Wishlist/LiveUSB distro

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Wishes warning! This article or section documents one or more OpenMoko Wish List items, the features described here may or may not be implemented in the future.

Contents

Introduction

An openmoko device could act as the perfect geeky swiss knive: go anywhere with your Linux desktop and tools

When the openmoko device is in mass storage mode, a host computer should be able to boot on it, presenting a grub menu offering to boot into several images / partitions (payloads) on the transflash: memtest, UBCD (the ultimate boot cd), a lightweight security oriented livecd distro, you name it...

Usually, all you need for this with an USB storage device (flash USB stick or external drive) is a partition, flagged "bootable" (see fdisk), containing a boot loader (say grub). But the problem is that specifications vary between motherboards, so there are variants and mandatory requirements to define (here would be a good idea), so that one can optimize/maximize the compatibility.

Testing has to be conducted to know:

  • if a bootable-flagged partition doesn't mess openmoko up
  • if the phone can still act as a phone, or if the booted os can use the gprs functions
  • if the phone can recharge on mass storage mode (from the usb cable)

Similar functionality can be found in the Wizpy portable media player

Transflash partitioning schema example

  • 2 Gb: /dev/sd? (where N is the transflash's number)
  • 700 Mb: /dev/sd?1 : containing bootable iso, FAT16
  • 1300 Mb: /dev/sd?2 : openmoko & bootable os home partition, EXT3?
  • eventually a swap

That way, one can install a new iso when it's released. An updater script shall be written.

Linux distro Howto

Summary: When the neo/openmoko device is connected in mass storage mode to a linux host,

  1. Partition the transflash into livecd (bootable flag) & home partition
  2. Format the created partitions
  3. Extract the iso's contents onto the livecd partition
  4. Rename isolinux.cfg and edit it syslinux.cfg (see ubuntu tutorial link)
  5. Make the partition bootable using syslinux:
   $ sudo syslinux -f /dev/sd?

See Howto install ubuntu (or any other distro) on usb stick

Memtest86+

Grub example (from stock /boot/grub/menu.lst ubuntu install):

   title           Ubuntu, memtest86+
   root            (hd0,2)
   kernel          /memtest86+.bin
   quiet
   boot

Interesting distros/payloads

System diagnostics / recovery

General purpose

Security-oriented: pentesting, forensics, anonymous webbrowsing

List of live distros @ wikipedia

List of live distros @ distrowatch

Personal tools
Wishes warning! This article or section documents one or more OpenMoko Wish List items, the features described here may or may not be implemented in the future.

Introduction

An openmoko device could act as the perfect geeky swiss knive: go anywhere with your Linux desktop and tools

When the openmoko device is in mass storage mode, a host computer should be able to boot on it, presenting a grub menu offering to boot into several images / partitions (payloads) on the transflash: memtest, UBCD (the ultimate boot cd), a lightweight security oriented livecd distro, you name it...

Usually, all you need for this with an USB storage device (flash USB stick or external drive) is a partition, flagged "bootable" (see fdisk), containing a boot loader (say grub). But the problem is that specifications vary between motherboards, so there are variants and mandatory requirements to define (here would be a good idea), so that one can optimize/maximize the compatibility.

Testing has to be conducted to know:

  • if a bootable-flagged partition doesn't mess openmoko up
  • if the phone can still act as a phone, or if the booted os can use the gprs functions
  • if the phone can recharge on mass storage mode (from the usb cable)

Similar functionality can be found in the Wizpy portable media player

Transflash partitioning schema example

  • 2 Gb: /dev/sd? (where N is the transflash's number)
  • 700 Mb: /dev/sd?1 : containing bootable iso, FAT16
  • 1300 Mb: /dev/sd?2 : openmoko & bootable os home partition, EXT3?
  • eventually a swap

That way, one can install a new iso when it's released. An updater script shall be written.

Linux distro Howto

Summary: When the neo/openmoko device is connected in mass storage mode to a linux host,

  1. Partition the transflash into livecd (bootable flag) & home partition
  2. Format the created partitions
  3. Extract the iso's contents onto the livecd partition
  4. Rename isolinux.cfg and edit it syslinux.cfg (see ubuntu tutorial link)
  5. Make the partition bootable using syslinux:
   $ sudo syslinux -f /dev/sd?

See Howto install ubuntu (or any other distro) on usb stick

Memtest86+

Grub example (from stock /boot/grub/menu.lst ubuntu install):

   title           Ubuntu, memtest86+
   root            (hd0,2)
   kernel          /memtest86+.bin
   quiet
   boot

Interesting distros/payloads

System diagnostics / recovery

General purpose

Security-oriented: pentesting, forensics, anonymous webbrowsing

List of live distros @ wikipedia

List of live distros @ distrowatch