catalyst - livecd creation tool

mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

Finally gentoo will have a very powerful tool to create livecd.

This link contain information about catalyst. http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/releng/catalyst/.

You can download latest tar.gz from http://dev.gentoo.org/~drobbins/catalyst/.

This what I have to change to (catalyst-20031229.tar.gz) targets.py file to make it run:

***********************************************************
diff modules/targets.py /data/catalyst/modules/targets.py
275c275
< if not os.path.exists(self.settings["boot/kernel/"+x+"/config"]:
---
> if not os.path.exists(self.settings["boot/kernel/"+x+"/config"]):
277c277
< retval=os.system("cp "+self.settings["boot/kernel/"+x+"/config "+self.settings["chroot_dir"]+"/var/tmp/"+x+".config")
---
> retval=os.system("cp "+self.settings["boot/kernel/"+x+"/config "]+self.settings["chroot_dir"]+"/var/tmp/"+x+".config")
281c281
< cmd(self.settings["sharedir"]+"/targets/livecd-stage2/livecd-stage2.sh run "+args))
---
> cmd(self.settings["sharedir"]+"/targets/livecd-stage2/livecd-stage2.sh run "+args)

*************************************************************************

After changing this, I was successfully able to create stage1, 2 and 3 for x86 architecture (with subarch pentium4). "grp" is also looking good (need to make a change to self.settings["grp"]) . It run successfully but it did not created any .bz2 file (does it suppose to create one? if so where it will be)

IMHO, this will increase popularity of gentoo manyfolds.

Please post your experience, tricks and tips for catalyst.

GentooBox · Veteran Joined: 22 Jun 2003 Posts: 1168 Location: Denmark

It would be nice with a ebuild that patches the source with your fixes (hacks).

many Gentoonites are really lazy.

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dol-sen · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 12:19 am Post subject:

Not bad, just a couple typos. did you post this to the gentoo-dev mail list so it would be fixed right away?
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Keyed · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 6:12 pm Post subject:

Well I was looking to see how to report the problems/fixes to get the latest catalyst working or if anyone had already encountered it, but it looks like you beat me to it. Search works wonders. Anyway snapshot building in progress.
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axxackall · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 9:38 am Post subject:

Can it be used to reate LiveDVD?
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Keyed · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 4:42 pm Post subject:

There are some additional changes needed in targets.py also. To get livecd-stage1 and livecd-stage2 just to initialize the environment correctly the following changes are needed:

DrNick · n00b Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 15 Location: Sweden

Hello everybody

to build the liveCD stages there's some additional patching needed. Here's what I did to get it going at least. Before the the portage snapshot I changed the keyword flag ~x86 to x86 in genkernel 3.0.1 beta2 and bootsplash 0.6-r2. Also added bootsplash as a package in the stage1 spec file.
Patch with
# patch -p0 < patchfile

Keyed · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the information. I saw that some changes were needed further down after the environment was initialized but haven't got to play with it yet. This should sve me some time.

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mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

For livecd-stage1 snapshot file (example folder) does not contain key:
livecd-stage1/use. Make sure to add this key, otherwise livecd-stage1 won't work. livecd-stage2/use key might be needed in livecd-stage2 build.

mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

If I want to use genkernel for livecd-stage2 kernel build, why does it require config file? Should it create automatically from genkernel?

mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

livecd-stage2 successfully emerge kernel source but than fail:

./catalyst -f x86-livecd-stage2-20031229.spec

spec file:
*************************************************************************
subarch: x86
version_stamp: 20031229
target: livecd-stage2
rel_type: default
rel_version: 1.4
snapshot: 20031229
source_subpath: default-x86-1.4/livecd-stage1-x86-20031229
boot/kernel: gentoo
boot/kernel/gentoo/sources: =sys-kernel/gentoo-dev-sources-2.6.0
boot/kernel/gentoo/config: /data/catalyst/mykernelconfig

***************************************************************************
error
**************************************************************************

>>> Regenerating /etc/ld.so.cache...
7G [ ok ] service dependencies...
>>> sys-kernel/gentoo-dev-sources-2.6.0 merged.

>>> clean: No packages selected for removal.

>>> Regenerating /etc/ld.so.cache...
7G [ ok ] service dependencies...
>>> Auto-cleaning packages ...

>>> No outdated packages were found on your system.

* GNU info directory index is up-to-date.
Unrecognized option "--kerneldir=/usr/src/linux"

catalyst: GRP build aborting due to error.

Keyed · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 9:02 pm Post subject:

Keyed · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 10:44 pm Post subject:

Here is an additional tidbit on where mine failed from the genkernel.log file:

mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

Get it and start testing, I will start doing it right away.

mepython · n00b Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 24

/etc/catalyst.conf has wrong default path for sharedir, is should be
sharedir="/usr/lib/catalyst" and comment out envscript if you don't have one.

Do 755 chmod /usr/lib/catalyst/targets/stage{1,2,3}/*.sh, otherwise chroot will fail

On other note, do we need USE variable while building stage1, stage2 or stage3?

kompressor · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:48 am Post subject:

Im having an issue when trying to make my stage1 target. It complains about

'catalyst: Can't find envscript /root/catalyst-env.sh'

I cant find this script anywhere on my system. any ideas?

~kompressor

gaz · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Oct 2002 Posts: 126

GenKiller · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:29 pm Post subject:

gaz · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Oct 2002 Posts: 126

cheers

right at the bottom where i didnt see it

kompressor · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 3:10 pm Post subject:

Thanx. that worked.

one more question. whats the differance between catalyst and livecd-ng?

langthang · Retired Dev Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 620

Have anyone created a liveCD using catalyst? If you did, can you post the steps. The Catalyst Reference Manual stop at licecd-stage2.

kompressor · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 1:43 am Post subject:

langthang: the last 2 targets aren't implemented yet. Thus livecd's cannot
be made as of yet.

So far I just completed stage2. stage1 took me about 30 hours to make.
mainly because my internet is pathetic. and it needs to emerge things to
create these targets. I was in awe when I saw stage1 tarball was a mere 12
megs.

kompressor · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 12:55 am Post subject:

I have a problem building my livecd-stage1:
i used the sample livecd-stage1.spec file. told it what snapshot and stage3 tar
ball to use but. the catalyst commned finished executing but it didnt build
anything. There are no new tar balls in my builds directory. Any ideas?

Rick S.

Clete2 · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 2:36 am Post subject:

Sweet, I will try later.

You CAN make an Enemy Territory or something CD, right?

(since gentoogames seems to be gone)
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langthang · Retired Dev Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 620