mirror of
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/gnuboot.git
synced 2025-01-03 14:57:42 +01:00
Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli
6e5e4f3421
Before being merged with the commitdc6e1f32c1
("Import website-build to build the GNU Boot website."), website-build was a separate git repository. And so, even after the merge, until the commit20d122e94a
("website-build: use website from local git repository."), it still worked in the same way and still downloaded the website from git. This prevented merging the website and website-build directories together as the GNU Boot repository also needed to be a valid Untitled website repository as well. Now after this commit, the website is built from the same git tree, so we can simply adjust the build scripts to be able to move things around. In addition of making things more clear for contributors, it also simplify the migration to haunt as with haunt we typically have the haunt.cfg (and the autotools build code if needed) code in the top directory and the markdown files in a subdirectory. Signed-off-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo@cyberdimension.org> Acked-by: Adrien 'neox' Bourmault <neox@gnu.org>
181 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
181 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Installing GNU+Linux
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x-unreviewed: true
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...
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# Introduction
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This guide assumes that you are using the GNU GRUB bootloader directly.
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If you're using SeaBIOS, it's quite intuitive and works similarly to other BIOS
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software; refer to the documentation on <https://seabios.org/SeaBIOS>.
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This guide explains how to prepare a bootable USB for Libreboot systems that
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can be used to install several GNU+Linux distributions. For this guide, you
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will only need a USB flash drive and the `dd` utility (it's installed into all
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GNU+Linux distributions, by default).
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These instructions are intended to be generic, applicable to just about any
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GNU+Linux distribution.
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## Prepare the USB Drive in GNU+Linux
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If you downloaded your ISO while on an existing GNU+Linux system, here is how
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to create the bootable GNU+Linux USB drive:
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Connect the USB drive. Check `lsblk`, to confirm its device name
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(e.g., **/dev/sdX**):
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lsblk
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For this example, let's assume that our drive's name is `sdb`. Make sure that
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it's not mounted:
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sudo umount /dev/sdb
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Overwrite the drive, writing your distro ISO to it with `dd`. For example, if
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we are installing *Foobarbaz* GNU+Linux, and it's located in our Downloads
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folder, this is the command we would run:
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sudo dd if=~/Downloads/foobarbaz.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M; sync
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That's it! You should now be able to boot the installer from your USB drive
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(the instructions for doing so will be given later).
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## Prepare the USB drive in NetBSD
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[This page](https://wiki.netbsd.org/tutorials/how_to_install_netbsd_from_an_usb_memory_stick/)
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on the NetBSD website shows how to create a NetBSD bootable USB drive, from
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within NetBSD itself. You should the `dd` method documented there. This will
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work with any GNU+Linux ISO image.
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## Prepare the USB drive in FreeBSD
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[This page](https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/bsdinstall-pre.html) on the
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FreeBSD website shows how to create a bootable USB drive for installing
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FreeBSD. Use the `dd` method documented. This will work with any GNU+Linux ISO
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image.
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## Prepare the USB drive in LibertyBSD or OpenBSD
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If you downloaded your ISO on a LibertyBSD or OpenBSD system, here is how to
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create the bootable GNU+Linux USB drive:
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Connect the USB drive. Run `lsblk` to determine which drive it is:
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lsblk
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To confirm that you have the correct drive, use `disklabel`. For example,
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if you thought the correct drive were **sd3**, run this command:
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disklabel sd3
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Make sure that the device isn't mounted, with `doas`; if it is, this command
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will unmount it:
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doas umount /dev/sd3i
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The `lsblk` command told you what device it is. Overwrite the drive, writing
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the OpenBSD installer to it with `dd`. Here's an example:
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doas dd if=gnulinux.iso of=/dev/rsdXc bs=1M; sync
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That's it! You should now be able to boot the installer from your USB drive
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(the instructions for doing so will be given later).
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## Debian or Devuan net install
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Download the Debian or Devuan net installer. You can download the Debian ISO
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from [the Debian homepage](https://www.debian.org/), or the Devuan ISO from
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[the Devuan homepage](https://www.devuan.org/).
