Create a Bootable Device: Difference between revisions

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= Alpine on USB =
{{Note|These instructions are exclusively for x86_64 and x86. For ARM boards, see [[Alpine_on_ARM#Preparing_installation_media|Alpine on ARM]].}}
== Manual Process ==
=== What you will need ===
* USB memory stick
* Computer
* Alpine Linux CD
CD images can be downloaded from the Alpine Linux Web site (http://wiki.alpinelinux.org).
=== Prepare to modify USB Stick ===
* Insert the Alpine Linux CD into a computer.
* Boot the computer from the Alpine Linux CD.
This step may require changes to the BIOS settings to select booting from CD.
* Login with the username '''root'''. No password is needed.
* Insert the USB stick into the computer.
* Determine the name Alpine Linux uses for your USB stick. The following step is one way to do this.


After inserting the USB stick, run the command: '''dmesg'''. At the end of this command you should see the name of your USB stick, likely starting with '''sd'''.
This page is about creating customizable boot devices for '''[[Installation#Diskless_Mode|diskless]]''' or '''[[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|data]]''' disk-mode Alpine Linux using a writable filesystem i.e. not iso9660, so that local customizations like apkovl files and cached packages can be stored. It allows to also upgrade the kernel with its modules and firmware that is used to boot the system with the [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Upgrading_.22diskless.22_and_.22data.22_disk_mode_installs|update-kernel]] script.
== Requirements ==


The remainder of these instructions will assume that your USB device is called '''/dev/sda'''
* An Alpine Linux [[Installation#Preparing_installation_media|Installation Media]], can be CD/DVD/USB.
=== Modify partitions ===
* A customizable boot device that can be a USB-Stick/CompactFlash/SDCard etc., or harddisk partition for the '''[[Installation#Diskless_Mode|diskless]]''' or '''[[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|data]]''' mode Alpine linux.
'''fdisk /dev/sda'''
* '''p''' Print list of partitions
* '''d''' Delete all partitions (this may take a few steps)
* '''n''' Create a new partition
* '''p''' A primary partition
* '''1''' Partition number 1
* Use defaults for first and last cylinder (just press [Enter]).
* '''t''' Change partition type
* '''c''' Type: Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
* '''a''' Make the partition bootable (set boot flag)
* '''1''' Partition number 1
* '''w''' Write your changes to the device


* Remove and reinsert your USB stick
== Using setup-bootable  ==


=== Install Syslinux on device ===
[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-bootable|setup-bootable]] script is the preferred method to create a directly customizable bootable device on a FAT32 filesystem. For other filesystems refer [[#Manually copying Alpine files|Manually copying Alpine files]].  
'''apk add syslinux dosfstools'''
'''dd if=/usr/share/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda'''
'''mkdosfs -F32 /dev/sda1'''
'''syslinux /dev/sda1'''
=== Copy Alpine Linux to device ===
'''mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /media/usb'''
'''cd /media/cdrom
'''cp -a * .alpine-release /media/usb'''
'''sync'''
=== Modify the syslinux.cfg file ===
* Change the line "default generic-hd" to say "default generic-usb".


== Automated Process ==
Complete the [[#Installation_Step_Details|Installation]] until the [[#Base_configuration|base configuration]] step by booting from an Alpine Linux [[Installation#Preparing_installation_media|Installation Media]]. Ensure that customizable boot device is already plugged in or installed. Install the necessary tools to prepare the customizable bootable device so that it doesn't have weird stuff that affects later:
Starting (and apparently ending) with Alpine 1.9 alpha 13 we distribute both a .img file and a exe file containing USB images.


