Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread John Doe
From: David da...@adurotec.com

 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either 
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?
 I am trying to create one  using the 64bit install DVD iso and so far the 
 USB either won't boot  (unetbootin) or the installation aborts after I 
 select the iso location on  the USB key  (manual).

http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
Either you can do most of it manualy (and learn a few things), 
or you use others scripts/programs (seeAlternatives at the bottom)...

JD


  
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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread David
I actually did follow this as the manual attempt at getting it to work; 
unsuccessfully.  I probably should have clarified it better in my 
original email.

The USB boots, I get the install menu, the USB drivers, etc. are 
installed and then I am prompted for the location of the iso.  Once I 
select the location and then the actual iso, the install aborts.

David

On 07/23/2010 04:25 AM, John Doe wrote:
 From: Davidda...@adurotec.com


 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?
 I am trying to create one  using the 64bit install DVD iso and so far the
 USB either won't boot  (unetbootin) or the installation aborts after I
 select the iso location on  the USB key  (manual).
  
 http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
 Either you can do most of it manualy (and learn a few things),
 or you use others scripts/programs (seeAlternatives at the bottom)...

 JD



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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread Bowie Bailey
 On 7/22/2010 6:09 PM, David wrote:
 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either 
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?

 I am trying to create one using the 64bit install DVD iso and so far the 
 USB either won't boot (unetbootin) or the installation aborts after I 
 select the iso location on the USB key (manual).

I was able to successfully install CentOS 32-bit from an 8GB USB flash
drive (4GB is not quite big enough, even for i386) created with this
procedure:

Create a 10M DOS partition on the USB drive and make it active
Create Linux partition using the rest of the drive

mkfs -t vfat /dev/USB DOS partition
mkfs /dev/USB Linux partition

liveCD-iso-to-disk boot.iso /dev/USB DOS partition
mount /dev/USB Linux partition /mnt
rsync --progress CentOS.iso /mnt/

You can get the boot.iso by loop-mounting the CentOS iso and pulling it
out of the /os/i386/images directory, or grab it from one of the mirrors
(the mirror links on the CentOS site link directly to the install isos,
so you'll have to browse up a few directories and then go back down to
find the images directory).

I used 'rsync' here because I hate having a copy process run for 10
minutes with no progress indication.  :)

The only problem I found was that the install insisted on installing
grub on the USB drive rather than the target hard drive.  I finally had
to skip the grub installation and install it by hand afterwards.

-- 
Bowie
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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread m . roth
Bowie Bailey wrote:
  On 7/22/2010 6:09 PM, David wrote:
 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?

 I am trying to create one using the 64bit install DVD iso and so far the
 USB either won't boot (unetbootin) or the installation aborts after I
 select the iso location on the USB key (manual).

 I was able to successfully install CentOS 32-bit from an 8GB USB flash
 drive (4GB is not quite big enough, even for i386) created with this
 procedure:

 Create a 10M DOS partition on the USB drive and make it active
 Create Linux partition using the rest of the drive

 mkfs -t vfat /dev/USB DOS partition
 mkfs /dev/USB Linux partition

 liveCD-iso-to-disk boot.iso /dev/USB DOS partition
 mount /dev/USB Linux partition /mnt
 rsync --progress CentOS.iso /mnt/

 You can get the boot.iso by loop-mounting the CentOS iso and pulling it
 out of the /os/i386/images directory, or grab it from one of the mirrors
 (the mirror links on the CentOS site link directly to the install isos,
 so you'll have to browse up a few directories and then go back down to
 find the images directory).

 I used 'rsync' here because I hate having a copy process run for 10
 minutes with no progress indication.  :)

 The only problem I found was that the install insisted on installing
 grub on the USB drive rather than the target hard drive.  I finally had
 to skip the grub installation and install it by hand afterwards.

