Stuff that has not yet gone into the official build.
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dzz

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## Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:43 pm

Some notes on refracta installer-gui 9.0.6-2 (EDIT: 9.0.5-3) , used on a snapshot from a (newly dist-upgraded) sid-based test installation.
RE: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=175&start=10 A new thread here because this concerns refracta-installer
The installation is siduction, with all 3rd-party repos disabled and 3rd-party live-boot and live-config mechanisms replaced by official Debian ones.
These notes might help the next script update, or anyone who wants to do sid now. There were few glitches (soon sorted) now everything seems fine (so far!) Hopefully any required changes to the installer could be done without affecting squeeze compatability.
Already noted, must add manually to installer_exclude.list:

Code:
  `- /lib/live/overlay
  - /lib/live/image
  - /lib/live/rootfs`

Another one needs excluding if it exists (did here): fstab.d/live
#################
The installer writes / entry to fstab (if you choose uuid) like this:

Code:
  `UUID="uuid_string"`

I got tons of errors like "blockdevice not found"
Errors disappeared on reboot after removing the the quotes. I don't know if that's a problem in squeeze or wheezy... it might be
In the actual live snapshot were tons of errors because there was no fstab in the live system. Some utilities like disk-manager (very useful, if you never seen it) won't work without. This will need more investigation...
#################
Checked "do not install bootloader" to avoid compulsory grub-pc in mbr. Installed grub-pc manually to partition later, no problems. Also an option to set a custom partition label (another requirement here, affects humanly-readable mounts from elsewhere) would be useful. These two jobs took longer than the main installation
#################
Installer asked if I wanted to change root password. Said it was currently "root", actually it was not.
#################
It would be simpler for the user, if the installer (optionally) disabled sudo without the nano window, e.g. using a sed line (#%sudo #whatever_is_username). Watch out for systems that use sudoers.d (including live-config scripts)
#################
Here is the content of /var/log/refractainstaller_error.log :

Code:
  `(zenity:8130): GLib-WARNING **: /build/buildd-glib2.0_2.33.12+really2.32.4-3-i386-Z8T5T2/glib2.0-2.33.12+really2.32.4/./glib/giounix.c:411Error while getting flags for FD: Bad file descriptor (9)
  Usage: grep [OPTION]... PATTERN [FILE]...
  Try 'grep --help' for more information.
  Usage: grep [OPTION]... PATTERN [FILE]...
  Try 'grep --help' for more information.
  mke2fs 1.42.5 (29-Jul-2012)`

#################
Not a lot of time to spare on this.. enjoy Squeeze while it lasts.. but good news that snapshot and installer can work for sid and non-Refracta systems.
Last edited by dzz on Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
fsmithred

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:58 am

I tried to make a sid snapshot again, this time excluding the three directories listed above. It worked. I got an iso that boots. There's no fstab, and I got a bunch of errors about that at boot. I've seen that before, but it hasn't been consistent. I'll have to pay attention to when it happens. The refracta-wheezy-beta1 iso also has no fstab, but I don't see the errors on boot.
The contents of the file in fstab.d is the same as the contents of fstab on a runnng iso in squeeze (refracta or stock debian-live). I would have guessed that the file in fstab.d is used to generate the fstab, but if you mount the iso, and then mount the squashfs inside, there is no fstab or fstab.d. So I don't know where they come from.
I'm going to try to copy parts of an earlier reply that I couldn't post last night:
########

> dzz wrote:Some notes on refracta installer-gui 9.0.6-2 , used on a snapshot from a (newly dist-upgraded) sid-based test installation.

That's the version number for the latest refractasnapshot. The installer is still on 9.0.5-3
##############

> The installer writes / entry to fstab (if you choose uuid) like this:
> Code:
>   `UUID="uuid_string"`
> I got tons of errors like "blockdevice not found"
> Errors disappeared on reboot after removing the the quotes. I don't know if that's a problem in squeeze or wheezy... it might be

Here's a fix for that:

Code:
  `change:
  install_part="$(blkid -s UUID $install_dev | awk '{ print $2 }')"
  to
  install_part="$(blkid -s UUID $install_dev | awk '{ print $2 }' | sed 's/\"//g')"`

##############
Support for disk labels -
That's two requests, and I think it's a good idea. It'll happen.
##############

> Installer asked if I wanted to change root password. Said it was currently "root", actually it was not.

