Bug 26608

Summary: hampering default on the CD: "boot from hard disk"
Product: Sisyphus Reporter: Ivan Zakharyaschev <imz>
Component: mkimage-profilesAssignee: Антон Мидюков <antohami>
Status: CLOSED FIXED QA Contact: qa-sisyphus
Severity: enhancement    
Priority: P3 CC: aen, antohami, manowar, mike, morozov
Version: unstable   
Hardware: all   
OS: Linux   
Bug Depends on:    
Bug Blocks: 26300    

Description Ivan Zakharyaschev 2011-11-23 03:32:00 MSK 
I'm not sure from which version of the mkimage profiles the syslinux configuration on the LiveCD for Simply Linux was generated, but anyway -- this is a suggestion for the template of the syslinux configuration: make booting an ALTLinux LiveCD or installer the default rather than booting the old system from the hard disk.

(Perhaps, this enhancement request should be reassigned to the package with the sources of the syslinux configuration for Simply Linux; that's not quite clear: in which package these sources are; sorry for this.)

+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #26606 +++

altlinux-6.0.0-simply-i586-ru-live-cd.iso has as the default boot option "from hard disk".  But this hampers one to boot the Live CD in the case when the keyboard doesn't work in the boot loader. (A USB keyboard.)  I suggest to make the default such that the live ALTLinux system is booted without any intervention from the user. Why not? An installed ALTLinux system usually boots on a computer without any intervention from a user.  My case is like this: the USB keyboard is the only working keyboard on this computer. But the USB keyboard doesn't work in BIOS and in the bootloader. To make it boot from CD, I disconnect the hard drives. And I'd like to boot the Live CD and install an ALTLinux system. The default option in the bootloader is a hindrance, and it even makes no sense in the described situation, because I have already disconnected the hard drives intentionally.
Comment 1 Michael Shigorin 2011-11-23 10:58:19 MSK 
(In reply to comment #0)
> I'm not sure from which version of the mkimage profiles the syslinux
> configuration on the LiveCD for Simply Linux was generated
Not mkimage but rather mkimage-profiles-desktop:
http://git.altlinux.org/people/sem/packages/?p=mkimage-profiles-desktop.git;a=blob;f=profiles/isolinux/common.in;hb=HEAD
http://git.altlinux.org/people/sem/packages/?p=mkimage-profiles-desktop.git;a=blob;f=configure.ac;h=17aa7b2d451888295fbd0c10dbdc742d7469570a;hb=HEAD#l23

There's no such knob in m-p yet and the way of generating the final isolinux.cfg does differ considerably either:
http://git.altlinux.org/people/mike/packages/?p=mkimage-profiles.git;a=tree;f=features.in/syslinux;hb=HEAD

> but anyway -- this is a suggestion for the template of the syslinux
> configuration: make booting an ALTLinux LiveCD or installer the default
> rather than booting the old system from the hard disk.
Thanks, accepted for LiveCD (but *not* for installer -- it's not children safe as was witnessed by morozov@ already; I can build a custom one for your particular situation if you want).
Comment 2 Michael Shigorin 2012-06-28 23:08:30 MSK 
It's now possible to create a LiveCD which will only boot itself; see e.g. live-webkiosk*.iso here: http://ftp.linux.kiev.ua/pub/Linux/ALT/people/mike/iso/mkimage-profiles/

Feel free to ask for a custom installer if needed.
Comment 3 Michael Shigorin 2013-02-02 15:22:35 MSK 
For the record, the issue hasn't been settled properly as the different LiveCDs clearly need different defaults; e.g. Homeros should boot into live but installable ones are better off with local boot if nothing else happens.
Comment 4 Ivan Zakharyaschev 2014-01-10 19:12:23 MSK 
(В ответ на комментарий №3)
> For the record, the issue hasn't been settled properly as the different LiveCDs
> clearly need different defaults; e.g. Homeros should boot into live but
> installable ones are better off with local boot if nothing else happens.

If there were at least one minimal installation ISO which booted itself by default, it would be useful in situations as in the description: the keyboard doesn't work in the bootloader, but one wants to install an ALT system.

And similarly for a Live CD: it would be useful if there were at least one decent Live CD which booted itself by default.

I hope that you don't mind me reopening the issue. It would be nice to have a link to such a Live ISO. Homeros might be too extra-ordinary for someone who wishes to work with a usual desktop environment, isn't it?
Comment 5 Ivan Zakharyaschev 2014-01-10 19:21:41 MSK 
for the record: a local workaround by modifying the images has been described at https://bugzilla.altlinux.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26606
Comment 6 Michael Shigorin 2014-02-03 23:27:08 MSK 
moving to m-p
Comment 7 Michael Shigorin 2014-03-05 11:42:23 MSK 
Mmkay, you're welcome to have a look at altlinux-p7-jeos which asks no questions before booting off the image -- currently available at http://ftp.linux.kiev.ua/pub/Linux/ALT/people/mike/iso/mkimage-profiles/starterkits/20140301/ or http://ftp.linux.kiev.ua/pub/Linux/ALT/people/mike/iso/mkimage-profiles/p7/ and should be available at http://ftp.altlinux.org/pub/distributions/ALTLinux/p7/images/starterkits/ sooner or later.