Please note that writing the Alpine 1.9 image to your USB stick will overwrite all its existing content.
{{Cmd|# apk add dosfstools wipefs util-linux}}


The images are premade the same size as the .iso image + 8MB for an apk overlay. This means that no matter wither you have an 8GB memory stick or a 512MB memory stick, you will only have 8MB free when booting from it.
Run <Code>lsblk</Code> to figure out what the disk to turn into your bootable device. Let's say it's /dev/sda for this example, change as needed:


Download the latest Alpine 1.9:
{{Warning|The below step will nuke EVERYTHING on the disk /dev/sda. Do not proceed if you're unsure or if you have valuable data.}}
* Linux users: [[Downloads|download]] .img file  containing Alpine ''(e.g. {{Latest_1.9_alpine_gz-mirror}}{{Latest_1.9_alpine_img-filename}})''
{{Cmd|# wipefs --all /dev/sda}}
* Windows users: [[Downloads|download]] .img file  containing Alpine ''(e.g. {{Latest_1.9_alpine_gz-mirror}}{{Latest_1.9_alpine_exe-filename}})''
* Get a USB-mem with at least 400MB of free space


=== Installing to media ===
[[Setting_up_disks_manually#Creating_partitions|Create a partition]] sda1 with the desired size, set the type to win95 fat, and set the bootable flag on it. [[Filesystems#Formatting_Partitions|Format]] the newly created partition. Alter the device name i.e{{Path|/dev/sda1}} as needed.  
==== Linux users ====
* Run the following command:
  dd if=/path/to/img/file of=/dev/sdX
* Where sdX is your USB devive. You can find your USB device by inserting it into your computer and run the following command:
  dmesg
* This command will tell you the device name of your newly inserted USB device.
* Please note that most desktop environments automatically mounts inserted USB devices. You should unmount it before running the "dd" command above


==== Windows users ====
{{cmd|mkfs.vfat /dev/sda1}}  
[[{{ns:image}}:USB-extract.png]]
* Download the self extracting exe file (packaged with 7zip), and run it as administrator
* It will self exctract to a temporary location and launch an image writing program
[[{{ns:image}}:USB-write.png]]
* Select the removable drive letter you want to use, and click the "Write" button
* Wait until its finished, and you will have your usb drive ready to use.


== Boot Alpine ==
Figure out where your install media files are mounted. if you run a {{ic|df}} command, you should see a read only mount for something like '''/media/cdrom''' or '''/media/usb''' or something else, depending on your environment. Let's use '''/media/cdrom''' for the install media files  and '''/dev/sda1''' for the customizable boot device:
Put your AlpineLinux-USB in a computer that can boot from USB.<BR>
'''''Note:''' You might need to change boot-order in your BIOS-settings in order to boot from USB.''
{{Cmd|# setup-bootable -v /media/cdrom /dev/sda1}}


When your computer has booted you will get prompted for a username.<BR>
After that's done, remove [[Installation#Preparing_installation_media|Installation Media]] and [[Installation#Reboot|reboot]] the system.  
On a clean AlpineLinux you just enter ''root'' and no password and you will get logged on to your Alpine linux.


{{Installing_Alpine_see_also}}
Once the system boots from the customizable boot device '''{{path|/dev/sda1}}''', login as root and run <code>setup-alpine</Code> once again to complete the [[#Installation_Step_Details|Installation]] until the [[#Base_configuration|base configuration]] step.
 
# setup-alpine
...
Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') [none]
Enter where to store configs ('floppy', 'sda1', 'usb' or 'none') [sda1]:
Enter apk cache directory (or '?' or 'none') [/media/sda1/cache]:
 
For the question on disk to use, select '''none'''.
The script will then ask about storing configs. Choose the customizable boot device.('sda1' in this example).
Then the script will ask you for apk cache directory, accept the default or type as follows i.e {{Path|/media/sda1/cache}}. Refer [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Local_Cache|APK Local Cache]] for more details.
 
Always remember to run  <Code>lbu ci</Code> to commit the above changes to disk.
{{Cmd|# lbu ci}}
 
Test/verify by rebooting and seeing that your alpine setup is preserved in the customizable boot device.
 
== Manually copying Alpine files ==
 
If you do not want to use <Code>Setup-bootable</Code> script or need non-FAT32 partitions, you can manually create a customizable boot device by manually copying Alpine Linux Files and install the bootloader to make the device bootable.
 
