Re: Copying complete SET of installation DVDs to a USB stick

[Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net>]

Chris Bannister wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 12, 2014 at 09:01:05AM -0500, Richard Owlett wrote:
> > I will be installing Debian at locations which DO NOT have internet.
> > Instead of juggling a stack of DVDs, I want everything on a USB stick.
> > I am using Debian 6.0.5 as test case - it's what I have available.
> > There was no problem copying the first DVD to the beginning of the USB stick
> > with dd.
> > I did a preliminary test by booting to the USB stick and the install program
> > apparently worked OK.
> >
> > I rebooted to an operable system and created a large partition on the
> > remainder of the flash drive. I then attempted to copy DVDs to the flash
> > drive using first
> >      cp -r -l /media/cdrom0 /media/mydrive/disk1
> > I aborted when started receiving error messages of failure with link files.
> > I then tried
> >      cp -r -l /media/cdrom0 /media/mydrive/disk1
> > I aborted that also reviving similar error messages.
> >
> > How should I be doing this?
>
> man cp
>
> IOW you are probably missing an option, perhaps the -a, or even the -H?
>
> This is only a suggestion, I'd play around with them and see which one
> gives the desired behaviour.

I had read both the manpage and textinfo for cp.
That doesn't mean I understood what I read.
Your references to "-a" and "-H" clued me in to how I misread 
description of "-l".

I suspect that Rick's suggestion to investigate loop mounting an 
iso image is a better match for my ill-defined mental image of 
what I'm trying to do.

Thank you.