Arch Linux

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

how-to move system to usb-hdd

Anybody tryed this with arch?

PS. I nave transcend storejet 40Gib

mtrivs

Member

From: Syracuse, NY

Registered: 2005-12-26

Posts: 183

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

I would try and use partimage to create a image of your current arch system, and then restore the image to your external HD.

http://www.partimage.org

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hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

I know how-to movw my patririons to usb-hdd, but the problem is how-to boot from it. Now i'm booting from grub which is installed on my non-usb hdd.
Grub menu.lst :
title           StoreJet
root            (hd3,1)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/ram0 ro quiet vga=792
initrd          /boot/initrd26.img
boot

mkinitrd.conf:

REMOVE_IDE=
REMOVE_SCSI=1
REMOVE_SATA=1
REMOVE_CDROM=
REMOVE_USB=
REMOVE_FW=1
REMOVE_RAID=1
REMOVE_DM=1
REMOVE_FS=

uname -a Linux hipsis.komus.net 2.6.15-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Mar 6 09:17:05 CET 2006 i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

But arch is not booting (((

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

I have some results. Now initial ramdisk (initrd) loads!!! But after that kernel not loading ((((
Problem was with USB_TIMEOUT=5 best setting for me is 15

_Gandalf_

Member

Registered: 2006-01-12

Posts: 735

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

What your kernel say? is there a kernel panic? what it complains about?

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hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

No kernel panic. In normal boot from native hdd in tat time i see init 2.68, but when i'm booting from usb this inscription doesn't appears last words smth like: Loading ram image complete.

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Do you have a separate /boot partition on the USB disk, by any chance?

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Yes i made a partiton 40 Mib for /boot about 1 Gib for swap and 38 Gib for /

Now my menu.lst

Grub menu.lst:

title           StoreJet
root            (hd3,0)
kernel          /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 ro quiet vga=792 devfs=nomount
initrd          /initrd26.img
boot

civ247

Member

Registered: 2005-08-05

Posts: 53

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Try changing the line root (hd3,0) to root (hd0,0)

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

I have 3 hdd in my computer in grub they are hd0 hd1 hd2 and my usb device is hd3. Problem not in grub initrd is loading, but kernel and rc.d scripts not starting.

civ247

Member

Registered: 2005-08-05

Posts: 53

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Hmm (hd0,0) works for me everywhere, since im selecting usb boot from the bios, the external hd is always (hd0,0).

In that case you need to specify the correct /dev/ entry in /etc/fstab for '/'.

If you have no SATA hard drives and no other usb devices plugged in you want something like this:

/dev/sda1    /    ext3    defaults    0    1

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Hmm (hd0,0) works for me everywhere, since im selecting usb boot from the bios, the external hd is always (hd0,0).

In that case you need to specify the correct /dev/ entry in /etc/fstab for '/'.

If you have no SATA hard drives and no other usb devices plugged in you want something like this:

/dev/sda1    /    ext3    defaults    0    1

Now i'm booting from hd0 (hda1) it is that place where my grub is.
I have only ide hdd and no other usb drives, but i have some devices (mice, keyboard, bluetooth)
I made changes in my fstab frem very begining:

/dev/sda3   /        ext2    defaults    0     1
/dev/sda1   /boot  ext2    defaults    0     1
/dev/sda2   swap  swap   defaults    0     0

civ247

Member

Registered: 2005-08-05

Posts: 53

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

You are using GRUB from the main hard drive? not the external hard drive?

Make sure the your pointing at the kernel and initrd on the external hard drive not the internal drive.

Its easier to get the arch wombat cd and just install straight ot the hard drive including grub than to have grub on the internal drive and linux on the external.

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

You are using GRUB from the main hard drive? not the external hard drive?

Yes, you are right.

Make sure the your pointing at the kernel and initrd on the external hard drive not the internal drive.

I think so i tryed to unplug other hdd's and cd-rom (for exclude mistakes), but unfortunately no results.

Its easier to get the arch wombat cd and just install straight ot the hard drive including grub than to have grub on the internal drive and linux on the external.

Why "Wombat" not "Noodle"?

civ247

Member

Registered: 2005-08-05

Posts: 53

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Wombat will recognise external hard drives and pen drives, noodle will not.

I used wombat to install to the external harddrive, then booted into my main system and chrooted into the external drive. Then i updated it to the current level. The addition of initrd seems to make arch bootable from pen drive.

hipsis

Member

Registered: 2006-01-16

Posts: 18

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

Thanks a lot. I'll try.

civ247

Member

Registered: 2005-08-05

Posts: 53

Re: how-to move system to usb-hdd

I posted a quick guide a while back:

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php? … highlight=