Install grml iso(s) on usb device for booting
grml2usb [ options ] <ISO[s]> <device>
Important! The Grml team does not take responsibility for loss of any data!
grml2usb installs Grml on a given partition of your usb device and makes it bootable. It provides multiboot ISO support, meaning you can specify several Grml ISOs on the command line at once and select the Grml flavour you would like to boot on the bootprompt then. Note that the first ISO specified on the grml2usb command line will become the default one (that\(cqs the one that will boot when just pressing enter on the bootprompt or wait until the boot timeout matches).
Important
By default a compatible master boot record (MBR) is installed on the device (being for example /dev/sdX when executing grml2usb grml.iso /dev/sdX1) and syslinux is being used as default bootloader. Avoid installation of the default MBR using the --skip-mbr option or if you encounter any problems with the default MBR consider using --syslinux-mbr instead.
ISO[s] should be the path to one or multiple grml-ISOs and/or the path to the currently running live-system (being /lib/live/mount/medium).
The device either might be a device name like /dev/sdX1 or a directory. When specifying a device name the device is mounted automatically. When specifying a directory grml2usb is assuming that you did set up a bootloader on your own (or don\(cqt need one) and a bootloader won\(cqt be installed automatically.
The following options are supported:
--bootoptions=...
Use specified bootoptions as default. To use flavour name as a argument for a boot parameter use %flavour which will be expanded to the flavour name. To add multiple bootoptions you can specify the option multiple time.
--bootloader-only
Do not copy files but instead just install a bootloader. Note that the boot addons are copied to /boot/addons at this stage as well. If you want to skip copying the boot addons consider using the --skip-addons option.
--copy-only
Copy files only but do not install a bootloader.
--dry-run
Avoid executing commands, instead show what would be executed. Warning: please notice that the ISO has to be mounted anyway, otherwise identifying the Grml flavour would not be possible.
--fat16
Format specified partition with FAT16. Important: this will destroy any existing data on the specified partition!
--force
Force any (possible dangerous) actions requiring manual interaction (like --fat16).
--grub
Install grub bootloader instead of (default) syslinux.
--grub-mbr
Install grub into MBR (Master Boot Record) instead of PBR (Partition Boot Record). Check out the mbr-vs-pbr section in the FAQ of this document for further details.
--help
Display usage information and exit.
--mbr-menu
Install master boot record (MBR) with integrated boot menu: interactively choose the partition to boot from, with a timeout to load the default partition, or boot from floppy. When NOT using the --mbr-menu option a MBR with LBA and large disc support but without an integrated boot menu is installed (so it\(cqs not visible at all but instead directly jumps to the bootloader - being grub or syslinux). Note: This options is available only when using the default MBR and won\(cqt have any effect if you\(cqre using the --syslinux-mbr option.
--quiet
Do not output anything but just errors on console.
--skip-addons
Do not install /boot/addons/ files (like dos, grub, memdisk,...).
--remove-bootoption=...
Remove specified bootoption (could be a regex) from existing boot options. Use multiple entries for removing different bootoptions at once.
--skip-bootflag
Do not check for presence of bootflag on target device.
--skip-grub-config
Skip generation of grub configuration files. By default the configuration files for syslinux and grub will be written so you\(cqve a working configuration file no matter whether you\(cqre using grub or syslinux as bootloader.
--skip-mbr
Do not touch/install the master boot record (MBR).
--skip-syslinux-config
Skip generation of syslinux configuration files. By default the configuration files for syslinux and grub will be written so you\(cqve a working configuration file no matter whether you\(cqre using grub or syslinux as bootloader.
--syslinux
This option is deprecated and is being left only for backwards compatibility reasons. Syslinux is the default bootloader of grml2usb and therefore the --syslinux option doesn\(cqt have any effects. If you do not want to use syslinux as bootloader consider using the --grub option.
--syslinux-mbr
Install syslinux' master boot record (MBR, which is booting from the partition with the "active" flag set) instead of the default one. If you encounter any problems with the default MBR you can try using the syslinux MBR instead. If that works for you please let us know so we can adjust our default MBR accordingly.
-v, --version
Return version and exit.
