[syslinux] Installing extlinux into a disk image without being root?

[Thomas Petazzoni]

Hello,

Thanks for your feedback!

On Thu, 16 Apr 2020 11:02:41 +0300
Ady via Syslinux <syslinux at syslinux.org> wrote:

> I think that you are misusing the options.
> 
> Depending on what exactly "disk.img" actually is, you _might_ (perhaps) get to 
> install the bootloader by means of other options.

disk.img is a disk image, which contains a partition table, itself
describing one partition, formatted ext4, with a Linux root filesystem.

> As of not using "root" privileges, there is the "syslinux-mtools" (aka 
> "mtools/syslinux") installer, but it also depends on what exactly "disk.img" 
> actually is.
> 
> Please see the "Install" wiki page in the Syslinux wiki.

If I understand correctly this page, mtools/syslinux only supports FAT
filesystems (which makes sense since mtools are FAT-related). And
extlinux does require the filesystem to be mounted, which requires root
privileges.

Correct?

Thomas
-- 
Thomas Petazzoni, CTO, Bootlin
Embedded Linux and Kernel engineering
https://bootlin.com