=== Copying ISO/tarball contents to a USB stick ===
 
This method is written for copying files from an Alpine ISO file but also works for Alpine tarballs (.tar.gz files) with a one line tweak (see below).
 
# Install some prerequisites. (If you're not currently using Alpine Linux then you probably have these installed already, otherwise you'll have to figure out how to install them.)
#: {{Cmd|apk add dosfstools<BR>apk add syslinux}}
# Set the environment variable 'mydev' to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_file device file] name of the USB stick that Alpine Linux is to be installed to:
#: {{Warning | BE SURE TO GET THIS RIGHT OR ELSE YOU COULD OVERWRITE THE WRONG DISK! }}
#: {{Note|If USB stick's device name ends in a digit, you might have to replace all instances of <code>${mydev}1</code> with <code>${mydev}p1</code> below.}}
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>mydev=/dev/sdU</nowiki>}}
# Make sure that the target drive's existing partitions, if any, are not mounted:
#: {{Cmd|umount -q $mydev?}}
# Copy and paste the following as a single command to wipe the target drive, create an MBR partition table, and create a single FAT32 partition (you can ignore any "Partition #1 contains a vfat signature." warning message):
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>fdisk -w always $mydev <<EOF
  o
  n
  p
  1
  2048
  -0
  t
  0c
  a
  w
EOF</nowiki>}}
# Format the new FAT32 partition with a FAT32 filesystem:
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>mkdosfs -F32 ${mydev}1</nowiki>}}
# Copy the [https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mbr syslinux executable boot code] into the bootstrap code area of the MBR boot sector (if you're not currently using Alpine Linux you may need to adjust the path to syslinux's mbr.bin file):
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/share/syslinux/mbr.bin of=$mydev</nowiki>}}
# Install the syslinux bootloader files onto the FAT32 filesystem. (Ignore the "Hidden (2048) does not match sectors (62)" messages - modern systems use the partition table. If you are getting "no previous syslinux boot sector found" error, try adding <code>--install</code> flag):
#: {{Cmd|syslinux ${mydev}1}}
# Copy the Alpine files to the FAT32 filesystem (to copy the contents of an Alpine {{Path|.tar.gz}} tarball instead of copying {{Path|/media/cdrom}}, set <code>$alpinetarball</code> to the path to the tarball and replace the 'cp' line with: <code>tar -p -s --atime-preserve --same-owner --one-top-level=/media/$mydevname -zxvf "$alpinetarball"</code>):
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>mydevname=$(basename $mydev)1
mkdir -p /media/$mydevname
mount -t vfat ${mydev}1 /media/$mydevname
cp -aT /media/cdrom /media/$mydevname  # -T to copy hidden files
umount /media/$mydevname</nowiki>}}
# (''Optional'') Remove any .apkovl overlay files that were transferred as part of the copy process. Do this if you want an unmodified, vanilla install.
#: {{Cmd|<nowiki>mount -t vfat ${mydev}1 /media/$mydevname
rm /media/$mydevname/*.apkovl.tar.gz
umount /media/$mydevname</nowiki>}}
 
 
=== Finishing installation ===
 
After one has booted the previously created Alpine Linux bootable USB medium, one has to prepare USB stick to hold local customizations and run ''setup-alpine'' to finish the installation.
First let's find out where is our just booted USB media mounted, the location could vary.
# mount | grep /media
/dev/sdU1 on /media/sdU1 type vfat (rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=utf8,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)
Create local directory on USB media to hold local APK cache (see [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Local_Cache|APK Local Cache]] for details).
 
# mount -o remount,rw /media/sdU1
# mkdir /media/sdU1/cache
# setup-apkcache /media/sdU1/cache
# ls -l /etc/apk/cache
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root    root            17 Oct 19 13:16 /etc/apk/cache -> /media/sdU1/cache
 
Now run ''setup-alpine'' and proceed until a question about local disk selection - in ''diskless'' mode we won't use any disk (ie. our bootable media files is basically untouched) and we are going to use ''sdU1'' to hold our system customization.
 
