Booting Puppy 2.01 from USB via PCMCIA USB2 adapter card

[pakt]

Puppy 2.01 can be made to boot from a USB flash pen connected to the PC through a PCMCIA USB2 adapter card if the PCMCIA modules are loaded before the USB modules. I have modified Puppy 2.01's initrd.gz to do that.

This initrd.gz mod lets the user choose whether or not to load the PCMCIA modules before the USB ones with the use of the 'usbcard' boot option. (I thought I had posted this mod to the forum, but I can't seem to find it)

My mod in the 'init' script is the code between the '#----------------' lines.

Code: Select all

####LOAD MODULES###########################################
# Load kernel modules:
echo "Loading kernel modules..."

#base module for scsi (and usb)...
[ -f /lib/modules/${KERNVER}/scsi_mod.ko ] && insmod /lib/modules/${KERNVER}/scsi_mod.ko
#...builtin to my 2.6.16.7, but leave this line for other kernels.

#----------------
#if boot option 'usbcard' then load PCMCIA modules now
#this will allow booting from USB flash pen through USB2 adapter card
if [ ! "`grep -i "usbcard" /proc/cmdline`" = "" ];then
 insmod /lib/modules/${KERNVER}/rsrc_nonstatic.ko
 insmod /lib/modules/${KERNVER}/yenta_socket.ko
 echo "Detecting USB2 adapter card..."
 sleep 2
fi
#----------------

#/usr/share/pci.ids is cutdown with only usb info...

gunzip and re-name the attached file to initrd.gz and replace the original with it.

No other modification (like modifying rc.modules) is necessary.

EDIT: I can't seem to attach the file here either, so I'll use a file server instead...
http://www.mysharefile.com/v/1289380/in ... rd.gz.html

Use the boot option like this:
boot: puppy PMEDIA=usbflash usbcard

Feedback welcome
Paul

[Sit Heel Speak]

(EDITED: As of August 7 2006, MU is hosting pakt's initrd.gz for Puppy 2.01, it can be found at

http://dotpups.de/files/wakepup/

)

It now works. I lacked the proper initrd.gz before. With this new one, Puppy 2.01 does now boot using the new wakepup from floppy, and (I don't doubt) will also now boot using a disk installation of GRUB, from the USB key with Puppy 2.01 on the USB 2 adapter.

The Puppy Developer forum is down at the moment, so can't post my success there (EDITED: it's up now, I'm doing so).

Thanks again, Paul,

Philip

[pakt]

Good to hear it

I really think Barry should use this initrd.gz mod in Puppy2 even if it increases the size of the file by a couple of K.

Paul

[John Doe]

Yes, if this works he should hear about it.

Did one of you guys send him a PM or email?

[pakt]

Yes, if this works he should hear about it.

Did one of you guys send him a PM or email?

I'm not sure Barry would appreciate getting PMs or email every time we come up with a suggestion. Isn't that what the forum is for? I assume (and hope) he reads it.

Paul

[John Doe]

I'm not sure Barry would appreciate getting PMs or email every time we come up with a suggestion

I thought this was a know problem (I might be wrong) and a solution is much different than a suggestion.

Best wishes.

[Sit Heel Speak]

I really think Barry should use this initrd.gz mod in Puppy2 even if it increases the size of the file by a couple of K.

I agree, this initrd.gz should be the standard issue (EDITED: Puppy 2.02 doesn't need a special initrd.gz, see the thread "Booting Puppy 2.02 from USB via PCMCIA USB2 adapter card" at

http://www.murga.org/~puppy/viewtopic.php?p=61704

).

Bootup time, booting from Paul's new wkpup2x_img on a floppy, with Puppy 2.01 on a USB flash key connected through a USB 2 PCMCIA adapter port: 73 seconds.

Bootup time, with the new initrd.gz copied (in Windows) to my C:\p201disk booting directory and Puppy 2.01 in this directory booted from a grub.exe line in C:\autoexec.bat: 49 seconds.

This is on a Pentium 3 800MHz notebook with 256MB of PC133 RAM and a UDMA-2 (33Mbps) hard disk. Also a very slow floppy drive.

[pakt]

I've sent Barry an email refering him to this topic. I hope he can give us some feedback on it.

Btw, Sit Heel Speak, I found Montana to be a majestic state when my wife and I drove through the rockies there back in the 70's. We lived in Denver at the time and were on a vacation trip north to Canada, then west to Vancouver, south down to California (to visit my father) then east again, back to Colorado. All in thirteen days and with two cats in our little VW
Paul

[Sit Heel Speak]

I found Montana to be a majestic state...

"Majestic" is a good word for it, yes. I took a few dozen 7.1-megapixel pictures of Little Bighorn Battlefield and surrounding environs. Some of these might be good desktop backgrounds. I would be willing to share them, if someone has the server space.