HOWTO make Puppy boot from a USB partition with EXTLINUX

[linuxcbon]

HOWTO make Puppy boot from a USB partition with EXTLINUX
--FRUGAL install--

** backup important data from the USB stick to another place **

PLUG THE USB STICK IN
Search for the stick "device" name, for example /dev/sdc (check with gparted or dmesg).

INSTALL THE MBR TO THE USB STICK
For 32 bits linux :

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# dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/lib/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sdc

For 64 bits linux :

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# dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/share/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sdc

INSTALL EXTLINUX INTO ONE USB PARTITION
For example partition /dev/sdc3 (can be FAT12/16/32, NTFS, ext2/3/4, Btrfs)
- Set the partition to "BOOTABLE" (with gparted or another tool)
- Mount the partition :

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# mkdir -p /mnt/sdc3
# mount /dev/sdc3 /mnt/sdc3

- create boot and extlinux folders

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# mkdir -p /mnt/sdc3/boot
# mkdir -p /mnt/sdc3/boot/extlinux

- Install extlinux

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# extlinux -i /mnt/sdc3/boot/extlinux

COPY PUPPY FILES TO THE PARTITION
- Download the puppy linux iso, for example Precise-5.7.1
- Mount the puppy linux iso (click it in ROX for example, or use mount)
- Create a new directory "Prec-5.7.1" in mounted partition /mnt/sdc3/
- Copy all files from iso to folder in partition /mnt/sdc3/Prec-5.7.1/

You can do this with as many puppies as you like to. For example puppy-2 .

CREATE THE CONFIGURATION FILE
- Create a new blank file called extlinux.conf in /mnt/sdc3/boot/extlinux/ :

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TIMEOUT 100
PROMPT 1
DEFAULT distro1
SAY Type distro1 for Precise 5.7.1
SAY Type distro2 for Puppy 2
LABEL distro1
  KERNEL /Prec-5.7.1/vmlinuz
  APPEND initrd=/Prec-5.7.1/initrd.gz
LABEL distro2
  KERNEL /puppy-2/vmlinuz
  APPEND initrd=/puppy-2/initrd.gz

- Unmount the USB partition :

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# umount /dev/sdc3

- Restart the PC to boot from USB first (check BIOS options)

-

[Flash]

This isn't really a How-to yet. How about posting both of them in the HOWTO forum? Only in separate threads, one for syslinux and one for grub4dos.

[linuxcbon]

Ok I updated with syslinux howto.
Let me know if it works for you.

[neerajkolte]

Nice one @linuxcbon,

I will try this out.
Thanks.

Edit: For next puppy do I only need to add last 3 lines in syslinux.cfg , for example if I added Fatdog, should my cfg file be like...

Code: Select all

TIMEOUT 50 
PROMPT 1 
DEFAULT Precise5.7.1 
LABEL Precise5.7.1 
  KERNEL /Precise-5.7.1/vmlinuz 
  APPEND initrd=/Precise-5.7.1/initrd.gz

LABEL Fatdog 
  KERNEL /Fatdog/vmlinuz 
  APPEND initrd=/Fatdog/initrd.gz

- Neeraj.

[linuxcbon]

Edit: For next puppy do I only need to add last 3 lines in syslinux.cfg , for example if I added Fatdog, should my cfg file be like...
- Neeraj.

hi Neeraj,
yes it should work easily, try it out and let me know if any bugs or problems.
cheers

[neerajkolte]

Here is how my syslinux.cfg looks

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say Type "fatdog631" or "tahrpup584" with kernel parameters, or just press Enter for default boot.
default fatdog631
timeout 50
prompt 1
label fatdog631
kernel /fd631/vmlinuz
initrd /fd631/initrd
append waitdev=0 base2ram=yes basesfs=device:sda7 savefile=ram:device:sda7:/fd64save

label tahrpup584
kernel /tahrpup584/vmlinuz
append initrd=/tahrpup584/initrd.gz

This works nicely.
Only trouble is if I want to boot tahrpup, I have to type tahrpup584 and press enter.
I could shorten the label, but I wish it had selectable entries with arrow keys. Maybe I should read it's wiki.

Anyway I like syslinux, it seems simple and efficient. My fatdog gets to working desktop in 10sec flat...

Have you by any chance taken a look at EXTLINUX. It seems similar and boots from Linux ext2/ext3/ext4, XFS, Btrfs, or UFS/UFS2 filesystems. FAT and NTFS are also supported.

I was thinking to format my usb stick to ext4 with journaling disabled.

Thanks.

- Neeraj.

[linuxcbon]

You have to type the label, but it's easy. Extlinux is for ext partitions. I chose fat32 because it can be read from windows too. No need for a guide for each format, they all work the same.