--verbose
Enable verbose mode.
boot/ ->
|-- addons/
| |-- allinone.img [grub - all in one image]
| |-- bsd4grml/ [MirBSD]
| |-- balder10.imz [FreeDOS]
| |-- memdisk [chainloading helper]
| |-- memtest [memtest86+]
|-- release/
| |-- grml/
| | |-- linux26 [Kernel]
| | |-- initrd.gz [initramfs]
| |-- grml64
| | |-- linux26 [Kernel]
| | |-- initrd.gz [initramfs]
| |-- grml-medium
| | |-- linux26 [...]
| | |-- initrd.gz
| |-- grml64-medium
| | |-- linux26
| | |-- initrd.gz
| |-- grml-small
| | |-- linux26
| | |-- initrd.gz
| `-- grml64-small
| |-- linux26
| |-- initrd.gz
|-- grub/
| |-- grml.png [graphical bootsplash background image for grub2]
| |-- grub.cfg [configuration file for grub2]
| |-- menu.lst [configuration file for grub1]
| |-- splash.xpm.gz [splash screen for grub1]
`-- syslinux/
|-- grml.png [graphical bootsplash background image for syslinux]
|-- syslinux.cfg [main configuration file for syslinux]
`-- [....] [several further config files for syslinux]
grml/
|-- grml2usb.txt [not yet implemented]
|-- grml-cheatcodes.txt [list of bootoptions for Grml]
|-- grml-version.txt [file containing information about grml-version]
|-- LICENSE.txt [license information]
|-- md5sums [md5sums of original ISO]
|-- README.txt [informational text]
`-- web/ [browser related files]
|-- index.html
|-- style.css
`-- images/
|-- button.png
|-- favicon.png
|-- linux.jpg
`-- logo.png
live/ |-- grml/ | |-- filesystem.module [module specifying which squashfs should be used for grml] | `-- grml.squashfs [squashfs file for grml] |-- grml-medium/ | |-- filesystem.module [module specifying which squashfs should be used for grml-medium] | `-- grml-medium.squashfs [squashfs file for grml-medium] |-- grml-small/ | |-- filesystem.module [module specifying which squashfs should be used for grml-medium] | `-- grml-small.squashfs [squashfs file for grml-small] `-- ...
% git clone git://git.grml.org/grml2usb.git
To play with grml2usb you can avoid using a real device via a loopback file setup, like:
# dd if=/dev/zero of=~/loopback bs=1M count=100 # adjust size to your needs # losetup /dev/loop1 ~/loopback
Then create according partitions either running for example:
# echo -en "n\np\n1\n\n\nt\n6\na\n1\n w\n" | fdisk /dev/loop1
or:
# parted /dev/loop1 -s "mkpart primary fat16 0 -1s mkfs 1 fat16"
Finally create a filesystem and execute grml2usb as needed:
# mkfs.vfat /dev/loop1 # grml2usb --bootloader-only /grml/isos/grml-small_2013.01.iso /dev/loop1
# blktrace -d /dev/sdX -o - | blkparse -i - # grml2usb grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Here is a list of common error messages from BIOS/bootloader when trying to boot from USB.
