====== Multiboot usb key with 32 and 64bits debian installers and debian live ======

===== Preparing the usb key =====

  * Create a partition table and make a fat32 partition that uses the whole usb key space.

  cfdisk /dev/sdb
  mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1

  * Install grub on the usb key

  mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb0
  grub-install --no-floppy --root-directory=/media/usb0 /dev/sdb

  * Create a grub.cfg file in /media/usb0/boot/grub/ with the following contents:

  menuentry "debian-installer-i386" {
    linux /boot/vmlinuz_i386 vga=788 -- quiet
    initrd /boot/initrd_i386.gz
  }
  
  menuentry "debian-installer-i386 expert" {
    linux /boot/vmlinuz_i386 priority=low vga=788 --
    initrd /boot/initrd_i386.gz
  } 
  
  menuentry "debian-installer-amd64" {
    linux /boot/vmlinuz_amd64 vga=788 -- quiet
    initrd /boot/initrd_amd64.gz
  } 
  
  menuentry "debian-installer-amd64 expert" {
    linux /boot/vmlinuz_amd64 priority=low vga=788 --
    initrd /boot/initrd_amd64.gz
  }
  
  menuentry "live amd64" {
    linux /boot/live_amd64/vmlinuz boot=live live-media-path=/boot/live_amd64 persistent-path=/persistent/amd64/ live-config persistent
    initrd /boot/live_amd64/initrd.img
  }
  
  menuentry "live i386" {
    linux /boot/live_i386/vmlinuz boot=live live-media-path=/boot/live_i386 persistent-path=/persistent/i386/ live-config persistent
    initrd /boot/live_i386/initrd.img
  }

===== Debian installer =====

  * Get the hd-usb debian installer vmlinuz and initrd.gz files from the web. Rename them to vmlinuz_$arch and initrd_$arch.gz, where $arch is the computer architecture (i386, amd64). Copy them to /media/usb0/boot.
  * Get the corresponding netinstall iso files for the installed architectures and copy them to /media/usb0

===== Debian live =====

  * Create some necessary directories:

  mkdir /media/usb0/persistent
  mkdir /media/usb0/persistent/amd64
  mkdir /media/usb0/persistent/i386
  mkdir /media/usb0/boot/live_amd64
  mkdir /media/usb0/boot/live_i386

==== Generate the debian live image ====

  * Install live-helper package
  * Create live image (do this from a 64bit machine):

  mkdir /tmp/d-l
  mkdir /tmp/d-l/amd64
  cd /tmp/d-l/amd64
  sudo lh clean --binary
  sudo lh config -b usb-hdd -a amd64 -d sid
  sudo lh build

  * When the build is finished edit the file chroot/sbin/live-snapshot 
  * Replace the line:

  SNAP_COW=$(echo "${SNAP_RESYNC_STRING}" | sed -e 's|^/root\([^:.]*\).*$|'"${DEF_SNAP_COW}"'\1|')

  * With:

  SNAP_COW=$(echo "${SNAP_RESYNC_STRING}" | sed -e 's|^/cow\([^:.]*\).*$|'"${DEF_SNAP_COW}"'\1|')

  * Regenerate the live image:

  sudo lh clean --binary
  sudo lh binary

  * Loop mount the generated live image, copy the important parts to the usb key, and extract the initrd contents:  

  mount -o loop,offset=512 binary.img /mnt
  cd /mnt/live
  cp * /media/usb0/boot/live_amd64
  mkdir /tmp/initrd_amd64
  cp /mnt/live/initrd.img /tmp/initrd_amd64/initrd.img.gz
  cd /tmp/initrd_amd64
  gunzip initrd.img.gz
  cpio -ivmd -F initrd.img
  rm initrd.img

  * Edit the file scripts/live
  * Replace line:

  ${snap_type}SNAP="/cow${snap_mount#$rootmnt}":${snapdev}:${snapfile}" >> /etc/live.conf # for resync on reboot/halt

  * With:

  ${snap_type}SNAP="/cow${snap_mount#$rootmnt}":${snapdev}:${snapfile}" >> ${rootmnt}/etc/live.conf # for resync on reboot/halt

  * And replace line:

  snapdata=$(find_files "${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.squashfs  ${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.cpio.gz ${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.ext2  ${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.ext3 ${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.ext4 ${PERSISTENT_PATH}${snap_label}.jffs2")

  * With:

  snapdata=$(find_files "${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.squashfs  ${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.cpio.gz ${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.ext2  ${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.ext3 ${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.ext4 ${PERSISTENT_PATH}/${snap_label}.jffs2")

  * Recreate initrd.img file, and copy it to the usb key:

  find .| cpio -o -H newc | gzip -9 > ../initrd.img
  cp ../initrd.img /media/usb0/boot/live_amd64

  * Repeat the whole procedure for the 32bits case, just use i386 where amd64 is.

===== Debian Live (February 2013) =====

  mkdir /tmp/live_amd64
  cd /tmp/live_amd64
  lb config -a amd64 -d sid --mirror-bootstrap http://mirrors.ucr.ac.cr/debian/ --mirror-binary http://mirrors.ucr.ac.cr/debian/ --archive-areas "main contrib non-free"

In directory config/package-lists, create file called base.list and add the following to it:

  lvm2
  testdisk
  dmsetup
  cryptsetup
  cryptmount
  gdisk
  emacs
  mc
  joe
  gddrescue
  magicrescue
  wipe
  ntfs-3g
  partimage
  sshfs
  firmware-linux-nonfree
  firmware-linux