0710 beta 2 available

[jetrich]

Problems with sony disc changer with 0710

I can not ID or play disc on my disc changer after installing the 0710 beta

Anyone else seeing this.

I haven't installed the beta yet, but this makes me glad I haven't...

My wife and kids (not to mention the kids that come to my house for the daycare) would have a fit if they couldn't access the movies.

The (overdue) first public beta of something as complex as LMCE is not for the wife and kids (unless they're beta testers, too). But it's worth installing on something expendable so you can offer feedback to speed the delivery of the release for them, so the old annyoing bugs are gone faster.

True enough. However, I was getting some intense pressure over the jerkiness and tearing issues in mythTV from the wife. Enough pressure in fact that I nearly installed the beta to remedy them. Unfortunately, I don't have a good spare machine to test with yet. Working on it though.

[tkmedia]

jerkiness and tearing issues in mythTV

A lot better in 0710

[Matthew]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

Thanks - that procedure makes sense, and is certainly a little different from the one I'm using that's failing, in what seems like the relevant places. Especially since the change I made to my instructions, adding

Code: [Select]

title ISO image on sda3 (LMCE v0710b2)
kernel (hd0,2)/casper/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3 BOOTMEDIA=cd
initrd (hd0,2)/casper/initrd.gz
boot
booted OK, except that the partition somehow was mounted on a dir called "/root", and booting halted in (initramfs) with a busybox shell and (I assume initramfs) stuff in /. When I changed it to "root=(hd0,2)/dev/sda3", I got a "init: /init 157 Error divide by zero" kernel panic when it tried to mount the root filesystem. Kind of a showstopper.

You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

Well, since that's what's killed me in my other method, would you specify the target I'd need to add to menu.lst? Thanks again for the assist.

I'm bumping this question, because someone has got to know how to specify the grub menu.lst so I can boot the beta and start testing it. I've been hung up for a week on this, even though a single-layer DVD image is now overdue, and I'm sure there are many more who are in the same boat who could be testing and speeding the release. Help?

[tkmedia]

Not that you should have to but DL DVD recorders players are cheap around $20 I paid more the media $39 for 15.

[deepsin]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

Thanks - that procedure makes sense, and is certainly a little different from the one I'm using that's failing, in what seems like the relevant places. Especially since the change I made to my instructions, adding

Code: [Select]

title ISO image on sda3 (LMCE v0710b2)
kernel (hd0,2)/casper/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3 BOOTMEDIA=cd
initrd (hd0,2)/casper/initrd.gz
boot
booted OK, except that the partition somehow was mounted on a dir called "/root", and booting halted in (initramfs) with a busybox shell and (I assume initramfs) stuff in /. When I changed it to "root=(hd0,2)/dev/sda3", I got a "init: /init 157 Error divide by zero" kernel panic when it tried to mount the root filesystem. Kind of a showstopper.

You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

Well, since that's what's killed me in my other method, would you specify the target I'd need to add to menu.lst? Thanks again for the assist.

I'm bumping this question, because someone has got to know how to specify the grub menu.lst so I can boot the beta and start testing it. I've been hung up for a week on this, even though a single-layer DVD image is now overdue, and I'm sure there are many more who are in the same boat who could be testing and speeding the release. Help?

Can we do a network install like for most other distribution.. boot up with a small iso and then point it to rest of the distribution via http/nfs/ftp? May be its too complicated to be done, but just throwing out ideas..

Thanks

[Matthew]

Not that you should have to but DL DVD recorders players are cheap around $20 I paid more the media $39 for 15.

True, but I'm not going to get a new piece of HW just because the beta releasers didn't "trim the fat" the way they said. Nor should that be a barrier to any other beta tester. I appreciate the encouragement, but I'm hellbent on booting from an ISO.

[1audio]

If the "ISO" can be made to work can it work from a USB flash drive? They are now in the mid $30 range http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2013240522+1309421176&name=8GB and it would be cheaper than discarding a few DVD's.

[tkmedia]

I know what you mean it boils down to time vs $ sometimes I will spend a week trying to save $60 on principle. I just happened to have recently bought  a DL drive, but it was still hard to pay $ 39 for DL media.

[deepsin]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

Thanks - that procedure makes sense, and is certainly a little different from the one I'm using that's failing, in what seems like the relevant places. Especially since the change I made to my instructions, adding

Code: [Select]

title ISO image on sda3 (LMCE v0710b2)
kernel (hd0,2)/casper/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3 BOOTMEDIA=cd
initrd (hd0,2)/casper/initrd.gz
boot
booted OK, except that the partition somehow was mounted on a dir called "/root", and booting halted in (initramfs) with a busybox shell and (I assume initramfs) stuff in /. When I changed it to "root=(hd0,2)/dev/sda3", I got a "init: /init 157 Error divide by zero" kernel panic when it tried to mount the root filesystem. Kind of a showstopper.

You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

Well, since that's what's killed me in my other method, would you specify the target I'd need to add to menu.lst? Thanks again for the assist.

I'm bumping this question, because someone has got to know how to specify the grub menu.lst so I can boot the beta and start testing it. I've been hung up for a week on this, even though a single-layer DVD image is now overdue, and I'm sure there are many more who are in the same boat who could be testing and speeding the release. Help?

Matthew,

Have you looked into the contents of initrd.gz. I have seen different distribution have different stuff there. In one of the distro, they re-mount / after they have loaded correct driver to access the disk.

Perhaps you may have to make an entry there to remount root to /.

