This article explains how to create an UEFI boot USB with parted and gummiboot.
== Creating a bootable Alpine Linux USB Stick from the command line ==
In this example we will use {{Path|/dev/sdX}}. This will be different depending on your system.
This process applies to Alpine Linux 1.9.0 or later, and results in a '''run-from-ram''' style installation.
== Create GPT boot partition ==
{{Warning|This process can potentially totally or partly erase the contents of your hard drive. For this reason, it is recommended to do this procedure using VirtualBox rather than your own computer.}}
Install {{Pkg|parted}}
{{Cmd | apk add parted }}
=== Requirements ===
Create a single UEFI boot partitions.
In order to follow this document, you will need:
{{warning| This will erase all content of your {{Path|/dev/sdX}}. Make sure that you use correct device.}}
* Alpine Linux CD-ROM ([[Downloads|Download]] a .iso file containing an Alpine release.)
* A USB drive (flash, external HD, card reader, etc.)
From Alpine Linux 3.3.0, the generated ISO's are a hybridISO, which means they contain a valid MBR and can be raw copied directly to the USB stick, Hard Drive (If you really know what you're doing), or burnt to a CD/DVD.
== Create fat32 filesystem ==
The following '''dd''' instructions follow helpful guidance from https://wiki.voidlinux.eu/Live_Images wholly or in part.
Create a fat32 system with the name `Alpine`.
If the USB stick is in a Unix/Linux/OSX system, you will need to find out what the USB device is. There are various utilities to determine the device name (e.g. {{Path|/dev/sdx}}) for your USB device. One way is:
{{Cmd | mkfs.vfat -n ALPINE /dev/sdX1 }}
$ sudo fdisk -l
== Copy content of ISO image to filesystem ==
If it is still unclear which is your USB's device name, in Linux you could try <code>sudo lsblk -a</code> ; or use {{Pkg|parted}} (<code>sudo parted -l</code>).
It is possible to mount the iso image and copy files with {{codeline|cp}} or {{codeline|rsync}} and it is also possible to use {{codeline|7z}} to extract content from the iso. In this example I will use the {{codeline|uniso}} utility from {{Pkg|alpine-conf}} package.
Then, in order to dd the iso, ensure that your usb drive is '''not''' mounted, as various desktop environments automatically mount usb pen drives:
{{Cmd | mount -t vfat /dev/sdX1 /mnt
cd /mnt
uniso < /path/to/alpine-3.8.2-x86_64.iso }}
$ sudo umount /dev/sdx
== Unmount the partition ==
Finally umount the disk
Next, change to the directory where your Alpine .iso file is located, for example:
{{Cmd | cd ~ && umount /mnt}}
$ cd ~/Downloads
{{Warning|The following instruction will '''destroy''' data on the device being written to - be sure that you have identified your USB device name correctly first!}}
Then you can use '''dd''' to copy the iso to it. Change <code>alpine.iso</code> in the following command to the name of your '''.iso''' file; and change <code>/dev/sdx</code> to the name of your pen drive's device name. The following command may take a few minutes to execute:
$ sudo dd if=alpine.iso of=/dev/sdx && sync
{{:Include:Copying Alpine to Flash|USB stick}}
=== 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.
It is possible to mount the iso image and copy files with cp or rsync and it is also possible to use 7z to extract content from the iso. In this example I will use the uniso utility from alpine-conf package.
mount -t vfat /dev/sdX1 /mnt
cd /mnt
uniso < /path/to/alpine-3.8.2-x86_64.iso
