liveUSB Installation
Very similar to the liveHD method, the liveUSB technique consists in copying the live system on a USB key. You can then carry pure:dyne and your files on a USB stick and use your nomad system in any machine which can perform boot on USB.
To make such a key you need to be either already running pure:dyne (from liveCD/DVD or liveHD) or you just need to be in any GNU/Linux distro system and have downloaded the pure:dyne ISO file. The recommended option if you are not sure is use the liveCD/DVD.
You will need a few utilities on the host system if they are not installed already. Make sure that they are recent versions. (at least syslinux needs to be > 3.71 otherwise it will not work)
sudo aptitude update sudo aptitude install dosfstools lilo syslinux mtools
Prepare the key
Create partition and filesystem
Using a GUI (Recommended method)
Install and configure the liveUSB
Now that your key is ready, we can copy the right files to it and install the bootloader. Assuming the key is already plugged, that its device is /dev/sdb and that we want to put the live system on the first partition.
Using unetbootin (the easy way)
Download unetbootin from sourceforge. http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net This is the easiest way for creating a live usb, with one mouseclick.
Using syslinux
Get the latest ISO image of pure:dyne and then as root:
cd ~ sudo /sbin/lilo -M /dev/sdb mkdir iso usb sudo mount /dev/sdb1 usb sudo mount -o loop puredyne-*.iso iso sudo cp -rv iso/* usb cd usb mv isolinux/* . sudo rm -rf isolinux/ sudo sed -i 's/\/isolinux//g' *.cfg sudo sed -i 's/\/isolinux//g' *.txt sudo mv isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg sudo mv isolinux.bin syslinux.bin cd .. sudo umount usb sudo umount iso syslinux /dev/sdb1 rm -rf iso usb
That's it! :)
Configuring the Boot process
If you need an interaction-free boot, you may want to remove the prompts. To change the timeout for syslinux, prompt.cfg needs to be edited If you get a video mode prompt remove vga=791 from menu.cfg and it should boot right away in the default video mode of your graphics card.
Using grub
This method doesn't always work with mactel; it is working on our test macbook but only that. It may depend on exactly what brand of USB stick you have as well. (edit)
Another possible way to make a bootable usb with puredyne is to use grub instead of syslinux. this method may produce keys that will also boot on a new mactel if you have rEFIt installed. Refit is an easy to install graphical bootloader for systems that use EFI instead of BIOS for the boot process.
mkdir iso usb sudo mount /dev/sdb1 usb sudo mount -o loop puredyne-*.iso iso sudo cp -rv iso/* usb cd usb sudo rm -rf isolinux cd .. sudo grub-install --root-directory=usb --no-floppy /dev/sdb1 cp usb/extra/grub/menu.lst usb/boot/grub sudo umount usb sudo umount iso
Even on PC-type systems, there seems to be some differences between people's experiences that seem only to be attributable to the USB stick itself. Some sticks work if you use grub-install onto the root of the device, instead of onto the partition, i.e.
sudo grub-install --root-directory=usb --no-floppy /dev/sdb
It may be necessary to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst and try altering the grub ID of the drive, i.e. whether it is (hd0,0) or (hd1,0).
It may work to boot into grub and use the commandline, instead of using grub-install:
grub> setup (hd0) or grub> setup (hd0,0)
Try not to trash the grub on your main harddrive by getting mixed up about the grub-id of the drive! Sometimes it changes unexpectedly.
Using refit and grub2 on the usb
This method will work on a any machine including mactels. More info soon after some more testing.