Re: Clarification of "Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide" Section 4.3.3.2

["Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net>]

Hi,

Richard Owlett wrote:
> I do find "isolinux.bin" in both sources.
> What are the difference among those three.

The file isolinux.bin is an El Torito "no emulation" boot image for
(legacy) BIOS. It is the first program that is executed by BIOS
when the ISO image is presented on CD, DVD, or BD media.
It is jobless on an USB stick.


> Which should I use?

Looking at the directory tree of debian-9.4.0-i386-netinst.iso i'd say
one of:
  /mnt/iso/install.386/gtk/vmlinuz
  /mnt/iso/install.386/vmlinuz
  /mnt/iso/install.386/xen/vmlinuz
and one of
  /mnt/iso/install.386/gtk/initrd.gz
  /mnt/iso/install.386/initrd.gz
  /mnt/iso/install.386/xen/initrd.gz

"xen" is for a virtual machine, i guess. "gtk" is the graphical installer.
and the "vmlinuz" in the parent is then probably what 4.3.3.2 in
  https://www.debian.org/releases/stretch/i386/ch04s03.html.en
tells you to look for as non-graphical installer.

I'd combine the chosen "vmlinuz" with the initrd.gz file from the same
directory.


> In neither source do I find a file named simply "linux".

Above URL states
  "change the name of the kernel binary to “linux” if you used a netboot image"
which probably refers to
  http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/stretch/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/
So i guess it's "vmlinuz" on installation ISOs and "linux" under some
other circumstances.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas