> From: scdbac...@gmx.net > To: debian-user@lists.debian.org > > Hi, > > Richard Owlett wrote: >> > > xorriso -osirrox on ... -extract / /media/richard/netinst1 > > i wrote: >> > (This is just one way to copy the directory tree out of the ISO into >> > a disk tree. xorriso packs them up and packs them out.) > >> I assumed that using xorriso on both ends would give me a "byte for byte" >> copy. > > No, that"s the job of "dd" or similar copy programs. > >> > > 1. Grub2 will recognize it as a legit OS. > > You will have to teach it by configuration file entries like described in > https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/GRUB2/Chainloading > https://superuser.com/questions/154133/grub-boot-from-iso > I wrote some remarks about that to Ethan Andrews in > "Re: How do I boot a Debian 9.1.0 amd64 iso from GRUB?" > https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2017/09/msg00516.html > > Your mileage may vary when the booted kernel expands its realm from > the initial RAM-disk to the ISO filesystem in the partition. It depends > much on the software in the initial RAM-disk and in the ISO whether > this will work. > > Pascal Hambourg mentions problems with the initial RAM-disk content in > https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2017/09/msg00566.html > > Felix Miata pointed to the naked kernels and initial RAM-disk images > https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2017/09/msg00568.html > I guess he means things like > http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/testing/main/installer-amd64/current/images/hd-media/ > sparsely described in > http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/testing/main/installer-amd64/current/images/MANIFEST > >> > > 2. if the partition is on a USB flash drive it will boot normally >> > > on suitable hardware. > > If you do not want to modify the installed GRUB on the hard disk on that > system, then you will need a GRUB on that USB stick which gets preferred > by the firmware over the GRUB on hard disk, and then does the booting > of the operating system in the ISO. > >> > > 3. all directories and files shall be modifiable. > >> > But actually you want a runnable normal GNU/Linux. > >> I want a "thingy/dodad/whatsit" that will install Debian to another >> location, be it device or partition. > > If you do not want to unpack the ISO then you cannot directly modify files. > (I assume ISO 9660 multi-session is not what you intend, but rather > normal filesystem operations from the running operating system.) > > So you would need a separate writable filesystem and overlay it over > the ISO when the operating system is running. But a Debian installation > ISO is not prepared for doing that out of the box, afaik. > So you would have to make your own ISO which has such capabilities. > > The hard part is modifying an unpacked Debian installation ISO so that > it can do what you want when it gets started from an ISO in a partition. > Maybe the pieces mentioned by Felix Miata can help. > > Packing up such ISO would not be difficult. One would not have to > make it bootable by firmware by MBR or EFI system partition, because your > USB stick"s GRUB would be set up to be started by the firmwares. > > Question at that point is of course why one would want to have a read-only > filesystem like ISO 9660 in the partition. > The only reason would be if one wants to easily reset the filesystem by > erasing the overlay filesystem, or if one could not get the Debian software > inside the ISO to work from some suitable read-write filesystem. > > Have a nice day :) > > Thomas
It is hard to believe that this conversation can exist in a bubble of the time/space continuum without the term "refracta" in it. The most fascinating piece of software or should I say family of sftw. since the time of space invaders. Unless I am missing some fact about being unable to port refracta to debian, which I doubt very much. What is also absurd is that Thomas is involved in this conversation while refracta is heavily relying on xorisso. If I didn't know better I would have thought that Thomas wrote refracta himself. Have two wonderful days, botho yas.