| Error message | ran out of input data. System halted |
|---|---|
| Reason | Everything OK, except for the filesystem used on your usb device. So instead of fat16 you are using for example fat32. Fix use the appropriate filesystem (fat16 for usb pens usually). The Bootsplash might be displayed, the kernel loads but you very soon get the error message. |
| Error message | Invalid operating system |
| Reason | the partition layout is not ok. Very probably there\(cqs no primary partition (/dev/sdX{1..4}) or none has the flag bootable set. |
| Error message | Boot error. |
| Reason | Some BIOSses offer different modes for USB booting. The proper mode to boot a USB stick is USB-HDD. If that doesn\(cqt work or is not supported by your system, you need to format your USB-Stick as USB-ZIP. To do this, syslinux contains an utility called mkdiskimage, which you can use to re-format your USB stick in USB-ZIP format running mkdiskimage -4 /dev/sdX 1 64 32. Please be aware that this procedure will erase all data on your stick. After executing mkdiskimage just continue installing as usual (grml2usb ... /dev/sdX4). Note that this is not going to work for any device larger than 8 GB, since mkdiskimage only supports 1024c 256h 63s. For a more detailed explanation, refer to /usr/share/doc/syslinux-common/usbkey.txt. |
| Error message | No operating system found. |
| Reason | you forgot to set the boot-flag on the partition. Or there really isn\(cqt any operating system at all. ) |
| Error message | kernel-panic unable to mount root-fs... |
| Reason | Kernel boots but fails to find the root filesystem. The root= argument in your kernel commandline is pointing to the wrong device. Adjust root=..., consider using root=UUID=.... |
| Error message | Could not find kernel image ... |
| Reason | either a broken isolinux/syslinux version or a broken BIOS. Check out whether the vendor provides a BIOS update or if using bootloader grub instead of isolinux/syslinux fixes the problem. |
grml2usb is available as Debian package via \m[blue]the grml-testing Debian repository\m[]\s-2\u[1]\d\s+2.
If you do not want to (or can\(cqt) use the grml2usb Debian package you can either use the grml2usb git tree running:
git clone git://git.grml.org/grml2usb.git cd grml2usb make -C mbr sudo ./grml2usb ...
or download the provided \m[blue]http://grml.org/grml2usb/grml2usb.tgz\m[] (\m[blue]gpg signed md5 hash\m[]\s-2\u[2]\d\s+2). Download and extract the tarball and execute the provided script install.sh.
Note
It is NOT enough to have just the grml2usb script itself without the according files provided either via the Debian package, the git tree or the file grml2usb.tgz.
Well, you can. :) Starting with Grml 2009.10 the ISOs are dd-able straight out-of-the-box.
Important
Note that ANY existing data on your USB device will be destroyed when using the dd approach.
This allows you to dd the Grml ISO to your USB device (use for example \m[blue]rawwrite\m[]\s-2\u[3]\d\s+2 if you\(cqve just a Windows system available) running:
% dd if=grml_2013.01.iso of=/dev/sdX
where /dev/sdX is your USB device. Of course this doesn\(cqt provide such a flexible system like with grml2usb (no multi-ISO setup, no additional default bootoptions,...) but it\(cqs a nice way to get a working USB boot setup if you don\(cqt have grml2usb available.
grml2usb does not remove any data from your USB device and does not alter the partition table at all. grml2usb provides multi-ISO support, support for adding default bootoptions and selecting the bootloader (syslinux vs. grub) without having to manually touch the ISO at all.
grml2iso is a script which uses grml2usb to generate a multiboot ISO out of several grml ISOs. See man grml2iso for further details.
grml2usb supports grub version 1 (grub1) as well as grub version 2 (grub2). Whereas grub1 uses menu.lst the new version grub2 needs grub.cfg. Providing both files allows grml2usb to install grub on the target device no matter which grub version is available on the host where grml2usb is executed on.
Check whether the partition has the right partition type. For example do NOT use FAT16 (partition type 6) when using a ext3 filesystem on the partition but instead use the correct partition type (83 - Linux) then.
The following message:
You shouldn't call /sbin/grub-install. Please call /usr/sbin/grub-install instead! xfs_freeze: specified file ["/tmp/tmpqaBK6z/boot/grub"] is not on an XFS filesystem
This is "normal". grub-install sends those messages to stderr. To avoid hiding any possible real error messages grml2usb doesn\(cqt ignore those messages.
The following message:
grub-probe: error: Cannot open `/boot/grub/device.map'
This is "normal" (at least with grub1). This isn\(cqt a problem, because the device.map file will be generated on the target device anyway.
The following message:
'/usr/sbin/grub-install: line 374: [: =: unary operator expected'
This is "normal". Just ignore it. (It usually doesn\(cqt appear on the second invocation on the same device.)
The following message:
grub-probe: error: unknown filesystem Auto-detection of a filesystem module failed. Please specify the module with the option `--modules' explicitly.
usually means that the device partition table says something else than the filesystem on the device. For example using FAT16 as filesystem type and using FAT32 as filesystem on the partition will not work. Either set filesystem type to FAT32 or format the partition using FAT16. It is essential that device partition table and filesystem use the same filesystem type.
The following message:
grub-setup: warn: Attempting to install GRUB to a partition instead of the MBR. This is a BAD idea. grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists. However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and its use is discouraged. grub-setup: error: Cannot read `/grub/core.img' correctly
appears when using grub2 versions older than 1.98 as those version introduced a regression which avoids that grub is being installed into a partition (PBR, Partition Boot Record) instead of MBR (Master Boot Record).
To work around this issue you can either 1) upgrade to grub versions >=1.98, 2) install grub into the MBR (Master Boot Record) using the --grub-mbr option of grml2usb or 3) switch to syslinux as bootmanager (just drop the --grub option).
Looks like you\(cqve only the grml2usb script itself available. Please make sure you\(cqve the grml2usb Debian package installed. The most resent stable version is available via \m[blue]the grml-testing Debian repository\m[]\s-2\u[1]\d\s+2. If you do not have a Debian system please see section Where can I get grml2usb? in this FAQ.
Syslinux (currently) does not support any other filesystems besides FAT16/FAT32 (though that\(cqs a sane default if you want to share your files with other (operating) systems). If you want to use a different filesystem (like ext2/3) use the bootloader grub instead using grml2usb\(cqs --grub option.
Note
FAT32 is supported since syslinux version 3.0.
This usually means that the machine you ran grml2usb on had syslinux 3.x installed. The version of hdt (Hardware detection tool) shipping with Grml 2010.12 and newer requires syslinux 4.x.
Great! Please check out \m[blue]the TODO file\m[]\s-2\u[4]\d\s+2. Feel free to report your wishes to the author. Patches highly appreciated.
Check out Troubleshooting and Pitfalls when booting.
Please report it to the author. Please provide usage examples and output of your grml2usb commandline (consider using the "--verbose" option).
# grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1.
# grml2usb /home/grml/grml_2013.01.iso /home/grml/grml_small_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISOs on device /dev/sdX1 for multibooting ISOs.
# grml2usb /lib/live/mount/medium /dev/sdX1
Install currently running Grml live system on device /dev/sdX1.
# grml2usb /lib/live/mount/medium /home/grml/grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install currently running Grml live system and the specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1 for multibooting.
# grml2usb --fat16 /home/grml/grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1 and format partition /dev/sdX1 with FAT16 filesystem.
# grml2usb --grub --grub-mbr /home/grml/grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1 and use grub as bootloader (instead of syslinux being the default) and install a master boot record (MBR) to the MBR of /dev/sdX.
# grml2usb --bootoptions="lang=de ssh=mysecret" grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1 # grml2usb --bootoptions="lang=de" --bootoptions="ssh=mysecret" grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1 and use "lang=de ssh=mysecret" as default bootoptions.
# grml2usb --remove-bootoption="vga=791" --remove-bootoption="nomce" grml_2013.01.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISO on device /dev/sdX1 remove vga=791 and nomce from existing bootoptions.
# grml2usb --bootoptions="persistent-path=%flavour_name" grml64_2010.04.iso grml_2010.04.iso /dev/sdX1
Install specified ISOs on device /dev/sdx and add parameter persistent-path to every menu entry. %flavour_name will be expanded to the flavour of the specific iso, e.g. grml64 and grml.
Check out the \m[blue]grml2usb webpage\m[]\s-2\u[5]\d\s+2 and the \m[blue]grml2usb git repository\m[]\s-2\u[6]\d\s+2.
Please report feedback, bugreports and wishes to the author.
Michael Prokop <\m[blue][email protected]\m[]\s-2\u[7]\d\s+2>
the grml-testing Debian repository
http://deb.grml.org/
gpg signed md5 hash
http://grml.org/grml2usb/grml2usb.tgz.md5.asc
rawwrite
http://www.chrysocome.net/rawwrite
the TODO file
http://git.grml.org/?p=grml2usb.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD
grml2usb webpage
http://grml.org/grml2usb/
grml2usb git repository
http://git.grml.org/?p=grml2usb.git
mailto:[email protected]