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Install system via x64 Linux?

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stasheck
Posts: 126
Joined: 15 Jan 2014, 13:13

Install system via x64 Linux?

Post by stasheck »

Hi,
I am wondering if it's possible to install OS in "passive" mode - B3's HDD connected via USB to x64 host system?

I guess there's more to it than just copying files to the drive, updating flash to new kernel location for example? If so, how?
MouettE
Site admin
Posts: 341
Joined: 06 Oct 2011, 19:45

Re: Install system via x64 Linux?

Post by MouettE »

Hello,

It's completely possible to do the install this way. However there is a few caveats:
  • The drive partition table should be GPT (MBR should work)
  • filesystem for root should be ext3 ; ext2 should work also
  • the kernel must be located in the first partition of the disk, in the /boot folder
The simplest setup is to create a first partition for root (min 10G) and a second partition for swap. then mount root, untar the archive on it and it should boot with no issue.
Gordon
Posts: 1461
Joined: 10 Aug 2011, 03:18

Re: Install system via x64 Linux?

Post by Gordon »

Yes, it is really just copying files/extracting a tarball. The main question however is what OS you want to install.

The original OS installation defaults to setting up a Logical Volume for swap and /home to enable RAID setup. If you are using the original disk you require `mdadm` and `lvm2` packages to access the partitions inside that logical volume.

I would not touch the B3 flash memory unless you really know what you are doing. It's tricky already to even change the environment variables to alter the boot sequence and/or kernel parameters and you should really get a serial cable to get the correct results.

The uboot wants to access /boot/uImage on the first partition of the disk, which must be ext3 formatted. Uboot also passes `root=/dev/sda1` to the kernel, so if you want root to be on a different file system you will need to override that by either editing the uboot environment in flash (see previous note), specifying a fixed command line in the kernel uImage, or boot into a secondary boot manager (Example - follow the preboot kernel link).
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