I want to modify the F8 LiveCD with squashfs - anyone done it?

[tecnalb]

Hey there. I am trying something and wanted to see if anyone has experience with it. I have build a USB key with F8 LiveCD and it works great. I can boot in under 20 seconds. I have some Windozes users are are very interested in this, btw.

The LiveCd is nice, but there is no java support or, in my case, support for a small thin client plugin that I need. I want to take and modify the LiveCD (no a total remix) and add java and this plugin.

What I have so far... I have mounted the USB squashfs and copied off the ext3fs.img from there. I then mounted that, so I have the image and is accessible. I have tried adding a direcotry just to see if it can be viewed. Since it changes the image, it interrupts the boot process and hangs.

So if anyone has tried any of this, or knows so gotchas, give me a yell. I'm still working with it.

[tecnalb]

Update: It doesn't hang, but instead issues the following:

VFS: Can't find ext3 filesystem on dev dm-0

[nulli_secundus]

I am trying to work this one out also, if anyone has any ideas...

[homey]

It would likely be better to make changes to the ks files so things get added
or removed when the iso is being created. However, I have opened up the iso
and made changes which does work for me also.

# I copy these files to /home and make adjustments there so the originals
don't get hosed.
livecd-fedora-8-base-desktop.ks
livecd-fedora-8-kde.ks

livecd-creator \
--config=/home/livecd-fedora-8-kde.ks \
--fslabel=Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE

# Mount the livecd iso so we can make some changes
mkdir /home/iso
mount -t iso9660 -o loop /home/Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE.iso /home/iso

# Check /home/iso for these files and folders
GPL
isolinux
LiveOS
README

# You need to load the squashfs module

(echo '#!/bin/sh'; echo 'modprobe squashfs') \
> /etc/sysconfig/modules/squashfs.modules
chmod +x /etc/sysconfig/modules/squashfs.modules

# You can enable the squashfs module without rebooting with this command:
modprobe squashfs

# Install squashfs-tools
yum install squashfs-tools

# The contents of the iso root filesystem is located in the file squashfs.img
# Unpack squashfs.img to a folder called squashfs-root
unsquashfs /home/iso/LiveOS/squashfs.img

# Mount the /home/squashfs-root/LiveOS/ext3fs.img to a folder with the command:
mkdir /home/livecd-root
mount -o loop,rw /home/squashfs-root/LiveOS/ext3fs.img /home/livecd-root

# Make some changes, For example:
# Adding yum repos to the livecd environment
rpm -ihv http://livna-dl.reloumirrors.net/\
fedora/8/i386/livna-release-8-1.noarch.rpm --root /home/livecd-root/

rpm -ihv http://ayo.freshrpms.net/fedora/linux/8/i386/\
RPMS.freshrpms/freshrpms-release-1.1-1.fc.noarch.rpm --root /home/livecd-root/

# Make a list of installed packages so you have a better idea
# of what needs to be installed or removed
rpm -qa --root /home/livecd-root/ | sort >list.txt

# Add or remove packages with the yum package manager
yum  install gimp --installroot=/home/livecd-root
yum  remove ktorrent --installroot=/home/livecd-root
yum  clean all --installroot=/home/livecd-root
updatedb -U /home/livecd-root

# Copy your desktop settings to the livecd environment
rm -rf /home/livecd-root/etc/skel
mkdir /home/livecd-root/etc/skel
rsync -av --exclude='.thunderbird' /home/fred/ /home/livecd-root/etc/skel
chown -R root:root /home/livecd-root/etc/skel/\.

# Unmount the ext3fs.img and make a new squashfs.img
umount /home/livecd-root
mksquashfs squashfs-root squashfs.img

# Create a folder called build for making the new iso image
mkdir /home/build
rsync -av --exclude='squashfs.img' /home/iso/ /home/build
mv /home/squashfs.img /home/build/LiveOS
umount /home/iso

# When making a new iso image the cd volume label
# needs to match the isolinux.cfg entry
# ( root=CDLABEL=Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE )

cd /home/build
mkisofs -R -l -L -D -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.catalog -o /home/Modified-Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE.iso -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -V "Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE" .

[nulli_secundus]

thanks for the reply, I'll give it a shot

[cfacforu]

i tried ur reply as i need to make a custom spin out of fedora 8 desperatley but when i tried to unsquash it gives a error like "read only file system"..
pls help

[cfacforu]

the errors when i unsquasfs it was
dir_scan: failed to open directory squashfs-root, because Read-only file system

created 0 files
created 0 directories
created 0 symlinks
created 0 devices
created 0 fifos

[homey]

What are the exact steps you took as it works on my box

unsquashfs /home/iso/LiveOS/squashfs.img

created 2 files
created 2 directories
created 0 symlinks
created 0 devices
created 0 fifos

[cfacforu]

i did the same thing and as the same way as you said in the initial replies but i tend to gt the same reply

[Eltamatrox]

i'm blocked at this line

"mount -o loop,rw /home/squashfs-root/LiveOS/ext3fs.img /home/livecd-root "


error message : "wrong fs type, bad option,bad superblock on /dev/loop0
missing codepage or helper program, or other error"

as anyone any ideas ?

i'm with fedora 9 live cd..

[Eltamatrox]

nobody i guess

[Seve]

nobody i guess

Hello:
If you are trying to mount the LiveCD to make some changes, the why not follow the instructions that were already provided?

# Mount the livecd iso so we can make some changes
mkdir /home/iso
mount -t iso9660 -o loop /home/Fedora-8-LiveCD-KDE.iso /home/iso

Also take a few minutes and read through the man page for mount.
$ man mount

Seve

[Eltamatrox]

I am doing exactly the instructions but at this line it doesn't work anymore


This means that i can mount the iso, i did unsquashfs BUT :
there is my trouble !

"mount -o loop,rw /home/squashfs-root/LiveOS/ext3fs.img /home/livecd-root "
error message : "wrong fs type, bad option,bad superblock on /dev/loop0
missing codepage or helper program, or other error -try dmesg | tail or something "

sorry if a wasn't clear, or if i didn't understand your message and in that case my reply is stupid


thanks for your reply

[Seve]

Hello:
I have no way to test out the steps outlined by homey, however, if they are correct then I suspect that you may have missed a step or have a syntax error in one of the preceding steps.

Seve

[Eltamatrox]

that would be great but i did the steps at least 30 times