[SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

Altoid · 2024-12-26 20:33:30

Hello:

After a scare or two I have taken to, besides my usual BackInTime+Timeshift routines, make full images of my system drive and store them locally, in a makeshift *NAS* (MyBookLive / WRT) and in a set of four IBM 73Gb SAS drives which rotate weekly.

In another life I used Norton Ghost to do something similar at the office but now I am using clonezilla-live-3.2.0-5 to generate the compressed images which I then copy to the MBL/WRT via FTP. Turns out that it is much faster (~40Mb/s) than the native WRT rsync.

The thing is that I need to streamline the clonezilla-live booting process, at least to avoid having to choose various options to get the right keyboard layout every time I run it.

My usual keyboard option is a generic 105 key PC keyboard with Spanish Latin American layout, dead tilde, right AltGr and no compose key but I have not been able to figure out how to insert all that in the syslinux.cfg file.

eg:
These are the options I have to choose at boot time:

model: generic 105-key PC
layout: latam
variant: deadtilde
option: right AltGr and no compose

--- snip ---
kernel /live/vmlinuz
append initrd=/live/initrd.img boot=live union=overlay username=user config components quiet loglevel=0 noswap
edd=on nomodeset enforcing=0 noeject locales= keyboard-layouts= ocs_live_run="ocs-live-general"
ocs_live_extra_param="" ocs_live_batch="no" vga=788 net.ifnames=0  nosplash i915.blacklist=yes
radeonhd.blacklist=yes nouveau.blacklist=yes vmwgfx.enable_fbdev=1
--- snip ---

Where do I put all that if there is only locales= and keyboard-layouts= to use?
What would the correct syntaxis be?

Thanks in advance.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2024-12-26 20:34:45)

ralph.ronnquist · 2024-12-26 22:04:29

You seem to have messed up the APPEND line with a badly placed pointer duing copy+paste. Restore and try again.

Note that there must not be a space between a key and its value unless both the key and the value are wrapped into a pair of matching quotes.

Altoid · 2024-12-26 22:26:30

Hello:

... messed up the APPEND line with ...

Indeed ...
With my progressively decaying eyesight. 8^°

This is the working syslinux.cfg:

kernel /live/vmlinuz
append initrd=/live/initrd.img boot=live union=overlay username=user config components quiet loglevel=0 noswap edd=on nomodeset enforcing=0 noeject locales= keyboard-layouts= ocs_live_run="ocs-live-general" ocs_live_extra_param="" ocs_live_batch="no" vga=788 net.ifnames=0  nosplash i915.blacklist=yes radeonhd.blacklist=yes nouveau.blacklist=yes vmwgfx.enable_fbdev=1

ie: copy/pasted from the read-only file opened with LO Writer.
Boots without a hitch.

What I want to do is edit the command line to get clonezilla-live to boot with my keyboard options hard coded.
I can easily do that with isomaster or similar software but I first need to know the correct syntax.

ie:
locales=?????
keyboard-layouts=?????

+ whatever else I have to add to the command line to get dead tilde, right AltGr and no compose key set up.

Thanks a lot for your input.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2024-12-26 22:27:34)

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn · 2024-12-27 06:53:46

thinking about your project i visited:

https://clonezilla.org//clonezilla-live-doc.php

and more specifically this particular subpage:

https://clonezilla.org//fine-print-live-doc.php?path=./clonezilla-live/doc/99_Misc/00_live-boot-parameters.doc#00_live-boot-parameters.doc

perhaps the wealth of documentation there might be of assistance.

Altoid · 2024-12-27 10:18:21

Hello:

stargate-sg1-cheyenne wrote:

... specifically this particular subpage ...

Yes, I've been there and read it all.

But all that is specific to clonezilla.

What I am looking for is specific to syslinux / isolinux and/or kernel command line instructions and syntax.
ie: stuff that the various linux installers have been doing for us when we select the language and keyboard options offered at the very start of the installation process.

I recall (long ago) my first attempts to install Linux from floppies on a 486DX (?) Toshiba and it was the same process.

