[mini-HowTo] Gentoo Linux LiveCD for Dummies!

scriptX · n00b Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

I actually didn't have it compiled in... I did compile it just last night, haven't had a chance to try again. Hopefully it'll work now...

scriptX · n00b Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

The problem was that I didn't have it compiled in, now I do and have finished the tutorial. A new problem arises:

hanni_ali · n00b Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 57 Location: UK, London

If your still getting it check you have all the options in the kernel reccommended it sounds like something's missing or maybe an issue with your menu.lst in grub.

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:27 am Post subject:

As sh says, you're missing the pivot_root executable. Either you forgot to copy it under /bin or it's in a directory that isn't included in the PATH env variable.

Try mounting the initrd, chrooting into it (chroot /mnt/initrd /bin/sh) and then calling /bin/pivot_root. If it exists and works, check the PATH variable set inside the linuxrc script.
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scriptX · n00b Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

I used

scriptX · n00b Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:27 am Post subject:

I don't know what that enter.sh is but have you recreated the environment variables running "env-update && source /etc/profile"? Try running it. Have you tried running /sbin/ifconfig instead of just ifconfig?
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scriptX · n00b Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:37 am Post subject:

As the first command you ran shows, there is no ifconfig under /sbin. I don't know what the hell you're doing but ifconfig is in the base system in Gentoo so something has gone VERY wrong...
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hanni_ali · n00b Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 57 Location: UK, London

I have a question I've been using this sort of thing for creating livecd's for about a year now but I cannot get automounting to work once the livecd boots into kde

any suggestions

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:45 am Post subject:

You'll find several threads about automounting with KDE. You need hal (dbus too of course) and pmount. It works flawlessly for me.
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hanni_ali · n00b Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 57 Location: UK, London

On a LiveCD?

I want kdemedia manager to mount ANY removable device plugged into the system but mainly just usbflash drives

they are detected they can be mounted manually but not automatically

I have all those

dbus, hal, kde 3.4.3, pmount...

I'd also tried using ivman but I've removed that now

And hours and hours of effort how come it won't work

I've tried udev rules as well

plus automounting as root using kdemedia manager is ita ny different?

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:02 pm Post subject:

Sorry but you don't make any sense and this is not the place to ask anyway. Please refer to a thread about automounting under KDE and ask there. Only thing I can tell you is that I configured KDE as I would have configured it on a nromal installation and it works from the LiveCD as it doeas from the hard disk. If you have any problem regarding the making of a livecd or the guide itself I'll help you as much as I can.
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fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

I just don't get the right device for the cd rom probed. When I boot the livecd I created it somehow always tries to determine a cdrom on my harddrive /dev/hda*. I got 9 partitions, mostly reiserfs. In the boot process it assumes to find a cdrom device on /dev/hda9. I even kicked hda and hdb from my linuxrc script, still, the same! I still probes my harddrive... I disabled the harddrive in the bios, still, it determines my cdrom on /dev/hda9...
I spent hours and hours and hours trying to get a working livecd (need it for installing on a raid with a promise TX2300, I seem to need kernel-2.6.15 or newer...)
I found your smooth guide hours and hours after already trying to suceed with another guide:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_build_a_LiveCD_from_scratch

On that guide, the script linuxrc is missing totally! It is mentioned in the boot kernel command, but..
Therefore I needed one, found one here and tried to adapt the needed things. My linuxrc ended up like this:

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject:

(I think veezi's not around anymore)

After you replaced genkernel's initrd with the one you posted where does it fail? What's the error message? The linuxrc from this guide won't try to mount hda9 so it must be something else. You can try my own guide too if you want but you'll have to modify many things.
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fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

The cd boots and finds the kernel, that's all fine. Afterwards the linuxrc starts and tries to find the appropriate cdrom. There it fails! It just goes for any hd* devices and tries to mount them. It finally finds the /dev/hda9 and starts mounting it.. There the error appears, as it can't find "livecd.squashfs" and exits, I get the error I should append a correct "loop=" line.
The point is, I don't understand why my hda gets probed, I removed that one from the linuxrc. I wouldn't care if I only got the option of being able to mount /dev/hdc, since mostly I connect the cdroms and dvds on the master of the second IDE...
Since I followed the other guide, where there cannot be found any linuxrc at all, I am not sure anymore, if its my linuxrc that gets executed at all... I could imagine that the genkernel initrd tries to probe the cdrom device.. Just don't know anything anymore... :cry:

Maybe someone knows how to achieve using my livecd. Otherwise I most probably will start all over and try your guide!.. Just a bit tired of "trying" ;-)

But thanks anyway!
greets!
fidel

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 4:17 pm Post subject:

Is what you're using an initrd or an initramfs? I suggest you go the initrd way. You could try rebuilding the initrd from scratch, it takes only a little time. Refer to the relevant part of this guide or section number 5 of my guide if you wish to try that. Once you have an initrd just modify the bootloader's configuratin so that it loads it.
I'm saying this because although what you write is confused it seems to me that your problem is that your linuxrc isn't being executed at all. There is no other explanation since it keeps doing things it cannot do.
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fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

It really was an initramfs and NOT an initrd!.. Noob me didn't know that not only the name of the file differs! :oops:

I'm no building the cd again, trying to succeed with an initrd, I was a bit scared of the complexity of building an initrd, therefore I liked to use genkernel just needing to type genkernel initrd.. Stupid thing it still creates an initramfs!... I still don't know the difference of it though, will keep on reading!
Thanks once again! I'll see if it works, otherwise I really start all over again...
By the way, do I need livecd-tools installed? According to
http://de.gentoo-wiki.com/Eigene_LiveCD_bauen_ohne_catalyst
grub only understands the cdroot parameter having livecd-tools installed...
greets!
fidel

[edit]
Now my cd boots, loads the kernel and leaves me at a sh-prompt.. ok, I will start all over and use your guide!
[/edit]

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:02 pm Post subject:

I think livecd-tools are needed only for genkernel's initramfs. I'm not sure though. When I still used grub I had no problems without that package, it booted the CD just fine (now I use isolinux).
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sixtymhz · n00b Joined: 16 May 2005 Posts: 7

What is the roots passwd on the livecd?? Or how can I set it so I can use emeger and such?

Thanks.

fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

The root password on the livecd is not set, you can set a password using

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:23 am Post subject:

fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

Sorry!
... and sorry for asking again! I am getting closer, just another stupid newbie question: where do I have to put the linuxrc script? Does this go into livecd/source/linuxrc or livecd/source/boot/linuxrc or livecd/source/mnt/initrd/linuxrc...??

Lepaca Kliffoth · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:39 pm Post subject:

Sorry for what??

Anyway, short: linuxrc goes inside the initrd.

Long: linuxrc is a script called by the kernel; instead of calling /sbin/init it calls linuxrc, which is a behaviour you trigger with the "init=/linuxrc" parameter you put in the kernel commandline, specified inside the bootloader's configuration, "kernel (cd)/boot/vmlinuz init=/linuxrc root=/dev/ram0" for grub. Since the kernel doesn't mount the root fs straight away you can't just keep linuxrc somewhere inside the root fs. The kernel mounts the initrd -- "initrd (cd)/boot/initrd" in grub's configuration -- and then tries to execute linuxrc. That's why the linuxrc script must be inside the initrd. Don't put it under /bin; it must be directly under / unless you change "init=/linuxrc" to something else. You have to mount the initrd with "mount -o loop initrd /somewhere" and then "mv linuxrc /somewhere/". Make sure linuxrc has the exec flag enabled: "chmod +x /somewhere/linuxrc". That's all.
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fidel · Guru Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 407 Location: CH

Thanks!
I get a kernel panic, linuxrc not found. I already copied (in the chroot) the linuxrc file (executable!) to /boot/linuxrc /linuxrc and have the same content in /mnt/initrd/linuxrc
My /boot/grub/menu.lst: