[edlug] lilo on an external USB drive

["Nick Woolley" <nickwoolley@xxx.xxx.xxx>]

Hi,

I've an old laptop IDE drive in a USB case, with linux installed on it
already (as it was when it was an internal drive).  I'd like to be able to
use it as a bootable device, like a kind of oversized USB pen device or a
writable Knoppix CD.  The machine I'm using it for currently has no hard
drive installed (it's a test machine and is having a pre-imaged OS installed
on it, but that may take a week or two to get sent back to me).

I have a Knoppix CD already, but would prefer something which can have a
custom configuration and software installed.  I had thought the easy route
would be to boot the old linux partition, but after several tries I can only
manage to get the 'L' out of 'LILO' to appear on boot.  I know this means
that the secondary boot loader isn't being found, but I'm not sure why that
would be. I could soldier on and do some more RTFM'ing, but I wondered if
someone here might know of a recipe which should work in this case.

Details follow, I don't want to waste *too* much time doing this, but
suggestions would be gratefully recceived.

Thanks,

Nick

-----

Booting from the Knoppix cd:

> sudo su
> fdisk -l /dev/sd?

Disk /dev/sda: 12.0 GB, 12072517632 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1559 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1         407     3076888+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda2             408        1559     8709120    5  Extended
/dev/sda5             408         434      204088+  82  Linux swap
/dev/sda6            1247        1559     2366248+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda7             435         840     3069328+  83  Linux
/dev/sda8             841        1246     3069328+  83  Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

> mount /mnt/sda7
> cat /mnt/sda7/etc/lilo.usb.conf

boot=/dev/sda
map=/mnt/sda7/boot/map
install=text
backup=/dev/null
lba32
vga=normal
default=usblinux
keytable=/mnt/sda7/boot/uk.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
ignore-table
image=/mnt/sda7/boot/vmlinuz
        label=usblinux
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="devfs=mount"
        read-only

> lilo -C /mnt/sda7/etc/lilo.usb.conf -v

LILO version 22.5.8, Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger
Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2003 John Coffman
Released 10-Oct-2003, and compiled at 16:48:46 on Feb 13 2004
Debian GNU/Linux

Reading boot sector from /dev/sda
Using TEXT secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data

Boot image: /mnt/sda7/boot/vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.4.19-16mdk
Added usblinux *

Writing boot sector.

> reboot


I've also tried adding the global config line:

disk=/dev/sda
    bios=0x80

But this didn't change the behaviour. Removing the Knoppix cd, and leaving
the USB drive's plug in, it starts to boot, but only the letter 'L' is
displayed, which implies that the secondary boot loader isn't being found.
I only use LILO when necessary and then usually to repair an IDE
hard-drive's MBR, so I've not much experience with this kind of scenario -
perhaps I'm missing something simple.



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