Ubuntu 8.04 USB drive-bootable image available for download

[redpost]

We just uploaded our Ubuntu 8.04 based image for the Fit-PC2 last night. You can check it out on our sourceforge project: http://sourceforge.net/projects/redpost.

Full support for:
- USB flash drive booting
- wifi (ralink)
- video (VLC 0.9.9.8)
- Firefox 3.5.5
- SMP kernel support, uses both processors, unlike default Fit-PC2 kernel

We use this image for our digital signs and it can also be used as a digital photo frame. But it's open source and free to download.

INSTALLATION:

1. plug in your flash drive, check the device name, should be /dev/sdX
df
umount /dev/sdX
fdisk /dev/sdX

2. remove all partitions (if already exist, use 'p' to check)
d (1-4)

3. create new partitions (you may need to use a different size for the first partition other than 750M depending on the size of your flash drive)
n, p, 1, enter, +750M, a, 1, t, b
n, p, 2, enter, enter

4. write partitions to disk
w

5. format partitions
mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n ubuntu /dev/sdX1
mkfs.ext3 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sdX2

6. mount partitions on computer (take drive out and put back in if your OS automounts, Ubuntu does)

7. Download the latest version of Wicker from Sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/redpost/) and uncompress the image:
tar xvjf redpost*.tar.bz2

8. Copy the contents of wicker-beta (may be called wicker-master) over to the drive (first partition -- the second partition is for persistence later)
cp -R wicker-beta/* /media/ubuntu

9. Unmount the drive.
umount /dev/sdX1
umount /dev/sdX2

10. Run syslinux to make bootable. BE CAREFUL YOU COULD ERASE YOUR HARD DISK IF CARELESS.
syslinux /dev/sdX1

11. write the MBR
lilo -M /dev/sdX

[kropotkin]

This worked for me. This Linux installation used the whole of my 1366x768 display. It's very much a bare-bones embedded Linux, but that's what I wanted. No gotchas at all; the instructions provided here worked as they are.

[nixarn]

I'm having trouble with it

Works alright, I mean I get it to boot up (from a usb stick) and display a webpage. But two things make it kinda unusable, first of there's no persistance for ubuntu 8.04. And secondly, the bigger problem is that I can't get wifi working and it works in ubuntu 9.XX so it can't be any HW problems.

Any clues what's wrong? Keep in mind I'm a linux noob, so I could have done many things wrong.

Niklas

[redpost]

nixarn--

There should be persistence if you set up the partitions properly. Did you create two partitions?

As far as the wifi, are you using a fit-PC2 with the built-in wifi? Or with an external USB wifi? It may make a difference -- we've only tested it with the built-in ralink wifi card.

kropotkin--

Glad it worked for you!

[nixarn]

I'm using the built in wifi so odd it didn't work. And no didn't create two paritions so that might be the problem then? I'm too much of a linux-noob, so I installed ralink using some windows program to make a bootable usb stick.

Anyway, I went with 9.10 now that it's fully supported and I'm launching Chrome in fullscreen instead as it's faster than firefox and the latest version works good in ubuntu.

Might give your image a try again though, the setup process and stripped down os is nice.

Thanks!

Niklas

[nixarn]

Maybe someone can help me get it running?

When I plug in my usb stick in my desktop (Got ubuntu 9.10 on this one). It shows up under /dev/sdd1

when the instructions say sdX, does that mean I should refer to /dev/sdd or /dev/sdd1 ?

I take it I should use /dev/sdd1, as 'umount /dev/sdd' doesn't work. But after I do 'umount /dev/sdd1' I'm not able to fdisk /dev/sdd1? So that's one problem I'm having.

I once did get into fdisk and do as the instructions says but later I could only see one partition.

Any clues what I migth be doing wrong?

Thanks,
Niklas

[redpost]

Some clarification:

• fdX refers to the drive letter, as in "b" or "d" in your case
  the numbers, 1 or 2 or whatever, refer to a partition number on that drive

You can only fdisk to a drive, not a partition. So "fdisk /dev/sdd1" won't work. You can only unmount a partition (drives have to have partitions, even if they just have one). So "umount /dev/fdd" won't work but "umount /dev/fdd1" will.

Once in fdisk, with no partitions mounted, you can edit the partitions. Hit the "h" key for a helpful list of commands.

[nixarn]

Ok thanks, I seem to get it working now. Only difference from the instructions is that the folder from the wicker archive is called extract-cd and now wicker-beta or wicker-master. I think the problem was that I wasn't root when I did the fdisk/umount stuff.

Good to learn some unix

Niklas

[nixarn]

I got it installed just a the installation said. But WLAN is not working. And it works on the same box if I use ubuntu 9.10. Don't know why this is. Gonna try some other drivers, maybe I got a different revision of the box. Got the 1.1ghz atom with wlan,1gb ram and an intel gma500.

Niklas