Yeah - that may be either an install thing, or an anaconda one. I hate
that. I always have to reboot from the USB key, go to linux rescue, then
chroot to /mnt/sysimage, and grub-install /dev/sda

Then I have to edit /boot/device.map, and hand-make an
/boot/grub/grub.conf. I keep meaning to have one on the USB key, so I can
just copy it after I do the grub install.

   mark

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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread John Doe
From: David da...@adurotec.com

 The USB boots, I get the install menu, the USB  drivers, etc. are 
 installed and then I am prompted for the location of the  iso.  Once I 
 select the location and then the actual iso, the install  aborts.

Is there an error message before it aborts?
I use a kickstrat so I am not sure but, I think you should not be prompted for 
the iso location...
Did you add method=hd:sda2:/centos in syslinux.cfg?
It specifies the location of the ISO image(s).
If you are in a hurry, use the alternative methods (see Alternatives at the 
bottom of th wiki page)...

JD


  
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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread Scott Robbins
On Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 11:22:58AM -0400, m.r...@5-cent.us wrote:


 Bowie Bailey wrote:
   On 7/22/2010 6:09 PM, David wrote:
  Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either
 
  The only problem I found was that the install insisted on installing
  grub on the USB drive rather than the target hard drive.  I finally had
  to skip the grub installation and install it by hand afterwards.
 
 Yeah - that may be either an install thing, or an anaconda one. I hate
 that. I always have to reboot from the USB key, go to linux rescue, then
 chroot to /mnt/sysimage, and grub-install /dev/sda

Seems to me, though memory is hazy, that I was able to get around this
by going in and changing boot order--that is, in the advanced grub menu.

(If not, then I guess it was in Fedora.)

-- 
Scott Robbins
PGP keyID EB3467D6
( 1B48 077D 66F6 9DB0 FDC2 A409 FA54 EB34 67D6 )
gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys EB3467D6

Joyce: Something's gonna eat those babies? 
Principal Snyder: I think that is so wrong. 

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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-23 Thread m . roth
John Doe wrote:
 From: David da...@adurotec.com

 The USB boots, I get the install menu, the USB  drivers, etc. are
 installed and then I am prompted for the location of the  iso.  Once I
 select the location and then the actual iso, the install  aborts.

 Is there an error message before it aborts?
 I use a kickstrat so I am not sure but, I think you should not be prompted
 for
 the iso location...
 Did you add method=hd:sda2:/centos in syslinux.cfg?
 It specifies the location of the ISO image(s).
 If you are in a hurry, use the alternative methods (see Alternatives at
 the bottom of th wiki page)...

I'd say the wiki is useless, or far too elaborate. I think I posted my
recipe here when I got it working, a few months ago. If anyone likes, I
can repost it.

   mark

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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-22 Thread Whit Blauvelt
On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 05:09:22PM -0500, David wrote:
 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either 
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?

Haven't tried it for CentOS, but unetbootin hasn't worked for me for several
other distros. Not once. Not sure why I even tried it more than once. The
author claims it runs better from Windows.

Whit
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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-22 Thread David
That is discouraging news.

I have been unsuccessful thus far in my attempts to create a USB 
installer that doesn't depend on network access, which is one of my 
requirements.

On 07/22/2010 05:26 PM, Whit Blauvelt wrote:
 On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 05:09:22PM -0500, David wrote:

 Has anyone successfully built a USB key for installing centos5.5 either
 manually or using a tool like unetbootin?
  
 Haven't tried it for CentOS, but unetbootin hasn't worked for me for several
 other distros. Not once. Not sure why I even tried it more than once. The
 author claims it runs better from Windows.

 Whit
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Re: [CentOS] Building an install disk on a USB key manually or using unetbootin

2010-07-22 Thread Whit Blauvelt
On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 05:52:50PM -0500, David wrote:
 That is discouraging news.

On the other hand, I've done USB installs of other distros that worked just
fine. But those weren't set up with unetbootin. You could probably get away
with, say, putting System Rescue Disk on a USB key, using that to boot and
to put a partition on your hard drive, downloading a CentOS iso to the
partition, mounting it as a loopback, chrooting into it, and seeing where
you could go from there. Totally untested for CentOS, but something like
that should work.

Or if you have a Windows box to set up from, I've found other recipes from
this site useful in the past:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-centos-5-live-install-via-windows/

Whit
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