How to Use KLV-Airedale Installed on a USB Stick?

[JusGellin]

I tried installing KLV-Airedale on a USB stick, but with no success.
I installed it the same as I had done for the internal drive of a laptop, which worked.

When the USB stick boots, it fails and say it can't find vmlinuz.
But the path is correct.

I built the USB the same as the internal drive.
Partition 1 fat32 bootable
Partition 2 ext4 with directory KLV-Airedale.

I used Grub2Config bootloader config to make the grub.cfg
Then I adapted the UUID for the USB stick using wd_grubconfig script.

Shouldn't this work? I made sure the USB stick worked by putting BookwormPup on it and booting up.

I also tried KLV-vmHost by doing the same thing for the USB stick unsuccessfully.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

[Geek3579]

Just checking...
What is your boot script for KLV-Airdale? It will be significantly different from Bookwormpup.

I think its similar to the one at the bottom of this post: viewtopic.php?t=3965

[JusGellin]

Just checking...
What is your boot script for KLV-Airdale? It will be significantly different from Bookwormpup.

I think its similar to the one at the bottom of this post: viewtopic.php?t=3965

Here's what I'm using.

This is a copy for what I can use on the internal ssd drive except for
partition 2 label is called linuxusb which is used for the first menu.
The second menu uses the USB stick's UUID for the second partition (I've verified the UUID using blkid).
This looks like the reference you gave in the link. (Thanks for that by the way - I hadn't seen that before)
I built these menus using the script, wd_grubconfig that came with the iso.
It fails on either menu.

Code: Select all

# grub.cfg produced by grub2config 2.1.1
set default=0
set timeout=10			
insmod all_video
insmod gfxterm
insmod png
insmod jpeg
terminal_output gfxterm
set menu_color_highlight=yellow/blue
set gfxmode=auto
set theme=/theme/puppy/theme.txt
#####grub.cfg (note the UUID or LABEL options below):
menuentry "KLV-Airedale-sr16" {
  insmod ext2
  search --no-floppy --label linuxusb --set
  linux /KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz w_bootfrom=LABEL=linuxusb=/KLV-Airedale-sr16 w_changes=RAM2
  initrd /KLV-Airedale-sr16/initrd.gz
}
#############################OR uuid method:
menuentry "KLV-Airedale-sr16" {
  insmod ext2
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9
  linux /KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz w_bootfrom=UUID=78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9=/KLV-Airedale-sr16 w_changes=RAM2
  initrd /KLV-Airedale-sr16/initrd.gz
}

if [ $grub_platform = "efi" ] ; then
menuentry 'UEFI Firmware Settings' --class puppylinux{
	fwsetup
}
fi

	# custom menu
	if [ -f /custom.cfg ] ;then source /custom.cfg ;fi

Using either menu gives the following error on three different laptops I have.
First menu:

Code: Select all

error: no such device: linuxusb.
error: file '/KLV/-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

(Edit: above should be error: file '/KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.)
Second menu:

Code: Select all

error: no such device: 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9.
[c]error: file '/KLV/-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.[/c]
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

(Edit: above should be error: file '/KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.)
Thanks

[bigpup]

The errors seem to indicate that KLV, in the name of the install directory, is being seen as a separate directory, it is looking in for the files.
error: file '/KLV/-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.

Try changing the name of the install directory to:

Airedale-sr16

Then rerun making the boot loader menu entries.

[wiak]

Second menu:

Code: Select all

error: no such device: 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9.
error: file '/KLV/-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

Thanks

First of all, the directory name KLV-Airedale-sr16 is perfectly fine. Don't change it.

Odd thing is that error saying: KLV/-Airedale-sr1; whre I wonder does that '/' after KLV come from? Very usual. Something wrong, but what you write above that all thus far looks perfectly good, correct, and fine to me (though obviously we have not spotted something or you may not have posted something relevant, though what you post looks fine to me.

By the way, wd_grubconfig is always 100% accurate in what it tells you is a stanza that will work. Put the thought that it has worked exact stanzas wrongly out of your mind. It has never failed in its completely accurate report including LABEL name and UUID it provides. I simply do not suspect its report at all. The problem is something else. It is not at all the name of the directory (unless you accidentally included an extra / as the error message prints.

As an example, on my system I use exactly what wd_grubconfig (run as ./wd_grubconfig from a terminal opened at the frugal install bootfrom directory) told me to use and it works, of course, perfectly. Boots fine:

menuentry "KLV_Airedale" {
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set b53e4140-1ad7-4679-aa81-b713fc049fe6
linux /KLV_Airedale/vmlinuz w_bootfrom=UUID=b53e4140-1ad7-4679-aa81-b713fc049fe6=/KLV_Airedale w_changes=RAM2
initrd /KLV_Airedale/initrd.gz
}

Looks much like yours. Of course needs to be a Linux formatted partition. I actually use ext4. Let's see if rockedge, Sofiya, or geo_c can spot anything I have failed to notice. Also, can @rockedge confirm that KLV-Airedale version sr1 is booting okay for him. I suspect the issue is a small one, but so far I can't see what it could be, BUT, don't split up the frugal install directory name trying to get boot to succeed - that really is not the way to solve this. Basically should just work and does for most of us - something not obvious is causing this boot failure so don't give up. Booting a KLV is trivially easy and you seem to have understood how to do it.

EDIT: Note that it is grub2 that does the job of finding vmlinuz so an error in finding it comes during grub2 code stage and not FirstRib initrd.gz stage that comes after vmlinuz has been found by grub. Are you sure your grub2 install is correct and working to boot other distros (which would mean it was working)?