Thanks for your input.
And for taking the time to look it up.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2024-12-27 10:23:23)

Altoid · 2024-12-29 20:21:17

Hello:

Altoid wrote:

... to get clonezilla-live to boot with my keyboard options hard coded.
... dead tilde, right AltGr and no compose key set up.

After a while I traced back to the installation process of any/most Linux installation/s.
The data I needed was located in /etc/default/keyboard, which is where the installation process stores those options.

In my specific case it is this:

$ cat /etc/default/keyboard
# KEYBOARD CONFIGURATION FILE
# Consult the keyboard(5) manual page.
# Set for IBM 82G3294 Model 'M'
#
XKBMODEL="pc105"
XKBLAYOUT="latam"
XKBVARIANT="deadtilde"
XKBOPTIONS="lv3:ralt_switch,terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
BACKSPACE="guess"
$

So I edited syslinux.cfg to reflect that set of parameters, hoping that the syntax would hold:

--- snip ---
label Clonezilla live
  MENU DEFAULT
  # MENU HIDE
  MENU LABEL Clonezilla live (VGA 800x600)
  # MENU PASSWD
  kernel /live/vmlinuz
  append initrd=/live/initrd.img boot=live union=overlay username=user config components quiet loglevel=0 noswap
edd=on nomodeset enforcing=0 locales=en_GB.UTF-8 keyboard-model=pc105 keyboard-layouts=latam
keyboard-variants=deadtilde ocs_live_run="ocs-live-general" ocs_live_extra_param="" ocs_live_batch="no" vga=788
net.ifnames=0 nosplash i915.blacklist=yes radeonhd.blacklist=yes nouveau.blacklist=yes vmwgfx.enable_fbdev=1
--- snip ---

It worked properly: no questions asked and locale/keyboard configuration hard coded in.
That hurdle passed, I got rid of quiet and added all the command line options I use with my Devuan installations.

ie: security=none apparmor=0 nmi_watchdog=0 agp=off ipv6.disable=1 enable_mtrr_cleanup=1

Now, how is it that this tidbit ie: keyboard configuration is not part of the Clonezilla documentation is beyond me.
Not everyone uses what Clonezilla offers as the default settings for locale and keyboard model/layout/variants.
And, just like me they will also find it tiresome to have to set it up every time Clonezilla boots.

One problem I see is that Clonezilla-Live is Debian based ie: systemd crapped and (to me) not trustworthy.
But no doubt about it, I think Clonezilla is a life saver.

Have a Happy New Year.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2024-12-29 20:21:48)

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn · 2024-12-31 05:42:59

also for future thread visitors this page might provide additional insight as well
(read whole page including red text):

https://clonezilla.org/livehd.php

came back to add an additional link to the discussion referenced at the previous webpage(url above) mostly because the command line character limit is something others might accidentally trip over:

https://sourceforge.net/p/clonezilla/discussion/Clonezilla_live/thread/461e7054/

Last edited by stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn (2024-12-31 05:52:24)

Altoid · 2024-12-31 06:44:38

Hello:

stargate-sg1-cheyenne wrote:

... for future thread visitors ...

Thanks for that.

I have been using Conezilla-live without issues but, as it is Debian based, wanting make it Devuan based.
I had a look at what is available in the Devuan repositories but it is only the Clonezilla SE version.

The links you have posted are definitely a very worthwhile find.

That said, putting Clonezilla in your system drive seems like a good idea because everything gets streamlined.
Till the streamlining goes south along with the systerm drive. 8^°
Having Clonezilla-live on a USB drive will always be a necessary option.

My Sun Ultra 24 has an on-board internal USB socket from which (years ago) I would boot a maintenance TCore Linux installation with all the tools.
Maybe I could put it to use again.

Thank you very much for your input.

Have a Happy New Year.

Best,

A.

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#1 2024-12-26 20:33:30

[SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#2 2024-12-26 22:04:29

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#3 2024-12-26 22:26:30

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#4 2024-12-27 06:53:46

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#5 2024-12-27 10:18:21

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#6 2024-12-29 20:21:17

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#7 2024-12-31 05:42:59

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

#8 2024-12-31 06:44:38

Re: [SOLVED] syslinux.cfg help

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