# setup-alpine
...
Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') [none]
Enter where to store configs ('floppy', 'sdU1', 'usb' or 'none') [sdU1]:
Enter apk cache directory (or '?' or 'none') [/media/sdU1/cache]:
 
After the installer finished you can see how many created/modified files are detected and will be added to the backup:
# lbu status
# lbu status | wc -l
59
# lbu commit
# ls -l /media/sdU1/*apkovl.tar.gz
-rwxr-xr-x    1 root    root          9591 Oct 19 15:23 /media/sdU1/foo.apkovl.tar.gz
 
Now all the customization are saved into the ''foo.apkovl.tar.gz'' compressed tarball on the USB stick itself.
 
 
== Troubleshooting ==
 
=== Wrong Device Name ===
 
If you cannot boot from the boot device and you see something like:
Mounting boot media failed.
initramfs emergency recovery shell launched. Type 'exit' to continue boot
then it is likely that the device name in {{Path|syslinux.cfg}} is wrong. You should replace the device name in this line:
append initrd=/boot/grsec.gz alpine_dev='''usbdisk''':vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet
with the proper device name.
* For boot from USB, the device name should be 'usbdisk' (as shown above)
* For other options, you can run <code>cat /proc/partitions</code> to see the available disks (i.e. 'sda' or 'sdb')
 
===Non-FAT32 Filesystems  ===
 
When the boot device is formatted with a filesystem other than those supported by default, the necessary initfs features need to be added to the modloop using <code>update-kernel</code>. See: [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Upgrading_.22diskless.22_and_.22data.22_disk_mode_installs]]
 
Mount the boot device and edit the {{Path|syslinux.cfg}} file.
 
Then locate the "append" line, and change the <code>alpine_dev=</code> setting to match the used filesystem and add the filesystem's kernel module to the <code>modules=</code> list.
 
For example, change
append [...] alpine_dev=usbdisk:vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet
to
append [...] alpine_dev=usbdisk:'''ext4''' modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage''',ext4''' quiet
in the case of an ext4 formatted partition. (Or correspondingly for other filesystems, if they are supported by syslinux and the Alpine Linux kernel.)
 
=== Slow USB Devices ===
 
Specifying the 'waitusb=X' option at the end of the syslinux.cfg line might help with certain USB devices that take a bit longer to register. X stands for the amount of seconds kernel will wait before looking for the installation media.
append initrd=/boot/grsec.gz alpine_dev=usbdisk:vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet '''waitusb=3'''
 
=== CF card readers ===
 
Some CF card readers have problems with the faster CF cards on the market. If you experience problems booting the CF card even after checking BIOS settings, you may need to use an older card.
 
Also, many CF card readers don't support DMA correctly, so you may need to add ''nodma'' to the ''append'' line of the syslinux.cfg file.
 
== See Also ==
* [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Local_Cache|APK Local Cache]]
* [[Alpine local backup]]
* [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Upgrading_.22diskless.22_and_.22data.22_disk_mode_installs|update-kernel script]]
 
[[Category:Installation]]

Latest revision as of 04:36, 24 October 2024

Note: These instructions are exclusively for x86_64 and x86. For ARM boards, see Alpine on ARM.

This page is about creating customizable boot devices for diskless or data disk-mode Alpine Linux using a writable filesystem i.e. not iso9660, so that local customizations like apkovl files and cached packages can be stored. It allows to also upgrade the kernel with its modules and firmware that is used to boot the system with the update-kernel script.

Requirements

  • An Alpine Linux Installation Media, can be CD/DVD/USB.
  • A customizable boot device that can be a USB-Stick/CompactFlash/SDCard etc., or harddisk partition for the diskless or data mode Alpine linux.

Using setup-bootable

setup-bootable script is the preferred method to create a directly customizable bootable device on a FAT32 filesystem. For other filesystems refer Manually copying Alpine files.

