[gentoo-amd64] Re: boot Gentoo from USB key

[Duncan]

Raffaele BELARDI <raffaele.belardi@××.com> posted
1209537833.6170.62.camel@×××××××××××××.com, excerpted below, on  Wed, 30
Apr 2008 08:43:53 +0200:

> In the process of building an amd64 diskless box, I am trying to make a
> bootable USB key with no success up to now.
>
> The first problem I encountered was related to ext2/vfat. I initially
> tried to format the key as ext2, but grub refuses to install on it. Even
> though I copied the /boot/grub/* directory into the key, and I see it is
> there, grub does not see it. The problem does not happen with vfat.

I think I might have come across the problem you experienced here.  I'd 
put the chances at pretty good the below covers the problem here, but I 
believe the "invisible USBkey @ boot" issue is different, so you'll 
likely have to address it separately (but luckily there are plenty of 
posts with suggestions).

If I'm correct you're running into the ext3 large inode issue.  Briefly, 
old versions used 128 byte inodes, while newer versions use 256 byte 
inodes by default, in ordered to be ready for the improvements coming in 
ext4.  The problem is that legacy grub doesn't support the larger inodes, 
and isn't being developed any longer so that isn't going to change, while 
new grub isn't even scheduled for format compatibility stability until 
late this year!

One solution is a command line option to mke2fs as detailed in the 
article below.  Or...

There's a Gentoo patched grub-0.97-r5 that'll handle the new inodes hard 
masked for testing, but I don't believe it's even ~arch yet (I'm on the 
no-multilib profile here, where grub is masked and grub-static is used, 
so wouldn't see it go to ~arch and thus can't say for sure).

Here's the article I just found detailing the issue in general.  It's 
well worth reading but a word of warning.  LinuxPlanet tends to be a bit 
ad-heavy... and weirdly formatted if you are using an ad-blocker (unless 
you use a custom filter to cut out the weirdness, as I do with privoxy).  
Still, for those using both grub and an ext3 /boot, it's DEFINITELY worth 
the read, as it may prevent (or in your case fix) some serious issues 
later (now, for you).

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/6480/1/

Meanwhile, here's the developer list thread (via gmane) asking for 
testing of the new version with the large-inode patch, among other fixes.

http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.devel/55463

Finally, the Gentoo-grub ext3 large inodes bug:

http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=214563

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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