Talk:Downloads

A review of installation methods

(This is a work in progress. Please review and contribute.)

There are many alternative methods to install Sugar. The options can be very confusing because of the technical details and features that may be unfamiliar.

This page begins to itemize some of the many options that are available for those interested in learning more about the possibilities.

Note: When dealing with flash memory storage devices, such as 'USB sticks' and 'SD cards', one should be advised that changing the device format may affect its service lifetime. Fortunately, the manufacturer's default format is suitable for many of the common options. The methods that require reformatting are indicated by a colored background such as this.

Macbook Pro

Matt Wronkiewicz wrote:

If anyone else is interested, I put together a boot helper for Mirabelle. Burned to a CD, it enabled booting a USB stick on my MacBook Pro. The stick was partitioned with the plain old MBR format and labeled "FEDORA". I also got both VMware Fusion and VirtualBox to boot the USB stick using this boot helper ISO. The soas-2-boot ISO sort of works with Mirabelle sticks, but they have different kernel versions so modules don't load, thus no networking. That is fixed in this build.

<http://www.wronkiewicz.net/soas-3-boot-test.iso> revised with low graphics boot line <http://www.wronkiewicz.net/soas-3-boot-test2.iso>

Installation to HD, USB hard drive, and USB/SD flash drives

The LiveOS image technology uses compression to install operating systems on smaller discs such as CD-ROMs and small USB/SD flash storage devices.

The extra compression layer may be avoided by installing to an uncompressed file system by one of the methods itemized in the first section below:

Uncompressed file systems

  1. livecd-iso-to-disk script using the --skipcompress option
    livecd-iso-to-disk --skipcompress --overlay-size-mm <NN> --home-size-mb <NN> --delete-home --unencrypted-home /path/to/isofile/or/mounted/image /dev/sd?1
    See Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux.
  1. zyx-liveinstaller <from Ferminal>Sugar_on_a_Stick/ZyX-LiveInstaller
    • creates real file structure on USB or HD (without rebooting)
    • name and color selection (and ssh keys remain the same)
      This can be a problem for using it for distribution
  2. liveinst (Anaconda)<from Terminal> Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux/Non-compressed_Fedora#Use_liveinst_command_in_terminal
    • installs to HD or USB stick
    • If you make an .img file from the USB before running "firstboot", it becomes a good way to duplicate the sticks.
  3. Net install CD Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux/Non-compressed_Fedora#Make_your_OWN_Custom_SUGAR-DESKTOP_USB_Boot_Stick
    • need a fast Internet connection
    • very slow install(6+ hours for USB)
    • allows custom install of sugar-desktop only or Gnome/KDE + Sugar
    • If you make an .img file from the USB before running "firstboot", it becomes a good way to duplicate the sticks.
Copy : dd if=/dev/sd(x) of=xxxxxx.img [1] see below
Duplicate: dd if=xxxxxx.img of=/dev/sd(x)

Compressed file systems on USB/SD devices

  1. script with .iso file - See Talk:SoaS_Blueberry_Instructions.
  2. live-usbcreator application
    • Download the latest version of the Fedora LiveUSB Creator from http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator and extract it.
    • Plug a blank target USB flash drive (or SD Card) into your computer (minimum 1-gigabyte).
    • Launch LiveUSB Creator.
    • Select Sugar on a Stick v2 Blueberry in the drop-down menu on the upper-right side to download the liveUSB disk image. Alternatively, download Blueberry here, then hit the Browse button and select the downloaded file.
    • Adjust the Persistent Storage slider. This enables you to save the child's work in Sugar onto the device.
    • Select your flash drive as the target and click the Create Live USB button.
    • Wait for the process to finish, then close the LiveUSB Creator program.
    • Stop your flash drive using the Safely Remove Hardware dialog and eject it.
  3. other Linux distributions Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux
  • 4 dd write to USB (Very DANGEROUS-can destroy your Hard Drive)
USE "mount" command to determine USB device name (ie: /dev/sdb;/dev/sdc/;/dev/sdd ...etc) [1]
Fastest way to write a LIVE usb (about 3.5 minutes for a Soas.iso)
No persistence
Functionally identical to Burned CD
Great for installation when there is no CD/DVD drive (netbooks)
Example when live.iso is on Desktop (root terminal):
cd Desktop
dd if=soas-i386-20101004.16.iso of=/dev/sd(x) [1]
1024000+0 records in
1024000+0 records out
524288000 bytes (524 MB) copied, 214.199 s, 2.4 MB/s

Duplication of USB/SD .img files

  1. dd copy of USB/SD <from terminal>Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux/Non-compressed_Fedora#Duplication_of_USB_Sticks Autologon Sugar_on_a_Stick/Linux/Non-compressed_Fedora#AUTO_Login_to_SUGAR

Upgrade an XO-1 to Sugar 0.84 with Fedora 11 and Gnome

WARNING: THIS WILL OVERWRITE YOUR NAND in the XO-1 with the new OS.

Please read the instructions found on the OLPC News site. Refer to Message #3: "How to install". You must have a Developer Key, and security disabled on your OLPC.

  • Please note: Software has been updated since that posting. The latest Software is available here:

http://people.sugarlabs.org/bernie/olpc/f11-xo1-py/?C=M;O=D

  • Note: Be sure to plug in your laptop using its AC charger to ensure that the installation process is completed. (The firmware will not be updated under battery power.)
  • Put the two corresponding files (.img and .crc) of the same version-number on a bootable USB/SD device formated as FAT32.
  • Add your Developer Key to the USB.
  • Be certain to disable OLPC-security first as per the instructions. You can control this, when Open firmware prompts: "No WP Tag" it means "is already disabled".
  • Connect your device to the OLPC
  • Boot while holding down the "checkmark button".

When Open Firmware counts down 3 seconds "...before automatic startup", push the "escape button", to get to the "OK" Open Firmware prompt.

  • If the files were downloaded onto an USB stick:

type

probe-usb

Press Enter. Control if Open Firmware has detected your device. (A "found" usb when probing, e.g., usb:/***/disk means you have to name it in the command: copy-nand disk:\os***py.img) Then type

copy-nand usb:\os***py.img

and press Enter. (note: replace *** with your actual versionnumber/filename.)

  • If the files were downloaded onto a SD card:

type

copy-nand sd:\os***py.img

and press Enter.

  • when the colored points aren't changing anymore, and Open Firmware says: OK

disconnect your USB/SD device and type

reboot

When there happens a failure message (or no at all but no booting-process), try to overwrite your files a second time, try to re-download your file (eg "crc miscompare"), try to reformat your usb-stick (eg "is not a multiple of the nand erase block size"), try googling... (one time it helped to remove batteries for approximately 10 seconds. There are anecdotal cases where this resets the electronic controller that has unhung.) try! In the case of success: Enjoy!

WARNING: THIS WILL OVERWRITE YOUR NAND in the XO-1 with the new OS.

Download Questions

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