[syslinux] extlinux probs

[Jim Cromie]

I gave extlinux a whirl,

1. installed debian onto a usb hard drive from laptop (onto /dev/sda1)
did *not* install grub or lilo.

2.   set up extlinux on /dev/sda

# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/t1
[root at harpo syslinux-3.00]# cd /mnt/t1/
[root at harpo t1]# ls boot/
config-2.6.8-1-386      initrd.img-2.6.8-1-386  System.map-2.6.8-1-386
 vmlinuz-2.6.8-1-386
[root at harpo t1]# mkdir boot/extlinux
[root at harpo t1]# cd boot/extlinux/
[root at harpo extlinux]# ln ../initrd.img-2.6.8-1-386 .
[root at harpo extlinux]# ln ../vmlinuz-2.6.8-1-386 .
[root at harpo extlinux]# ln ../System.map-2.6.8-1-386 .

my extlinux.conf
LABEL    nomad
KERNEL   vmlinuz-2.6.8-1-386
APPEND   initrd=initrd.img-2.6.8-1-386 ro root=/dev/sda1

the actual install:
     cd ~jimc/syslinux/syslinux-3.00
     extlinux/extlinux /mnt/t1/boot/extlinux
/mnt/t1/boot/extlinux is device /dev/sda1

just to see options:
     extlinux/extlinux -?
extlinux/extlinux: Not a directory: -?


2. re-cabled to another computer, with hosed MS install (ref earlier
plea for help)
booted that box.
got:
GRUB Loading stage 1.5
Error 17

this is definitely on the usb-drive, w/o it, I get the old NTLDR is missing..
this is a Dell 4550


3. tried it on laptop (from whence I did debian install, and built and
ran extlinux)
selected removable device, hit go.
    brief pause,
    back to regular grub boot


What did I miss ?

heres my usb-mbr, od'd to avoid binary attachment rejection.

[root at harpo ~]# od -a usb-mbr
0000000   k   H dle   P   < nul   |   {   P bel   P  us   |   > esc   |
0000020   ? esc ack   P   W   9   e soh   s   $   K   >   > bel   1 eot
0000040   8   ,   |  ht   u nak etx   F dle   b   u   M can  vt dc4  vt
0000060   n etx   F dle   I   t syn   8   ,   t   v   > dle bel etx stx
0000100 del nul nul  sp soh nul nul nul nul stx   z nul   J nul   j   S
0000120   | nul nul   1   @  so   X  so   P   < nul  sp   {  sp   @   |
0000140   < del   t stx  bs   B   R   >   y   }   h   4 soh   v   B nul
0000160   t   T   4   A   ;   *   U   M dc3   Z   R   r   I soh   {   U
0000200   *   u   C  sp   A   | eot   @   u enq etx   a soh   t   7   f
0000220  vt   L dle   > enq   |   F   D del soh   f  vt  rs   D   |   G
0000240 eot dle nul   G   D stx soh nul   f  ht   \  bs   G   D ack nul
0000260   p   f   1   @  ht   D eot   f  ht   D  ff   4   B   M dc3   r
0000300 enq   ; nul   p   k   }   4  bs   M dc3   s  nl   v   B nul  si
0000320 eot   p nul   i  cr nul   > enq   |   F   D del nul   f   1   @
0000340  bs   p   @   f  ht   D eot   1   R  bs   J   A   b stx  bs   h
0000360  bs   t   @  ht   D  bs   1   @  bs   P   @   h stx   f  ht eot
0000400   f   !   D   |   f   1   R   f   w   4  bs   T  nl   f   1   R
0000420   f   w   t eot  bs   T  vt  ht   D  ff   ;   D  bs   }   <  nl
0000440   T  cr   @   b ack  nl   L  nl   ~   A  bs   Q  nl   l  ff   Z
0000460  nl   t  vt   ; nul   p  so   C   1   [   8 soh stx   M dc3   r
0000500   *  ff   C  so ack   H   |   `  rs   9 nul soh  so   [   1   v
0000520   1 del   |   s   %  us   a del   &   B   |   > del   }   h   @
0000540 nul   k  so   > eot   }   h   8 nul   k ack   >  so   }   h   0
0000560 nul   > dc3   }   h   * nul   k   ~   G   R   U   B  sp nul   G
0000600   e   o   m nul   H   a   r   d  sp   D   i   s   k nul   R   e
0000620   a   d nul  sp   E   r   r   o   r nul   ; soh nul   4  so   M
0000640 dle   ,   < nul   u   t   C nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul
0000660 nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul   B   .   t   \ nul nul nul soh
0000700 soh nul etx   ~ del del   ? nul nul nul   A   )   T stx nul   ~
0000720 del del  si   ~ del del   !   = eot  gs   `  bs etb nul nul nul
0000740 nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul
0000760 nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul   U   *


after turning on DEBUG, via

[jimc at harpo extlinux]$ diff -u Makefile~ Makefile
--- Makefile~   2004-12-22 00:17:53.000000000 -0700
+++ Makefile    2004-12-31 15:57:40.323057158 -0700
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 CC      = gcc
-OPTFLAGS = -g -Os
+OPTFLAGS = -g -Os $(UFLAGS)
 INCLUDES = -I. -I.. -I../libfat
 CFLAGS  = -W -Wall -Wno-sign-compare -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64
$(OPTFLAGS) $(INCLUDES)
 LDFLAGS         = -s


it tells me this:
[root at harpo syslinux-3.00]# extlinux/extlinux /media/usbdisk/boot/extlinux/
/media/usbdisk/boot/extlinux/ is device /dev/sda1
cyl = 30401, heads = 255, sect = 63
directory inode = 211750
querying block 0
Sector:    3620864
Sector:    3620865
Sector:    3620866
Sector:    3620867
Sector:    3620868
Sector:    3620869
Sector:    3620870
Sector:    3620871
querying block 1
Sector:    3620872
Sector:    3620873
Sector:    3620874
Sector:    3620875
Sector:    3620876
Sector:    3620877
Sector:    3620878
Sector:    3620879
querying block 2
Sector:    3620880
Sector:    3620881
[root at harpo syslinux-3.00]#

I trust that means something to you...