How to create a Multi-Porteus Boot USB flash drive?

[rych]

Is it a USB thumbdrive or an external USB harddisk?

No difference these days. Both are external, both are USB, both are compact; whether flash memory or SSD disk inside makes no difference to the OS

[rych]

why do you use as the last partition NTFS for data?

When it's a USB thumbdrive Windoze can only see the 1st partition, so any Windoze could not access any data on that sdX4, unlike when it's an external harddrive then Windoze can access all partitions if it knows these kind of partitions (e.g. FAT, VFAT. NTFS)

Or did this behaviour of Windoze change in the newest Windoze versions, e.g. in W10 or W11?

"USB thumbdrive Windoze can only see the 1st partition" -- Windows (recent versions, I vaguely remember there was some weirdness with Windows 7 -- but that's like 10 years ago!) can see all partitions on my USB flash (or USB SSD these days) -- except the ext4 partition. It obviously sees the first FAT32 EFI partition, and the NTFS partition I have there for precisely this reason: to be easily seen by Windows.

On the ext4 partition one could then have /porteus and /porteux folders and the corresponding /changes and /changex

[Rava]

(recent versions, I vaguely remember there was some weirdness with Windows 7 -- but that's like 10 years ago!)

The most recent Windoze version I paid for and therefore used was precisely that: Witzlos 7.
But I can live with the fact not knowing about the more recent happenings in the Witless-OS world.

I live a more content life without any Windoze in my life, for some years now.

Still I will remember that recent WitlessOS can see all of USB thumbdrive partitions.
Thanks for the heads up.

Added in 5 minutes 41 seconds:
Generic question:
The pokemon 8GB USB thumbdrive I choose has a syslinux.porteus/ and a syslinux/ folder in its boot/syslinux/
I presume the syslinux.porteus/ is just a currently non functional backup.

But in syslinux/ syslinux.cfg reads so:

Code: Select all

root@rava:/mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux# cat syslinux.cfg 
###---for FLASH MEMORY drives only---###
ui menu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 20
ontimeout puppy
menu title SYSLINUX system loader

LABEL puppy
MENU LABEL System GNU/Linux Puppy
COM32 linux.c32
KERNEL /vmlinuz
INITRD /initrd.gz
APPEND pmedia=usbflash pfix=fsck,copy pkeys=de boot_delay=0 bootmem_debug debug earlyprintk=vga,keep elevator=noop initcall_debug load_ramdisk=1 loglevel=7 max_loop=256 prompt_ramdisk=0 rootdelay=0 ro video=1024x768 vmalloc=384M

root@rava:/mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux# 

Is the reference of KERNEL /vmlinuz and INITRD /initrd.gz referring to /mnt/sde1/vmlinuz and /mnt/sde1/initrd.gz or towards /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz and /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/initrd.gz ?

[Ed_P]

Is the reference of KERNEL /vmlinuz and INITRD /initrd.gz referring to /mnt/sde1/vmlinuz and /mnt/sde1/initrd.gz or towards /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz and /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/initrd.gz ?

They are pointing to whatever folder root is pointing to at the time they are executed.

[Rava]

They are pointing to whatever folder root is pointing to at the time they are executed.

But /vmlinuz is an absolute path.

Your reply suggests it is uncertain where they are pointing to?
It could be /mnt/sde1/vmlinuz or /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz or even some other folder since who knows whatever folder root is pointing to at the time they are executed? How can that be determined?
Such vagueness when it comes to the two most crucial essential files to be loaded prior anything else when it comes to any Linux OS is a bit unsettling.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Also, Ed_P, please reply to this post Ravas coding goodies (Post by Rava #96906) especially this part

I presume you do not know what the program "tail" does?

concerning this part of your reply:

I can assure you I don't see 860 segments listed in your
[…]
with or without the "-------- --------- -------- ----" line.