Complete the Installation until the base configuration step by booting from an Alpine Linux Installation Media. Ensure that customizable boot device is already plugged in or installed. Install the necessary tools to prepare the customizable bootable device so that it doesn't have weird stuff that affects later:

# apk add dosfstools wipefs util-linux

Run lsblk to figure out what the disk to turn into your bootable device. Let's say it's /dev/sda for this example, change as needed:

Warning: The below step will nuke EVERYTHING on the disk /dev/sda. Do not proceed if you're unsure or if you have valuable data.


# wipefs --all /dev/sda

Create a partition sda1 with the desired size, set the type to win95 fat, and set the bootable flag on it. Format the newly created partition. Alter the device name i.e/dev/sda1 as needed.

mkfs.vfat /dev/sda1

Figure out where your install media files are mounted. if you run a df command, you should see a read only mount for something like /media/cdrom or /media/usb or something else, depending on your environment. Let's use /media/cdrom for the install media files and /dev/sda1 for the customizable boot device:

# setup-bootable -v /media/cdrom /dev/sda1

After that's done, remove Installation Media and reboot the system.

Once the system boots from the customizable boot device /dev/sda1, login as root and run setup-alpine once again to complete the Installation until the base configuration step.

# setup-alpine
...
Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') [none] 
Enter where to store configs ('floppy', 'sda1', 'usb' or 'none') [sda1]: 
Enter apk cache directory (or '?' or 'none') [/media/sda1/cache]:

For the question on disk to use, select none. The script will then ask about storing configs. Choose the customizable boot device.('sda1' in this example). Then the script will ask you for apk cache directory, accept the default or type as follows i.e /media/sda1/cache. Refer APK Local Cache for more details.

Always remember to run lbu ci to commit the above changes to disk.

# lbu ci

Test/verify by rebooting and seeing that your alpine setup is preserved in the customizable boot device.

Manually copying Alpine files

If you do not want to use Setup-bootable script or need non-FAT32 partitions, you can manually create a customizable boot device by manually copying Alpine Linux Files and install the bootloader to make the device bootable.

Copying ISO/tarball contents to a USB stick

This method is written for copying files from an Alpine ISO file but also works for Alpine tarballs (.tar.gz files) with a one line tweak (see below).

  1. Install some prerequisites. (If you're not currently using Alpine Linux then you probably have these installed already, otherwise you'll have to figure out how to install them.)

    apk add dosfstools
    apk add syslinux

  2. Set the environment variable 'mydev' to the device file name of the USB stick that Alpine Linux is to be installed to:
    Warning: BE SURE TO GET THIS RIGHT OR ELSE YOU COULD OVERWRITE THE WRONG DISK!

    Note: If USB stick's device name ends in a digit, you might have to replace all instances of ${mydev}1 with ${mydev}p1 below.

    mydev=/dev/sdU

  3. Make sure that the target drive's existing partitions, if any, are not mounted:

    umount -q $mydev?

  4. Copy and paste the following as a single command to wipe the target drive, create an MBR partition table, and create a single FAT32 partition (you can ignore any "Partition #1 contains a vfat signature." warning message):

    fdisk -w always $mydev <<EOF o n p 1 2048 -0 t 0c a w EOF

  5. Format the new FAT32 partition with a FAT32 filesystem:

    mkdosfs -F32 ${mydev}1

  6. Copy the syslinux executable boot code into the bootstrap code area of the MBR boot sector (if you're not currently using Alpine Linux you may need to adjust the path to syslinux's mbr.bin file):

    dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=/usr/share/syslinux/mbr.bin of=$mydev

  7. Install the syslinux bootloader files onto the FAT32 filesystem. (Ignore the "Hidden (2048) does not match sectors (62)" messages - modern systems use the partition table. If you are getting "no previous syslinux boot sector found" error, try adding --install flag):

    syslinux ${mydev}1

  8. Copy the Alpine files to the FAT32 filesystem (to copy the contents of an Alpine .tar.gz tarball instead of copying /media/cdrom, set $alpinetarball to the path to the tarball and replace the 'cp' line with: tar -p -s --atime-preserve --same-owner --one-top-level=/media/$mydevname -zxvf "$alpinetarball"):

    mydevname=$(basename $mydev)1 mkdir -p /media/$mydevname mount -t vfat ${mydev}1 /media/$mydevname cp -aT /media/cdrom /media/$mydevname # -T to copy hidden files umount /media/$mydevname

