[syslinux] [PATCH 0/8] extlinux: support unmounted ext2/3/4 filesystem

[Robert Yang]

Hello syslinux,

Merry Christmas! These patches will make extlinux work with umounted
ext2/3/4 filesystem, for example:

$ extlinux -i /dev/sdXN
or
$ extlinux -i file_block

Also it can work with something like:
$ extlinux /dev/sdXN  --reset-adv
or
$ extlinux file_block --reset-adv

We don't use a new option (I planed to use "-d" but it is already in
use), it will check whether the target is a directory or device and
decide what to do, it would stop and error if the device is mounted.

I put these patches on github so that you can easily get them in case
you'd like to test them. (The repo's name is sys_tmp, which avoids
confusing others, I will remove the repo when these patches are
reviewed).

More info:
* It will use libext2fs to read and write the file.
* It will be used when the target is a extX device or file block, and
  work as before when the target is a directory.
* It will be used for both modifing the existing adv when
  update_only == -1, and install the files to the filesystem.

We will begin to use this feature in Yocto Project once it is fine to
the syslinux community.

Please feel free to give your comments.

// Robert

The following changes since commit 81ad566f155fac31089fde69c87059b217e7e9b6:

  NEWS: Update for 6.03 release (2014-10-06 09:27:44 -0700)

are available in the git repository at:

  https://github.com/robertlinux/sys_tmp.git unmounted_ext

for you to fetch changes up to a3603826b88c5f000c5b0ba519cd0a5252eb6c6b:

  libinstaller/syslxopt.c: update the help text. (2014-12-24 16:07:50 +0800)
Robert Yang (8):
  extlinux/main.c: support unmounted ext2/3/4 filesystem
  extlinux/main.c: implement install_file_to_device()
  extlinux/main.c: implement handle_adv_on_device()
  extlinux/main.c: implent ext_read/write_xx_fs()
  extlinux/main.c: implement write_to_device()
  extlinux/main.c: implement patch_syslinux_bootsect()
  extlinux/main.c: implement ext_construct_sectmap_fs()
  libinstaller/syslxopt.c: update the help text.

 extlinux/Makefile       |   2 +-
 extlinux/main.c         | 611 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
 libinstaller/syslxopt.c |   2 +-
 3 files changed, 553 insertions(+), 62 deletions(-)

-- 
1.9.1