From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org ([69.77.167.62] helo=lists.gentoo.org) by finch.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1Jr6vR-000749-5x for garchives@archives.gentoo.org; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:25 +0000 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 16510E0562; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:23 +0000 (UTC) Received: from s200aog11.obsmtp.com (s200aog11.obsmtp.com [207.126.144.125]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7FD04E0562 for ; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:22 +0000 (UTC) Received: from source ([164.129.1.35]) (using TLSv1) by eu1sys200aob011.postini.com ([207.126.147.11]) with SMTP; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:22 UTC Received: from zeta.dmz-eu.st.com (ns2.st.com [164.129.230.9]) by beta.dmz-eu.st.com (STMicroelectronics) with ESMTP id 7FCF4DAFF for ; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:16 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail1.agr.st.com (mail1.agr.st.com [164.130.4.71]) by zeta.dmz-eu.st.com (STMicroelectronics) with ESMTP id A6CD94BE90 for ; Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:40:05 +0000 (GMT) Received: from [164.130.17.81] (ws2912.agr.st.com [164.130.17.81]) by mail1.agr.st.com (MOS 3.7.5a-GA) with ESMTP id CQY56185 (AUTH "raffaele belardi"); Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:40:02 +0200 (CEST) Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] boot Gentoo from USB key From: Raffaele BELARDI To: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org In-Reply-To: <48181818.5060502@avtomatika.com> References: <1209537833.6170.62.camel@ws2912.agr.st.com> <48181818.5060502@avtomatika.com> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:44:53 +0200 Message-Id: <1209541493.6170.87.camel@ws2912.agr.st.com> Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.12.3 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Archives-Salt: 009ec711-dbcb-44f7-a6c1-d8a5e4a9bb55 X-Archives-Hash: bc01b68ba9eb4e761220349d32535d3a Thanks to you and Kyle for the hint on rootdelay, I will give it a try. Regarding the performance, it should not be a real issue in my case. I will only use the key to boot the kernel and send a Wake-on-Lan packet to a file server, then I'll mount the discs over NFS. bye, raf On Wed, 2008-04-30 at 08:56 +0200, Branko Badrljica wrote: > I had the same two problems. > > WRT to grub, I don't remember anymore exactly what I have done, but I > think I have > copied sectors 1-62 from one conventional grub-bootable HDD to USB, > > Or maybe used some old HDD and formated it, parittioned it like the USB > disk, copied /boot partition on it and set up grub on it, then copied > sectors 1-62 back to USB disk. > Sector 0 is for MBR codeand last few tens of bytes contain headers for > first 4 partitions, so it shouldn't be touched and first partition > begins with sector 63. > > Something like that. > > > WRT to boot panics, kernel can't find USB key at boot since USB > initialisation code needs more time for key to stabilise. Use kernel > parameter rootdelay=10 for 10 second wait period for USB > > Hope this helps. > > > BTW: You will in all likelyhood be dissapointed with USB key > performance. Its R/W throughput is comparable to HDD only on paper. In > reality it seems that USB can't cope efficiently with small sector-sized > writes but also scattered reads seem to be far from optimal.Either that > or USB driver really sucks on Linux. > > It is very useable as fallback though. Like having one USB key soldered > directly on the MoBO and using it for boot if/when your HDD croaks or if > something eats your main boot option... > > > Regards, > > > Branko > > > > > Raffaele BELARDI wrote: > > In the process of building an amd64 diskless box, I am trying to make a > > bootable USB key with no success up to now. > > > > The first problem I encountered was related to ext2/vfat. I initially > > tried to format the key as ext2, but grub refuses to install on it. Even > > though I copied the /boot/grub/* directory into the key, and I see it is > > there, grub does not see it. The problem does not happen with vfat. > > > > So I worked around that and created two partitions in the key, a small > > vfat for the /boot and a 2Gb ext2 for the /. I copied the stage3 into > > the / with no problem. In the /boot I put the kernel image which I am > > already using on the same box, for now with discs still connected. All > > the modules are compiled in. > > > > When I boot from the key, grub enters the shell (although I did create > > the grub.conf and menu.1st, so I don't understand why it doesn't show > > the menu). I manually specify the kernel file location and root > > parameter: > > > > > >> kernel /linux-2.6.24-gentoo-r4 root=/dev/sdg1 > >> boot > >> > > > > The kernel starts to load, but panics because it is unable to find the > > root partition. When it stops it shows the available partitions, these > > include all the hard disk partitions but no USB key partition. In fact, > > if I omit the 'root' parameter from the grub shell the boot works fine > > but it uses the hard disk root partition instead of the USB one. > > > > >From the log on the screen the USB controller seems correctly detected, > > so I don't understand why it is not finding the root. While writing this > > one idea comes to my mind, maybe it is failing because I attach the key > > to a SDC/MMC/USB card reader? This evening I'll try to plug it into a > > different USB slot. > > > > Any other ideas welcome. > > > > raffaele > > > > > -- gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org mailing list