Re: Multi-ISO live DVD

["Robert G. (Doc) Savage" <dsavage@peaknet.net>]

On Sun, 2010-11-21 at 10:30 -0600, Robert G. (Doc) Savage wrote:
> Here's an interesting (and HUGE) download:
> 
> http://alt.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/mega-dvd-test/Fedora-14-Live-multi/
> 
> At 5.5GB it's much too large for a standard DVD. You have to burn it to
> a Dual-Layer 8.5GB disc. It boots to a GRUB menu that allows you to boot
> any one of eight different F14 Live CDs in either 32-bit or 64-bit
> format.
> 
> Note that due to a capability limitation in the livecd-iso-to-disk
> utility, you cannot install this ISO image to an 8GB (or larger) USB
> thumb drive. To use it you must burn it to a disc, and the target
> machine must have a DL-capable optical drive. I've submitted a Request
> for Enhancement (RFE) to upgrade the l-i-t-d utility to handle complex
> GRUB-based ISO formats like this. See
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=648343.

Alas, the maintainers declined to act on my RFE. So I was forced to find
a way to make the transfer. I couldn't simply use dd to copy the DVD ISO
image to an 8GB thumb drive because bootable CDs/DVDs use the Eltorido
method rather than GRUB's two phases.

So... here's the step-by-step process:

1. # fdisk /dev/sdc  <-- make 1 primary partition with default start/end, bootable, type 83
2. # mke2fs -L Fedora-14-multi /dev/sdc1  <-- make ext2 filesystem
3. # tune2fs -c 0 /dev/sdc1   <-- disable autofsck
4. Remove & reinsert thumb drive to automount at /media/Fedora-14-multi
5. # mount -t iso9660 -o loop /pathto/Fedora-14-Live-multi.iso /tmp
6. # cp -dR /tmp /media/Fedora-14-multi/
7. # cat 'hd0<Ctrl-V><I>/dev/sda' > /media/Fedora-14-multi/boot/grub/device.map
8. # cat 'hd2<Ctrl-V><I>/dev/sdc' >> /media/Fedora-14-multi/boot/grub/device.map
9. # grub-install --root-directory=/media/Fedora-14-multi --no-floppy '(hd2)'

Notes:
(1) I have two "real" hard drives in the uber-laptop used to work out
this process. When inserted, a USB thumb drive is assigned /dev/sdc. On
your system it could be /dev/sdb or even /dev/sdd. Adapt.
(2) <Ctrl-V><I> inserts a <tab> character

Now I can plug in this thumb drive and use it to boot to a GRUB menu
offering me 32-bit or 64-bit versions of the Fedora 14 GNOME, KDE, LXDE,
and XFCE live CDs. Even if I don't have an optical drive.

Merry Christmas...

--Doc


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