Oops. I noticed that recently, and then I forgot about it. Change in the text is already committed. It now says something generic, like "You can now change the root password."
##############

> It would be simpler for the user, if the installer (optionally) disabled sudo without the nano window, e.g. using a sed line (#%sudo #whatever_is_username). Watch out for systems that use sudoers.d (including live-config scripts)

Ugh! I'm tempted to do away with sudo in refracta and not deal with it in the installer. I don't know if there's a way to please everyone on that subject. Messing with it brings up another issue, and that's the setting for sudo-mode, currently in ~/.gconf/apps/gksu/%gconf.xml. Installer uses sed to change the setting in the file, but in wheezy, the file is different, and it says nothing about sudo mode. And in another distro I looked at, it's different again. The setting determines which password you need to use with gksu. It's been a while since I played with that, but I think you can end up with not being able to run programs with root privs.
##############

> Here is the content of /var/log/refractainstaller_error.log :
> [code](zenity:8130): GLib-WARNING **: /build/buildd-glib2.0_2.33.12+really2.32.4-3-i386-Z8T5T2/glib2.0-2.33.12+really2.32.4/./glib/giounix.c:411Error while getting flags for FD: Bad file descriptor (9)...snip

I don't recognize that error, and I don't know what it's about. The grep errors are normal and can be ignored.
##############
Last edited by fsmithred on Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
dzz

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:46 pm

> dzz wrote:Some notes on refracta installer-gui 9.0.6-2 , used on a snapshot from a (newly dist-upgraded) sid-based test installation.

My typo mistake.. I know installer is still on 9.0.5-3, thanks for correction

> Support for disk labels -
> That's two requests, and I think it's a good idea. It'll happen

.
IMHO that should be what user chooses (or not) rather than automatic

> Ugh! I'm tempted to do away with sudo in refracta

Ugh! Is my opinion of sudo. Note however, other debian-live images (in live mode) must use sudo, they have no root password nor preconfigured user; refracta images and snapshots do. It's good that refracta stuff works for Debian generally, please consider compatability in that decision.
It is possible to adapt a snapshot to remove root passwd and user then allow live-config to handle everything, if there is a special reason to do that, before building the iso

> if you mount the iso, and then mount the squashfs inside, there is no fstab or fstab.d. So I don't know where they come from

live-boot script (/lib/live/boot/9990-fstab.sh) built into initrd creates it. The live-boot scripts have been split up (modularized), not yet investigated thoroughly what bit does what
#############
A few interesting observations from Debian-live mailing list http://lists.debian.org/debian-live/ :
Apparently live-* stuff will be excepted from Wheezy freeze.. so expect more changes, they look quite busy. The mountpoints will probably change again.
It might be better to use sid versions on wheezy. Current wheezy versions (probably to be deprecated anyway) seem more buggy
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Fri Nov 02, 2012 1:20 pm

Yes, user-selected disk labels is what I was thinking.
Some changes in debian-live:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-live/201 ... 00036.html
Looks like you're right that the mount points might move, one level down in a dir called 'mount'. Also might need to add findiso and persistence dirs to the excludes list.
fsmithred

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:40 pm

Here's a corrected fix from above. (sed needed 'g' to get the closing quotes off the uuid.)

Code:
  `change:
  install_part="$(blkid -s UUID $install_dev | awk '{ print $2 }')"
  to
  install_part="$(blkid -s UUID $install_dev | awk '{ print $2 }' | sed 's/\"//g')"`

fsmithred

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:38 am

Add one more to the excludes list. Not sure right now if this is only because I made a separate /home partition during the install, or if it's always a problem.

Code:
  `- /lib/live/mount`

dzz

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:28 am

Live-boot (sid) creates and uses /lib/live/mount at startup, it should not exist in an installation.
It is the mountpoint zone for the actual live-media volume (and any active persistence volume) not only the active live-image within it .
That volume could be a cd, dvd, 32GB+ usb pen or... a monster HD partition stuffed with mpegs! /lib/live/mount must be excluded in all cases.
.
fsmithred

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## Re: Refracta-installer in a sid (-based) snapshot

Sat Dec 08, 2012 3:49 am

I guess I didn't notice it on the first install, because it was on an 8GB partition. Second install went to two 4GB partitions, and the installation failed when the first partition got full.
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