Bug#596633: USB install fails
Joey Hess wrote:
The mini.iso contains only the netboot kernel and initrd, it is not
useful to put that on a USB stick. I think that the documentation about
putting a CD image on the USB stick is fairly clear about using an image
that will work, such as the netinst image:
Next, download a Debian netinst CD image, and copy that file to the
memory stick; any filename is ok as long as it ends in .iso.
Actually, the instructions AREN'T that clear. The instructions start out
with:
"There are two installation methods possible when booting from USB
stick. The first is to install completely from the network. The second
is to also copy a CD image onto the USB stick and use that as a source
for packages, possibly in combination with a mirror. This second method
is the more common.
For the first installation method you'll need to download an installer
image from the |netboot| directory (at the location mentioned in Section
4.2.1, “Where to Find Installation Images”
<http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/ch04s02.html#where-files>)
and use the “flexible way” explained below to copy the files to the USB
stick."
The only installer image in the netboot directory is mini.iso
I started out using "the flexible way" and a netinst iso - but that
failed. I then tried the mini.iso - both alpha1 and the daily build.
I just tried with the latest netinst iso
http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/daily-builds/daily/arch-latest/i386/iso-cd/debian-testing-i386-netinst.iso
dated 9/13/10
Seems to work. (By work, I mean the installer found the .iso. It's doing
the install now. If that doesn't work, that would be a different problem.)
So.... conclusions seems to be:
1. Initial problem was a result of incompatibilities between the alpha1
netinst.iso and the USB installer bits
2. Subsequent problem was on my end - using the mini.iso from the daily
build instead of the netinst.iso
3. The manual pages are really broken regarding USB installation.
4. The basic bug report can be closed out, but might want to be
re-opened as a documentation bug. If somebody wants to point me in the
right direction I can open that and/or take a stab at rewriting the
install instructions based on my recent experience. I'd need some
direction as to: a) how to submit documentation, and b) since the
documentation will need to change at release time (from: use the daily
build bits, to a final formulation), what might be the procedure for
submitting two versions of the documentation?
Miles Fidelman
--
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In<fnord> practice, there is. .... Yogi Berra
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