Re: Having problem with Debian's Installation Guide Preparing Files for USB Memory Stick Booting

[billwill onggo]

@Stephan Beck,
Sorry, English isnt good enough, may be it's hard to get what i really mean
:(


If you really follow the installation guide
> ch04s03.html.en#usb-copy-flexible, you have to create a syslinux.cfg
> yourself, there is no existing syslinux.cfg (content),
>

There was no existing syslinux.cfg. I followed the instruction, I created
the syslinux.cfg. I wrote these lines into syslinux.cfg :
  1: default vmlinuz
  2: append initrd=initrd.gz

I tried to boot the USB, and it complained about having a 'kernel panic - vfs
unable to ... '

I then edit the syslinux.cfg, replaced them with these four lines:
  1: default debi
  2: label debi
  3: kernel vmlinuz
  4: append initrd=initrd.gz
and the USB disk booted normally, no complain, and proceed to the
installation menu.





Doing it the flexible way, the content of the syslinux.cfg to be created
> should be (it's from the stick I used for a real installation, so
> priority=medium is optional) :
>
> default vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz priority=medium
>
After having debian installed on my machine, I formatted my USB disk, I
haven't tried your suggestion, but it should work.



My purpose writing this is to confirm that those two lines from
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.
html.en#usb-copy-flexible didn't work out for me. The installation guide
might need a tiny fix... (If I'm not wrong)

Debian Jessie itself uses syslinux version 6.03. Creating a USB boot disk
using those two lines in syslinux.cfg will not work.

Refer to the official syslinux site http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/i
ndex.php?title=Directives/append

> Take the following simple configuration:
>
>   DEFAULT mykernel
>   APPEND root=/dev/sda2
>
> Note that the APPEND line here is a *global* directive, as it is not part
> of any LABEL entry.
>
> For Syslinux 4.xx and older, the above simple configuration works as (it
> used to be) expected.
> *Since version 5.00,* the result for the above sample configuration is
> that the *root=/dev/sda2* argument is not parsed, which will lead to
> unexpected results, most probably with some kind of failure to boot the OS.
> In other words, the *global* APPEND is ignored by the DEFAULT directive.
>


Regards,
Bill

Re: Having problem with Debian's Installation Guide Preparing Files for USB Memory Stick Booting

[Stephan Beck]

Hi,

billwill onggo:
> I was trying to create a bootable USB flash disk following this guide :
> 4.3.3.2. Preparing Files For USB Memory Stick Booting > the flexible way >
> adding installer image
> https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.html.en#usb-copy-flexible
> 
> 
> Booting the USB installer gives me a 'kernel panic - vfs unable to mount
> root fs' booting the USB installer
> 
> This is strange, because several months ago i did successfully create a
> debian installer, using the same cd-image, following this same guide, and
> installed this Debian (i'm currently using to write this mail) into this
> machine.
> 
> After struggling almost an hour, i got it working. I found that the content
> of the syslinux.cfg is the culprit since I cant boot without the
> syslinux.cfg file and manually provide the boot parameter at boottime
> 
> boot: vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz

I can't follow you here. If you really follow the installation guide
ch04s03.html.en#usb-copy-flexible, you have to create a syslinux.cfg
yourself, there is no existing syslinux.cfg (content), as you seem to be
telling us. Be aware that within 4.3. there are several ways:
syslinux.cfg does exist as a file using 4.3.2 as part of the
hd-media/boot.img.gz.
Did you select that? If not, there is no existing syslinux.cfg file.

[...]

Doing it the flexible way, the content of the syslinux.cfg to be created
should be (it's from the stick I used for a real installation, so
priority=medium is optional) :

default vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz priority=medium

If you want to have the installer boot with that, but additionally want
to add some parameters at boot time, add a

prompt 1

line to the syslinux.cfg.
Please check that you haven't done steps that actually do not belong to
"the flexible way".

> 
> This is content of the syslinux.cfg the from installation guide :

Yes, you're talking about a not so flexible way.
> 
>> default vmlinuz
>> append initrd=initrd.gz
>>
>> Shouldn't it be something like this?
> 
>> default debi
>>
>> label debi
>> kernel vmlinuz
>> append initrd=initrd.gz
>>
Can't tell you anything about whether your observation here is right or
wrong.

Cheers

Stephan

Re: Having problem with Debian's Installation Guide Preparing Files for USB Memory Stick Booting

[billwill onggo]

SORRY, I made a mistake, I mean...

