[syslinux] Intel Z-U130 SSD

[Robert DeLaGarza]

I'm encountering an issue booting Linux using SYSLINUX 3.62 on a FAT16
partition.  There are a variety of possible causes, but I figured I'd
start here.

My hardware is an embedded system using an off-the-shelf COM Express
module with a Phoenix BIOS.  Mass storage is provided by an Intel
Z-U130 Solid State Drive (aka "Intel Value SSD").  The SSD is much
like a standard USB Flash drive.  The main differences are, of course,
the packaging and connector, and the fact that it is a non-removable
device ('/sys/block/sda/removable' is 0).

The SSD is initially loaded with a version of Fedora 8 created using
'livecd-creator'.  A build script takes the livecd ISO and produces a
binary file containing a disk image: MBR, partition table, and two
partitions.  The first partition is active and contains the Fedora
files and a syslinux installation.  This disk image is written to the
SSD using 'dd'.

Fedora 8 is configured to load into memory and leave the active
partition on the SSD unused.  The idea is that the Linux installation
can then be updated in-system by mounting the partition, and simply
changing the kernel, initrd, and 'syslinux.cfg'.

When implemented on a standard USB Flash drive, this works!  The SSD
implementation is a different story.  Fedora 8 boots reliably, but
updating the kernel, initrd, or syslinux.cfg often (but not always)
yields a system which hangs during boot, usually during load of the
initrd.  The error message is "Boot failed: please change disks ..."

I tried the syslinux "-s" option, to no avail.

The boot failure raises a number of questions, not the least of which are:

1. Is the 'disk image' initialization method valid, or do I need to
execute the syslinux installation on each SSD?

2. Are there any issues with the Intel Z-U130 SSD that could cause this?

3. Is a large initrd a problem?  The initrd being tested is over 32 MB in size.


Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated.

-Robert