[neerajkolte]

If you look at Screenshots, it seems there are some graphical menu options

I will look further tomorrow. Now got to sleep.

Thanks.

- Neeraj

[linuxcbon]

If you look at Screenshots, it seems there are some graphical menu options I will look further tomorrow. Now got to sleep. Thanks. - Neeraj

Yes I know, there are menus, but I am not going to explain them in the howto, because I want to keep it minimal. If people want more options, they can read the documentations.

[Galbi]

If people want more options, they can read the documentations.

Hey! no, no, no... we want everything chewed and predigested...

just kidding...

Thanks for the tutorial, I've downloaded X-salacko .iso so I will try it in a SD card.

[neerajkolte]

A note to Fatdog users.
In fatdog mbr.bin is not at /usr/lib/syslinux, but at /usr/share/syslinux.
So Insted of

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# dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/lib/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sdb

Use This

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# dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/share/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sdb

Thanks.

- Neeraj.

[linuxcbon]

hi,
I added more examples in the config file, and some "SAY" lines for booting easier with a list to chose from.
Cheers

[raffy]

Code: Select all

label tahrpup584
kernel /tahrpup584/vmlinuz
append initrd=/tahrpup584/initrd.gz

This works nicely.
Only trouble is if I want to boot tahrpup, I have to type tahrpup584 and press enter.

Try using menu.txt that contains

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1 - Fatdog

2 - Tahrpup

and add at the top of syslinux.cfg

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prompt 1
display menu.txt

Your label will therefore be

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label 1
... Fatdog entries...

label 2
... Tahrpup entries...

Then you only type "2" when using Tahrpup instead of the default 1 (Fatdog).

[neerajkolte]

Thanks raffy,
my syslinux.cfg reads

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say Type "1" followed with kernel parameters for Fatdog631.
say Type "2" followed with kernel parameters for Fatdog700b2.
say Type "3" followed with kernel parameters for Tahrpup 6.0 CE.
say OR just press Enter for default boot.
default 1
timeout 50
prompt 1
label 1
kernel /fd631/vmlinuz
initrd /fd631/initrd
append waitdev=0 base2ram=yes basesfs=device:sda7:/fd631base/fd64-630.sfs savefile=ram:device:sda7:/fd631save

label 2
kernel /fd7b2/vmlinuz
initrd /fd7b2/initrd
append waitdev=0 base2ram=yes basesfs=device:sda7:/fd7b2base/fd64.sfs savefile=ram:device:sda7:/fd7b2save

label 3
kernel /tahrpup6/vmlinuz
initrd /tahrpup6/initrd.gz
append pmedia=atahd pupsfs=sda8:/tahrbase-6/puppy_tahr_6.0.sfs zdrv=sda8:/tahrbase-6/zdrv_tahr_6.0.sfs pupsave=sda8:/tahrbase-6/tahrsave-6

This works nicely, but I will play with your suggestion too.

Thanks.

- Neeraj.

[Keisha]

Unicornpup frugal install can be booted from f2fs using syslinux. I'm posting from it now, it's nice and fast:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 598#827598

[don570]

To linuxcbon...

You should emphasize - Format the partition to FAT32
since the method won't work unless the partition is newly formatted.
Continuous packing of data is needed so the partition can't have
previous data on it.

_______________________________________________________

[linuxcbon]

To linuxcbon...
You should emphasize - Format the partition to FAT32
since the method won't work unless the partition is newly formatted.
Continuous packing of data is needed so the partition can't have
previous data on it.
_______________________________________________________

no,it doesnt matter, syslinux (isolinux, extlinux etc) can work with any kind of partitions fat, ntfs, ext, cdroms etc and it doesnt need to be formatted...I only wrote that for simplication only.

[corvus]

To linuxcbon...
You should emphasize - Format the partition to FAT32
since the method won't work unless the partition is newly formatted.
Continuous packing of data is needed so the partition can't have
previous data on it.
_______________________________________________________

no,it doesnt matter, syslinux (isolinux, extlinux etc) can work with any kind of partitions fat, ntfs, ext, cdroms etc and it doesnt need to be formatted...I only wrote that for simplication only.

I followed your instructions step by step except for formatting, I used ext4, and when I typed:

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syslinux /dev/sdc1

I got the following error:

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/dev/sdc1: invalid media signature (not an FAT/NTFS volume?)

Greetings

[drunkjedi]

Hi corvus,
For ext file systems you have to use extlinux.
Syslinux for fat.
Isolinux for cd or dvd.

I haven't used it. But command syntax for using syslinux and extlinux is same I think.

Please see it's wiki first.
http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=EXTLINUX

[corvus]

Thanks drunkjedi for the explanation and for the link, have been helpful.

Greetings.