[Otto]

Also, Ed_P, I know you have been experimenting a lot with grub2. Have you found a way to force a grub2 EFI build (and grub2 install to USB stick) when building and installing to flash drive purely from Linux? I have experimented a bit with grub2 (within Linux), and it seems to force an i386 (NON-EFI) build (and install) in the absence of an EFI partition. Do you think it possible to temporarily mount an EFI partition to fool grub2 into producing an x86_64-efi build? Not sure if it can be done... It would be very helpful when installing grub2 to removable devices...

It is possible. It can be done easily for any Frugal- and ISObooting.
I am using right now flexible grub2 for portable media that it works for both PCs (bios and efi).

[Rava]

I am using right now flexible grub2 for portable media that it works for both PCs (bios and efi).

Mind sharing all the steps you take to create one such flexible grub2 for portable media?

[Otto]

Just download the file from here:
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... ble#p99328

ISObooting and frugalbooting as you wish for all porteus(s) and many other linuxdistros on portable media(UFD/externalHD/SDcard) work ok for me.

[Rava]

^
You mean this example code from post #99077 :

Code: Select all

menuentry "Puppy dpup 10.0.2" {
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root b0f092c5-6a1c-4e04-b9d8-ddbeb91d4ab7
echo "Loading vmlinuz"
linux /bookworm10.0.2/vmlinuz pmedia=usbhd pdrv=b0f092c5-6a1c-4e04-b9d8-ddbeb91d4ab7 psubdir=/bookworm10.0.2 pfix=fsck,fsckp,trim TZ=EST5EDT,M3.2.0,M11.1.0
if [ -e /bookworm10.0.2/local-initrd.gz ]; then
set local_rd=/bookworm10.0.2/local-initrd.gz
else
set local_rd=
fi
if [ -e /bookworm10.0.2/ucode.cpio ];menuentry "Puppy dpup 10.0.2" {
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root b0f092c5-6a1c-4e04-b9d8-ddbeb91d4ab7
echo "Loading vmlinuz"
linux /bookworm10.0.2/vmlinuz pmedia=usbhd pdrv=b0f092c5-6a1c-4e04-b9d8-ddbeb91d4ab7 psubdir=/bookworm10.0.2 pfix=fsck,fsckp,trim TZ=EST5EDT,M3.2.0,M11.1.0
if [ -e /bookworm10.0.2/local-initrd.gz ]; then
set local_rd=/bookworm10.0.2/local-initrd.gz
else
set local_rd=
fi
if [ -e /bookworm10.0.2/ucode.cpio ]; then
set ucode_rd=/bookworm10.0.2/ucode.cpio
echo "Loading ucode.cpio and initrd.gz"
else
set ucode_rd=
echo "Loading initrd.gz"
fi
initrd $ucode_rd /bookworm10.0.2/initrd.gz $local_rd then
set ucode_rd=/bookworm10.0.2/ucode.cpio
echo "Loading ucode.cpio and initrd.gz"
else
set ucode_rd=
echo "Loading initrd.gz"
fi
initrd $ucode_rd /bookworm10.0.2/initrd.gz $local_rd

Added in 49 seconds:
Or did you mean this:
https://github.com/puppylinux-woof-CE/w ... pup-41.pet

[Ed_P]

You mean this example code from post #99077 :

That is certainly impressive grub2 code but not the install of grub2. Basically install a Linux version that includes a grub2 install like Ubuntu or the Puppy version that Otto used and then expand the grub.cfg file to boot other ISOs and OSs.

It's interesting that grub2 doesn't seem to have an install app as an option.

Added in 15 minutes 8 seconds:
It would be nice if Porteus supported this command: https://www.systutorials.com/docs/linux ... 2-install/

[Rava]

It would be nice if Porteus supported this command: https://www.systutorials.com/docs/linux ... 2-install/

Why not create a module yourself that provides grub2-install?

[Otto]

Yes it is the file: frugalpup-41.pet.
.pet can run on puppylinux only.