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Secondly, create a bootable USB drive using the commands in
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[#prepare-the-usb-drive-in-gnulinux](#prepare-the-usb-drive-in-gnulinux).
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Thirdly, boot the USB and enter these commands in the GRUB terminal
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(for 64-bit Intel or AMD):
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set root='usb0'
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linux /install.amd/vmlinuz
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initrd /install.amd/initrd.gz
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boot
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If you are on a 32-bit system (e.g. some Thinkpad X60's) then you will need to
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use these commands (this is also true for 32-bit running on 64-bit machines):
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set root='usb0'
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linux /install.386/vmlinuz
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initrd /install.386/initrd.gz
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boot
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## Booting ISOLINUX Images (Automatic Method)
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Boot it in GRUB using the `Parse ISOLINUX config (USB)` option. A new menu
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should appear in GRUB, showing the boot options for that distro; this is a GRUB
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menu, converted from the usual ISOLINUX menu provided by that distro.
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## Booting ISOLINUX Images (Manual Method)
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These are generic instructions. They may or may not be correct for your
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distribution. You must adapt them appropriately, for whatever GNU+Linux
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distribution it is that you are trying to install.
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If the `ISOLINUX parser` or `Search for GRUB configuration` options won't work,
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then press `C` in GRUB to access the command line, then run the `ls` command:
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ls
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Get the device name from the above output (e.g., `usb0`). Here's an example:
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cat (usb0)/isolinux/isolinux.cfg
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Either the output of this command will be the ISOLINUX menuentries for that
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ISO, or link to other `.cfg` files (e.g, **/isolinux/foo.cfg**). For example,
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if the file found were **foo.cfg**, you would use this command:
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cat (usb0)/isolinux/foo.cg`
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And so on, until you find the correct menuentries for ISOLINUX.
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For Debian-based distros (e.g., Ubuntu, Devuan), there are typically
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menuentries listed in **/isolinux/txt.cfg** or **/isolinux/gtk.cfg**. For
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dual-architecture ISO images (i686 and x86\_64), there may be separate files
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directories for each architecture. Just keep searching through the image,
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until you find the correct ISOLINUX configuration file.
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**NOTE: Debian 8.6 ISO only lists 32-bit boot options in txt.cfg.
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This is important, if you want 64-bit booting on your system. Devuan versions
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based on Debian 8.x may also have the same issue.**
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Now, look at the ISOLINUX menuentry; it'll look like this:
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kernel /path/to/kernel append PARAMETERS initrd=/path/to/initrd ...
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GRUB works similarly; here are some example GRUB commands:
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set root='usb0'
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linux /path/to/kernel PARAMETERS MAYBE_MORE_PARAMETERS
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initrd /path/to/initrd
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boot
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Note: `usb0` may be incorrect. Check the output of the `ls` command (in GRUB),
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to see a list of USB devices/partitions. Of course, this will vary from distro
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to distro. If you did all of that correctly, then it should now be booting your
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USB drive in the way that you specified.
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## Troubleshooting
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Most of these issues occur when using Libreboot with coreboot's `text-mode`
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with libgfxinit for video initialization. This mode is useful for text mode
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payloads, like `MemTest86+`, which expect `text-mode`, but for GNU+Linux
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distributions it can be problematic when they are trying to switch to a
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framebuffer, because no mode switching support is present (Linux/BSD kernels
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do Kernel Mode Setting, so they are able to initialize a frame buffer in bare
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metal regardless of whatever coreboot is doing).
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### debian-installer Graphical Corruption in Text-Mode (Debian and Devuan)
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When using the ROM images that use Coreboot's `text mode`, instead of the
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coreboot framebuffer, while using libgfxinit, booting the Debian or Devuan net
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installer results in graphical corruption, because it is trying to switch to a
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framebuffer while no mode switching support is present. Use this kernel
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parameter on the `linux` line, when booting it:
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fb=false
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This forces debian-installer to start in `text-mode`, instead of trying to
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switch to a framebuffer.
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If selecting `text-mode` from a GRUB menu created using the ISOLINUX parser,
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you can press `E` on the menu entry to add this. Or, if you are booting
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manually (from GRUB terminal), then just add the parameters.
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