How to get extra modules working with USB install?

Gullible Jones · 2006-06-30 02:50:53

When using the files from the FTP install ISO, modified to work on a USB stick, it seems that most modules cannot load - only the USB and base module packages appear in /addons, no other modules appear when lsmod is run, and it is not possible to mount the USB drive in order to load additional modules. Some of this has already been documented here; that description of the problem isn't quite accurate though - net install is also (apparently) impossible, since network-related modules are not and AFAIK cannot be loaded.

This is pretty weird, actually... From the appearance of things, a USB install should work when the stuff on the USB stick is set up properly. Does anyone know a workaround of some sort for this, or is it a problem with the way the initrd is fashioned?

Gullible Jones · 2006-06-30 13:58:22

Oh right... And the answer comes to me looking at the Arch Linux main page... Just use Archboot. :oops:

Edit: Wait a minute, Archboot seems to cram everything into a 20 MB initrd image... Holy hell, with only low-speed USB support and 1/10 the supposed minimum bandwidth, this is going to be slow. Damn my buggy proprietary BIOS.

soloport · 2006-08-04 17:06:15

Gullible Jones wrote:

When using the files from the FTP install ISO, modified to work on a USB stick, it seems that most modules cannot load - only the USB and base module packages appear in /addons, no other modules appear when lsmod is run, and it is not possible to mount the USB drive in order to load additional modules.

Found that this is true for the BASE install ISO, too, BTW. Same problems (using 512MB Flash drive).

I don't understand how one would use Archboot. What are the steps to install Archboot to the USB drive? (Have downloaded Archboot -- which depends on a lot of packages, apparently -- but don't know where to go from here.)
.

tpowa · 2006-08-05 07:20:50

archboot was designed to create different arch install media, i don't think that install media is that slow, only the boot itself need probably 10 minutes or so, after usb modules are loaded and mounted correctly you should have full usb speed

Gullible Jones · 2006-08-05 15:06:07

The install media isn't slow, the boot is slow, as you say... This is some stupid BIOS problem I think, though as far as I know most BIOSes are unaffected by it.

soloport · 2006-08-07 15:27:10

soloport wrote:

I don't understand how one would use Archboot. What are the steps to install Archboot to the USB drive? (Have downloaded Archboot -- which depends on a lot of packages, apparently -- but don't know where to go from here.)
.

*bump*
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Gullible Jones · 2006-08-07 15:44:54

Read the text that the install file generates... Archboot provides config files and some other stuff, you use mksyslinux, etc. to install it to whatever media you're using. For instance, to put Archboot on a USB stick (sda1), you'd do

mksyslinux -c=/etc/archboot/archsyslinux.conf -d=/dev/sda1

soloport · 2006-08-07 16:58:43

Gullible Jones wrote:

Read the text that the install file generates... Archboot provides config files and some other stuff, you use mksyslinux, etc. to install it to whatever media you're using. For instance, to put Archboot on a USB stick (sda1), you'd do
mksyslinux -c=/etc/archboot/archsyslinux.conf -d=/dev/sda1

Thanks for the reply! I did read that far, and read most of the code (mksyslinux being a bash script and all).

Guess I'm looking for a guide that'll help me understand (for example): Q. My USB drive version of arch-ftp.iso didn't include ANY provisions for ethernet. What do I tweak to get it's brains back? A. Before running mksyslnux, make sure file X has a Y reference to '8139too'.

In that regard, I'm lost. But will do more digging...
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Arch Linux

#1 2006-06-30 02:50:53

How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#2 2006-06-30 13:58:22

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#3 2006-08-04 17:06:15

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#4 2006-08-05 07:20:50

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#5 2006-08-05 15:06:07

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#6 2006-08-07 15:27:10

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#7 2006-08-07 15:44:54

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

#8 2006-08-07 16:58:43

Re: How to get extra modules working with USB install?

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