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

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 12/24/2014 12:16 AM, Robert Yang wrote:
> 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.
> 

I believe we should unify this with the syslinux installer, which is
used for unmounted FAT filesystems.  Ideally we should unify that with
the extlinux installer too, but that may be a later project.

	-hpa