Booting the USB installer gives me a 'kernel panic - vfs unable to mount
root fs'


After struggling almost an hour, i got it working. I found that the content
of the syslinux.cfg is the culprit since I can boot without the
syslinux.cfg file and manually provide the boot parameter at boottime


On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 1:19 PM, billwill onggo 
wrote:

> I was trying to create a bootable USB flash disk following this guide :
> 4.3.3.2. Preparing Files For USB Memory Stick Booting > the flexible way >
> adding installer image
> https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.
> html.en#usb-copy-flexible
> 
>
> Booting the USB installer gives me a 'kernel panic - vfs unable to mount
> root fs' booting the USB installer
>
> This is strange, because several months ago i did successfully create a
> debian installer, using the same cd-image, following this same guide, and
> installed this Debian (i'm currently using to write this mail) into this
> machine.
>
> After struggling almost an hour, i got it working. I found that the
> content of the syslinux.cfg is the culprit since I cant boot without the
> syslinux.cfg file and manually provide the boot parameter at boottime
>
> boot: vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz
>
>
> I learned that this machine i was using to create the USB installer is on
> debian jessie having *syslinux version 6.03*.
>
> Then this is what I got from the syslinux site:
> http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=Directives/append
>
> Take the following simple configuration:
>>
>>   DEFAULT mykernel
>>   APPEND root=/dev/sda2
>>
>> Note that the APPEND line here is a *global* directive, as it is not
>> part of any LABEL entry.
>>
>> For Syslinux 4.xx and older, the above simple configuration works as (it
>> used to be) expected.
>>
>> *Since version 5.00,* the result for the above sample configuration is
>> that the *root=/dev/sda2* argument is not parsed, which will lead to
>> unexpected results, most probably with some kind of failure to boot the OS.
>> In other words, the *global* APPEND is ignored by the DEFAULT directive.
>>
>> For the above example, the configuration could be re-written as:
>>
>>   DEFAULT mykernel root=/dev/sda2
>>
>> or even better as:
>>
>>   DEFAULT mylabel
>>   LABEL mylabel
>>   KERNEL mykernel
>>   APPEND root=/dev/sda2
>>
>> which "moves" the *global* APPEND line into the new LABEL entry.
>>
>> Generally speaking, it is recommended to have at least one LABEL entry.
>>
> Well, i struggled almost an hour reformating the USB, and copying several
> times :( for this simple fix.. this means i'm still a newbie.
> But from my point of view, i think... the installation guide might need a
> bit changes. Am I right?
>
> This is content of the syslinux.cfg the from installation guide :
>
>> default vmlinuz
>> append initrd=initrd.gz
>>
>> Shouldn't it be something like this?
>
>> default debi
>>
>> label debi
>> kernel vmlinuz
>> append initrd=initrd.gz
>>
>>
>

Having problem with Debian's Installation Guide Preparing Files for USB Memory Stick Booting

[billwill onggo]

I was trying to create a bootable USB flash disk following this guide :
4.3.3.2. Preparing Files For USB Memory Stick Booting > the flexible way >
adding installer image
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.html.en#usb-copy-flexible


Booting the USB installer gives me a 'kernel panic - vfs unable to mount
root fs' booting the USB installer

This is strange, because several months ago i did successfully create a
debian installer, using the same cd-image, following this same guide, and
installed this Debian (i'm currently using to write this mail) into this
machine.

After struggling almost an hour, i got it working. I found that the content
of the syslinux.cfg is the culprit since I cant boot without the
syslinux.cfg file and manually provide the boot parameter at boottime

boot: vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz


I learned that this machine i was using to create the USB installer is on
debian jessie having *syslinux version 6.03*.

Then this is what I got from the syslinux site:
http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=Directives/append

Take the following simple configuration:
>
>   DEFAULT mykernel
>   APPEND root=/dev/sda2
>
> Note that the APPEND line here is a *global* directive, as it is not part
> of any LABEL entry.
>
> For Syslinux 4.xx and older, the above simple configuration works as (it
> used to be) expected.
>
> *Since version 5.00,* the result for the above sample configuration is
> that the *root=/dev/sda2* argument is not parsed, which will lead to
> unexpected results, most probably with some kind of failure to boot the OS.
> In other words, the *global* APPEND is ignored by the DEFAULT directive.
>
> For the above example, the configuration could be re-written as:
>
>   DEFAULT mykernel root=/dev/sda2
>
> or even better as:
>
>   DEFAULT mylabel
>   LABEL mylabel
>   KERNEL mykernel
>   APPEND root=/dev/sda2
>
> which "moves" the *global* APPEND line into the new LABEL entry.
>
> Generally speaking, it is recommended to have at least one LABEL entry.
>
Well, i struggled almost an hour reformating the USB, and copying several
times :( for this simple fix.. this means i'm still a newbie.
But from my point of view, i think... the installation guide might need a
bit changes. Am I right?

This is content of the syslinux.cfg the from installation guide :

> default vmlinuz
> append initrd=initrd.gz
>
> Shouldn't it be something like this?

> default debi
>
> label debi
> kernel vmlinuz
> append initrd=initrd.gz
>
>