagnostics as without "--mem"
and same faulty final.

i see you don't understand it.



here is a working configuration

Code Select Expand


title  Plop Linux ISO
map  /ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso (hd32)
map --hook
rootnoverify (hd32)
kernel ()/syslinux/kernel/bzImage vga=1 iso_filename=ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso
initrd ()/syslinux/kernel/initramfs.gz





EDIT:
iso documentation updated.

download of the X version until the next release is available (bottom of the page): http://www.plop.at/en/ploplinux/download.html#dltest

regards
elmar

[chucha]

i see you don't understand it.

Fine!  Thanks a lot!

Now, with ploplinux-4.2.1-test.iso
and ploplinux-4.2.1-test-X.iso
one may boot from fat32 ide partition
provided "iso_filename" parameter is foregiven to
the kernel.
  ploplinux-4.2.0.iso - not possile,even with
iso_filename=...  added.

If isolinux.bin  could transfere some how this
parameter to the kernel - it would be possible
to boot into *.iso multiboot menu. [using
"chainloader (hd32)]
But this is not necessary, the minor feature.

Thanks once again!

P.S.  At 1st look- the troubles with IDE NTFS partition
still persist.

[Compact]

ploplinux-4.2.2.iso-on-stick doesn't boot in a "not by bios" usb port
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry but I was too early with posting here. So I removed it.
My own faulty memory was the reason for not booting.
Plop Linux is just allright.

Friendly Greetings, Compact