[JusGellin]

The errors seem to indicate that KLV, in the name of the install directory, is being seen as a separate directory, it is looking in for the files.
error: file '/KLV/-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.

Try changing the name of the install directory to:

Airedale-sr16

Then rerun making the boot loader menu entries.

That was a mistype on my part
I couldn't capture that error message so I had to type it and fumble fingered it.
I'm sorry about that.

But I did rename the folder as to your suggestion, but still received the boot error.
First menu:

Code: Select all

error: no such device: linuxusb.
error: file '/Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

Second menu:

Code: Select all

error: no such device: 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9.
error: file '/Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz' not found.
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

Shucks! I hoped that was it!

Thanks

[wiak]

I do suggest simplifying things at this stage and take out all of the following from your grub.cfg file:

Code: Select all

#####grub.cfg (note the UUID or LABEL options below):
menuentry "KLV-Airedale-sr16" {
  insmod ext2
  search --no-floppy --label linuxusb --set
  linux /KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz w_bootfrom=LABEL=linuxusb=/KLV-Airedale-sr16 w_changes=RAM2
  initrd /KLV-Airedale-sr16/initrd.gz
}
#############################OR uuid method:

I wouldn't myself normally include all these comments that came from wd_grubconfig report (they are just for your information) and for now just concentrate on UUID method. That is just include:

Code: Select all

menuentry "KLV-Airedale-sr16" {
  insmod ext2
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9
  linux /KLV-Airedale-sr16/vmlinuz w_bootfrom=UUID=78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9=/KLV-Airedale-sr16 w_changes=RAM2
  initrd /KLV-Airedale-sr16/initrd.gz
}

in your overall grub.cfg

[wiak]

Also, are you certain your frugal install directory is indeed named KLV-Airedale-sr16

and have you checked it actually does contain a vmlinuz?

FInally, have you checked your usb partition is not damaged (i.e. using fsck)?

The stanza you are using is, I can assure you, perfectly correct in form. So the failure to boot is something weird.

[wiak]

Biggest clue is the error message:

error: no such device: 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9

That would be grub2 giving you that message, but you say you definitely do have a partition with UUID 78b4f842-9e69-4542-af75-4cd49455aad9? That would be illogical or grub2 would be finding it.

If grub can't find the partition, it certainly can't find the files!!! So I question again, is that grub working correctly to boot other distros? Need to know that in this case really.

[JusGellin]

@wiak
My comment above shows I typed the error wrong.

I'll follow your suggestions.
I'll do this on a different USB stick
and shorten the grub.cfg code

It's still probably something I'm not quite doing.

Thanks

[JusGellin]

@wiak
Yes, that UUID is for the USB stick.
I used what wd_grubconfig gave me and also verified it with blkid

[wiak]

@wiak
Yes, that UUID is for the USB stick.
I used what wd_grubconfig gave me and also verified it with blkid

Well that much will be correct.

Check grub install is okay (for example, if you can boot Puppy Linux with it then stanza for KLV suggested by wd_grubconfig should work fine). Yes, could also be a dodgy usb stick though.

[JusGellin]

Success! Bottom line - I got it to work even using the same usb on the original laptop I was using.

I caused my own problems for this.
I remember reading one of the topics a while back for the KL's that mentioned that when building they
just copied the .sfs's, vmlinuz and initrd.gz to the root partition.
So that's what I did when building this on the internal drive - which worked fine.

Then when I thought to try to build this on a USB stick I did the same thing - but it didn't work.

So after trying this on another computer, which didn't work,
I reformated another USB stick and it occured to me that when I started to install the KLV on the internal drive several months ago, I just copied
everything from the iso to the folder on the root drive.
That's what I did.
I then made the esp partition bootable and again ran wd_grubconfig to set up the boot for the USB stick.
Booting up worked.

I ran this USB stick on the original laptop - it worked

Then I thought that must have been the problem so I copied the missing files/folders to the original USB
But rebooting with this didn't work

So I did a complete reformat/copy all files/folders to the root paritition, set it up to boot.
This now worked also

So there must be something important that the USB stick needed from some other of fhe files that I didn't copy.

Thanks @wiak for looking into this for me.
It sometimes is just good to get confirmation that something normally works and that I need to go farther to figure it out.
It's a good experience find ways to look at things to try when troubleshooting problems, especially ones I cause myself.

I really appreciate your help and knowledge. This is a great product to learn from.

[rockedge]

When I assemble a KLV on a USB stick I will create sub-directory to place the components in. I assign a LABEL name to the partition on the USB drive but I tend to use the UUID.

Several times I ran into the same problem and it wouldn't boot......I kept copying the boot stanza from wd_grubconfig and not realizing the LABEL name was missing because I never assigned a LABEL name to that partition. Usually it is a simple syntax error or typo in the boot stanza that causes problems. Like not using the correct sub-directory name and wondering why it will not find the vmlinuz

[JusGellin]

Yes, it's an adventure, isn't it?

[Geek3579]

If you are trying to boot a potentially lower USB stick try adding nousbwait=5 to the linux GRUB line, or even nousbwait=10. Worth a try.

[wiak]

If you are trying to boot a potentially lower USB stick try adding nousbwait=5 to the linux GRUB line, or even nousbwait=10. Worth a try.

Sorry, but you must be referring to some other distro boot arguments. KL distros don't use that argument at all. Nor do they need it since there is a routine that waits for usb to settle, but once usb is ready the waiting automatically stops.

[rockedge]

there was early on the development of Kennel Linux a type of a usbwait function but it was replaced by automatic waiting. I believe it might still be possible to use the KL wait command in the boot stanza. I think @wiak left it in.........