kernel presentation at ILUG on Sat.

[Jason Clinton]

admin at kclinux.net wrote:

>I don't see why not.  I've heard you can get linux to boot off of a USB 32MB
>(or higher) memory stick.  (Something I plan on trying as soon as I can find
>some information.  I got Windows 98 to work *don't ask* but haven't been
>able to get Linux to boot.)  With this technology coming out, I have a
>feeling floppies will be obsolete in the not-so-far future.
>
>
I have been trying too. I've looked /everywhere/ for documentation of
the hardware process that occurs here. I have a 256 mb drive. I've
discerned that the process is very different than booting from other
devices.

The drive appears as a SCSI drive in Linux. It has emmulated geometry
data. When I try installing grub to the master boot sector of the flash
drive, it fails. I can, however, install it to the MBR of any partitions
on the Flash Disk. It seems that the USB boot standard doesn't support
seeking to partitions for boot information, though. My computer just
skips right over the drive.

I'm beginning to think that some company has a patent on the boot
process and releasing details of the software process to make one of
these bootable would be a breach of a non-disclosure agreement. I,
literally, cannot find /anything/ about the actual process that occurs
when you use the Windows utility to create a bootable Flash Drive.

I don't know. I have heard, however, that Knoppix supports using your
USB Flash drive as a home directory. This means a bootable CD+USB Flash
Disk = Linux-In-Your-Pocket.

--
Jason Clinton
I don't believe in witty sigs.