Usb Install

Registered by Alec Wright

This spec is for a USB ubuntu installer. I am aware that it is possible to copy the contents of the alternate CD to a USB stick and use syslinux to make it bootable, but this is too tricky for most users.

Blueprint information

Status:
Not started
Approver:
None
Priority:
Undefined
Drafter:
None
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
None
Definition:
New
Series goal:
None
Implementation:
Unknown
Milestone target:
None

Related branches

Sprints

Whiteboard

Not only booting a liveUSB should be possible, but running (k)ubuntu from a USB drive (flash or HDD), preferably without modifications. Maybe a few modifications to the installation ISO, coupled with a ' install to USB' utility (available to *nix AND Windows) which would just copy the entire .ISO contents to the selected drive.
---Brazillian Joe

I think a simple shell script would get this done fairly well (although it wouldn't be very pretty, a graphical program would be better. Here's some pseudo-code:

Ask user for either a mountpoint, an entire device or a partition;

If it is an entire device, chack that it is big enough, and if it is, partition it so that there is a FAT16 partition filling it completely. Mount it.

Else if it is a single partition, simply format it in FAT16. Mount it.

Else if it is a mountpoint, delete all files.

End if.

Extract a tar.bz2 (or 7z, for better compression) archive to the mount point. This archive should be a modified CD filesystem.

Syslinux it.
---Alec Wright (Alecjw)

https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/ubuntu-usb-flash-drive-image-generator/ is similar to this blueprint, but wants to run a live (like the live cd/installer plus the ability to modify the image) system off of the usb drives.

(?)

Work Items

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