I am trying to download the iso(s) and once I have it will try to see whats in there... and will also try to reproduce the problem.

Thanks

[Matthew]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

Thanks - that procedure makes sense, and is certainly a little different from the one I'm using that's failing, in what seems like the relevant places. Especially since the change I made to my instructions, adding

Code: [Select]

title ISO image on sda3 (LMCE v0710b2)
kernel (hd0,2)/casper/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3 BOOTMEDIA=cd
initrd (hd0,2)/casper/initrd.gz
boot
booted OK, except that the partition somehow was mounted on a dir called "/root", and booting halted in (initramfs) with a busybox shell and (I assume initramfs) stuff in /. When I changed it to "root=(hd0,2)/dev/sda3", I got a "init: /init 157 Error divide by zero" kernel panic when it tried to mount the root filesystem. Kind of a showstopper.

You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

Well, since that's what's killed me in my other method, would you specify the target I'd need to add to menu.lst? Thanks again for the assist.

I'm bumping this question, because someone has got to know how to specify the grub menu.lst so I can boot the beta and start testing it. I've been hung up for a week on this, even though a single-layer DVD image is now overdue, and I'm sure there are many more who are in the same boat who could be testing and speeding the release. Help?

Matthew,

Have you looked into the contents of initrd.gz. I have seen different distribution have different stuff there. In one of the distro, they re-mount / after they have loaded correct driver to access the disk.

Perhaps you may have to make an entry there to remount root to /.

Well, I don't think that it should be necessary to alter the initrd to get it to mount properly. It's kind of a hunch, because from what I understand about grub, the bootloader is specifying where to mount the image, the initrd is not doing that. But I'm not sure. I really don't know why the grub docs have to be so cryptic about how its params work. I mean, try finding out what other values "BOOTMEDIA" can take other than "cd", especially when the bootmedia is a hard drive partition, not a CD...

I am trying to download the iso(s) and once I have it will try to see whats in there... and will also try to reproduce the problem.

Thanks for helping out.

[domotiqa.com]

Hy,

I'd like to install the beta2 I downloaded, however I only have one 500GB HDD with existing windows install !
is there a way to install it without crashing other partitions ?
Shame not to be able to specify an existing partition where to install !!

[jcd]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

...

Everything is done as the root user, and you will need to replace /dev/sdaX and /dev/sdaY with the partitions you created or want to use.  You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

No guarantees that this will give you a properly working system, but so far everything seems to work fine for me.

Thanks for sharing this ... It did work for me with the required tweaking in the GRUB config file.

So far the new install seems to be working OK.

JC

[domotiqa.com]

thanks !!

[Matthew]

Here is how I installed the beta2 ISO manually to a partition, without burning a DVD. 

...

Everything is done as the root user, and you will need to replace /dev/sdaX and /dev/sdaY with the partitions you created or want to use.  You will also need to configure a bootloader to start your partition, I used the existing GRUB install on another partititon and added extra targets to its /boot/grub/menu.lst.

No guarantees that this will give you a properly working system, but so far everything seems to work fine for me.

Thanks for sharing this ... It did work for me with the required tweaking in the GRUB config file.

So far the new install seems to be working OK.

What is "the required tweaking in the GRUB config file" exactly? I've posted my menu.lst section that fails - what does it need to be, exactly, to work? Is there some kind of taboo against specifically quoting your grub configs in public or something 

[jcd]

What is "the required tweaking in the GRUB config file" exactly? I've posted my menu.lst section that fails - what does it need to be, exactly, to work? Is there some kind of taboo against specifically quoting your grub configs in public or something 

Hello Matthew,

No there is nothing secret in the menu.lst file. But its content will depend on some choices you do at install time.

For example, on my system, I have mythbuntu (7.10) installed with the following partitionning:

/dev/sda1 -> /boot
/dev/sda2 -> swap
/dev/sda3 -> / (with the mythbuntu 7.10 install)

So using mythbuntu I decided to install linuxmce on /dev/sda4. My idea was to keep the mythbuntu install and add linuxmce on /dev/sda4 while having both linuxmce and mythbuntu sharing the same /boot (/dev/sda1) and swap (/dev/sda2). This allows to share the menu.lst and the kernels between the 2 systems.

So in the end, here is what I have in my menu.lst file:

Code: [Select]

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default         2

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout         3

...

## ## End Default Options ##

title           Mythbuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=10e3ce7b-53ca-4090-ac60-c3c59617d9a4 ro quiet splash
initrd          /initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title           Mythbuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=10e3ce7b-53ca-4090-ac60-c3c59617d9a4 ro single
initrd          /initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title           LINUXMCE 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=41d0b807-e90d-446a-944c-9aff3a82ce03 ro quiet splash
initrd          /initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title           LINUXMCE 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=41d0b807-e90d-446a-944c-9aff3a82ce03 ro single
initrd          /initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title           Ubuntu 7.10, memtest86+
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
It is not necessarily the best solution but it works for me and I am happy with it so far.

The fact is that in the end the GRUB tweaking depends on your system and what you want to achieve. I don't think there is a single recipe.

Note: the above setting means I have done a bit more customization in /etc/fstab than Zaerc did in order to allow the /boot partition to be mounted by linuxmce. But it should be relatively trivial to deduce.

BTW, for people without an american/qwerty keyboard, don't forget to run "dpkg-reconfigure console-setup" after the first reboot to adapt your keyboard setting accordingly.

I hope it helps.

JC