  9. (Optional) Remove any .apkovl overlay files that were transferred as part of the copy process. Do this if you want an unmodified, vanilla install.

    mount -t vfat ${mydev}1 /media/$mydevname rm /media/$mydevname/*.apkovl.tar.gz umount /media/$mydevname


Finishing installation

After one has booted the previously created Alpine Linux bootable USB medium, one has to prepare USB stick to hold local customizations and run setup-alpine to finish the installation.

First let's find out where is our just booted USB media mounted, the location could vary.

# mount | grep /media
/dev/sdU1 on /media/sdU1 type vfat (rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=utf8,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)

Create local directory on USB media to hold local APK cache (see APK Local Cache for details).

# mount -o remount,rw /media/sdU1
# mkdir /media/sdU1/cache
# setup-apkcache /media/sdU1/cache
# ls -l /etc/apk/cache
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            17 Oct 19 13:16 /etc/apk/cache -> /media/sdU1/cache

Now run setup-alpine and proceed until a question about local disk selection - in diskless mode we won't use any disk (ie. our bootable media files is basically untouched) and we are going to use sdU1 to hold our system customization.

# setup-alpine
...
Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') [none] 
Enter where to store configs ('floppy', 'sdU1', 'usb' or 'none') [sdU1]: 
Enter apk cache directory (or '?' or 'none') [/media/sdU1/cache]:

After the installer finished you can see how many created/modified files are detected and will be added to the backup:

# lbu status
# lbu status | wc -l
59
# lbu commit
# ls -l /media/sdU1/*apkovl.tar.gz
-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root          9591 Oct 19 15:23 /media/sdU1/foo.apkovl.tar.gz

Now all the customization are saved into the foo.apkovl.tar.gz compressed tarball on the USB stick itself.


Troubleshooting

Wrong Device Name

If you cannot boot from the boot device and you see something like:

Mounting boot media failed.
initramfs emergency recovery shell launched. Type 'exit' to continue boot

then it is likely that the device name in syslinux.cfg is wrong. You should replace the device name in this line:

append initrd=/boot/grsec.gz alpine_dev=usbdisk:vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet

with the proper device name.

  • For boot from USB, the device name should be 'usbdisk' (as shown above)
  • For other options, you can run cat /proc/partitions to see the available disks (i.e. 'sda' or 'sdb')

Non-FAT32 Filesystems

When the boot device is formatted with a filesystem other than those supported by default, the necessary initfs features need to be added to the modloop using update-kernel. See: Alpine_Linux_package_management#Upgrading_.22diskless.22_and_.22data.22_disk_mode_installs

Mount the boot device and edit the syslinux.cfg file.

Then locate the "append" line, and change the alpine_dev= setting to match the used filesystem and add the filesystem's kernel module to the modules= list.

For example, change

append [...] alpine_dev=usbdisk:vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet

to

append [...] alpine_dev=usbdisk:ext4 modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage,ext4 quiet

in the case of an ext4 formatted partition. (Or correspondingly for other filesystems, if they are supported by syslinux and the Alpine Linux kernel.)

Slow USB Devices

Specifying the 'waitusb=X' option at the end of the syslinux.cfg line might help with certain USB devices that take a bit longer to register. X stands for the amount of seconds kernel will wait before looking for the installation media.

append initrd=/boot/grsec.gz alpine_dev=usbdisk:vfat modules=loop,cramfs,sd-mod,usb-storage quiet waitusb=3

CF card readers

Some CF card readers have problems with the faster CF cards on the market. If you experience problems booting the CF card even after checking BIOS settings, you may need to use an older card.

Also, many CF card readers don't support DMA correctly, so you may need to add nodma to the append line of the syslinux.cfg file.

See Also