I've used QEMU to boot from block devices. It actually works pretty good. I've actually built a Gobo boot that was built for an embedded device that used a AMD Geode that way. Which doesn't handle such things as PAE so a custom kernel had to be built. I built this kernel using a combo of mounting the SSD and copying files and than testing running using QEMU with my specialized CPU parameters. I can definitely testify that this works. Nice thing about QEMU is that it can completely run in a console mode only environment. So you don't need a GUI to run it, unlike many of the other VM's. If you need some help with settings for QEMU let me know.
On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 8:12 AM, Lucas C. Villa Real <luca...@gobolinux.org> wrote: > On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 1:00 PM, Anshuman Aggarwal > <anshuman.aggar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> On 4 December 2014 at 18:50, Lucas C. Villa Real <luca...@gobolinux.org> >> wrote: >> > On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 10:49 AM, Anshuman Aggarwal >> > <anshuman.aggar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> On 4 December 2014 at 18:06, Lucas C. Villa Real >> >> <luca...@gobolinux.org> >> >> wrote: >> >> > On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 10:12 AM, Anshuman Aggarwal >> >> > <anshuman.aggar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> On 4 December 2014 at 17:22, Lucas C. Villa Real >> >> >> <luca...@gobolinux.org> >> >> >> wrote: >> >> >> > On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 7:39 AM, Anshuman Aggarwal >> >> >> > <anshuman.aggar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Thanks Lucas. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Can anybody suggest an easy way to install the minimal install >> >> >> >> while >> >> >> >> running another version of linux (Ubuntu) in another partition? I >> >> >> >> want >> >> >> >> Gobo to be my main Linux OS (not just a side project in a Virtual >> >> >> >> Environment) in the long run but need to minimize or eliminate >> >> >> >> downtime? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Secondly after the minimal install,could I just chroot and >> >> >> >> continue >> >> >> >> Compile while running Ubuntu as the main linux? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> If I could parallely run both, it would make migration and >> >> >> >> acceptance >> >> >> >> of Gobo in my environment much easier. Since I am primarily using >> >> >> >> it >> >> >> >> as a ServerOS, it should be much easier to do this. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> > What I do sometimes is the opposite (install GoboLinux while >> >> >> > leaving >> >> >> > behind >> >> >> > the old OS and the ability to chroot to that OS when needed). The >> >> >> > steps >> >> >> > should be similar to the ones listed below: >> >> >> > >> >> >> > (1) boot from the LiveCD >> >> >> > (2) mount the partition with the existing Linux OS at e.g. >> >> >> > /Mount/Old >> >> >> > (3) move existing files to a backup directory: >> >> >> > $ mkdir /Mount/Old/Backup >> >> >> > $ mv /Mount/Old/* /Mount/Old/Backup >> >> >> > $ umount /Mount/Old >> >> >> > (4) run the GoboLinux Installer. When asked, make sure the "Format >> >> >> > partition" option is *not* selected and also request it to skip >> >> >> > the >> >> >> > installation of a bootloader. >> >> >> > (5) before rebooting, remount the partition again and move files >> >> >> > around >> >> >> > one >> >> >> > more time: >> >> >> > $ cd /Mount/Old >> >> >> > $ mkdir GoboLinux >> >> >> > $ mv * GoboLinux >> >> >> > $ mv GoboLinux/Backup/* . >> >> >> > $ rmdir GoboLinux/Backup >> >> >> > $ cd / >> >> >> > $ umount /Mount/Old >> >> >> > >> >> >> > After that you should be able to reboot into your existing OS and >> >> >> > chroot >> >> >> > to >> >> >> > GoboLinux when you like it. You'll just need to bind-mount /proc >> >> >> > at >> >> >> > /GoboLinux/proc + /GoboLinux/System/Kernel/Status, /dev at >> >> >> > /GoboLinux/dev + >> >> >> > /GoboLinux/System/Kernel/Devices, and /sys at /GoboLinux/sys + >> >> >> > /GoboLinux/System/Kernel/Objects before jumping in. >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Hope this helps. >> >> >> > Lucas >> >> >> > >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> >> >> > gobolinux-devel mailing list >> >> >> > gobolinux-devel@lists.gobolinux.org >> >> >> > http://lists.gobolinux.org/mailman/listinfo/gobolinux-devel >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> I think you misunderstood my requirement. I have a completley spare >> >> >> primary disk/partition for Gobolinux and want it to be bootable so I >> >> >> can boot into Gobo Linux directly and eventually make it my primary >> >> >> Linux distro. >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > Oh, I totally misunderstood it, indeed. >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> The problem is: I would like to avoid the initial downtime on my >> >> >> server machine. Two downtimes I forsee: >> >> >> >> >> >> First (small one) Initial boot into the USB LiveCD to install the >> >> >> minimal onto a partition. Just curious to know if I could trick the >> >> >> LiveCD or use another mechanism to get the minimal install over to >> >> >> the >> >> >> partition and make it bootable while still booted into and running >> >> >> my >> >> >> current Ubuntu install?? Doesn't really matter because this would be >> >> >> a >> >> >> half hour step in the worst case. Should I just use Ubuntu LiveCD >> >> >> maker or is there a different way required for the Gobo Linux >> >> >> LiveCD? >> >> >> >> >> >> Second (larger downtime) Waiting for all the required packages to >> >> >> Compile and fixing any issues with drivers etc ...this could last >> >> >> half >> >> >> a day or more and that would definitely not work. I can probably use >> >> >> the chroot steps and bind the relevant partitions like you mentioned >> >> >> but I was wondering if anything special is required given that there >> >> >> is a Kernel patch for Gobo? I believe that patch is not critical and >> >> >> only hides certain files but still there could be other issues with >> >> >> symlinks and chroot. >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > I believe you can do this installation through QEMU by letting it use >> >> > a >> >> > raw >> >> > partition rather than a virtual disk as target. I haven't used that >> >> > option >> >> > before, but I know it is possible to do so. That should prevent your >> >> > server >> >> > from going down while you're preparing GoboLinux. >> >> >> >> Good idea. I assume the same holds for KVM and native partitions. In >> >> the end it may not be worth the trouble since the minimal install over >> >> USB stick should be pretty quick and will minimize unnecessary >> >> complications but hey that's the power of linux...anything is possible >> >> :) >> >> > >> >> > We include two patches in our kernel. The first is to hide the legacy >> >> > tree >> >> > (gobohide). That is totally cosmetic. The second is to support the >> >> > AuFS >> >> > file >> >> > system. We use it primarily on the LiveCD to create a unionfs-based >> >> > root >> >> > file system. Having it at runtime provides you with a reasonably fast >> >> > sandbox when compiling apps from the source code. If you don't have >> >> > it >> >> > then >> >> > we fall back to a FUSE-based unionfs implementation which also works >> >> > just >> >> > fine. >> >> >> >> UnionFS over FUSE has definite performance penalties. Have we >> >> considered OverlayFS? It seems to be integrated in the Kernel and is >> >> expected to be as fast as AuFS if not faster. >> >> >> > >> > I did look at OverlayFS back in the day, but it was not mainline yet. >> > Also, >> > the patch sets did not implement support for a few things that we >> > depended >> > on. We do some quite fancy things on the LiveCD (such as bind-mounting >> > unions and expecting a union-mount to preserve any existing mounts in >> > the >> > braches given as input). It would be a lot of work on our LiveCD scripts >> > to >> > remove such assertions, so AuFS was chosen. We may want to revisit that >> > on >> > the next release cycle. >> > >> >> Sounds good. What about for the Compile Sandbox? If there a lot of >> dependence on AuFS for the Compile sandbox as well? If not the LiveCD, >> at least Compile and the Gobo Kernel can benefit from not needing to >> patch in AuFS/FUSE based unionfs for In-kernel supported ...for the >> next release cycle. >> > > Compile does not depend on AuFS. We have support for a few different > backends currently (three of them, if I am not mistaken). > >> >> >> My apologies since I haven't been able to go through the mailing lists >> >> (quite tedious in the absence of a proper search in mailman or at >> >> least one that I could see ?). On that note, does it make sense to >> >> move/copy mailing lists at Google Groups...I know its proprietary and >> >> all that but it is a really good tool for communicating and will not >> >> take away from the core of linux or gobo etc. and make communications >> >> much faster. >> > >> > >> > We have done so many service transitions in the past and it's always >> > been a >> > PITA. Myself, I would not have time (nor much personal interest, to be >> > frank) in doing so. We'd also need to hear from other devs before >> > commiting >> > to do such a move. >> >> If there is enough support from other devs (who could chime in >> here)...I would volunteer to help setup and administer the move. The >> mailman archives have very little flexibility so don't really serve as >> a growing repository of information which any mailing list like this >> should (primary requirement easy searching). >> > > Cheers, > Lucas > > _______________________________________________ > gobolinux-devel mailing list > gobolinux-devel@lists.gobolinux.org > http://lists.gobolinux.org/mailman/listinfo/gobolinux-devel > _______________________________________________ gobolinux-devel mailing list gobolinux-devel@lists.gobolinux.org http://lists.gobolinux.org/mailman/listinfo/gobolinux-devel
