www.zeroshell.org

[fergon]

Hello,

I have accomplished the following steps in order to install ZeroShell in my hard disk. At least it boots, but further probing is necessary.

Let suppose a free partition (e.g. /dev/hda5) of type ext2. We also have the LiveCD iso file (Zeroshell-1.0.beta3.iso). First, we mount this file in some folder:

# mkdir $HOME/zeroshell
# mount -t iso 9660 -o loop Zeroshell-1.0.beta3.iso $HOME/zeroshell

(Of course the mount command must be invoked from the folder that holds the .iso file. Otherwise its complete path must be provided)

Next we copy all the files to the target partition:

# mkdir /media/hda5
# mount -t auto /dev/hda5 /media/hda5
# cd $HOME/zeroshell
# cp -r * /media/hda5
# cd /media/hda5
# umount $HOME/zeroshell

In the 'isolinux' folder there are two compressed filesystem images: 'initrd.gz' and 'rootfs'. The last one contains most of the ZeroShell root file system and it is dumped to a ramdisk when working from the CD. In the next few steps this file system will be copy to the root folder of /dev/hda5:

(from /media/hda5)
# gunzip -c isolinux/rootfs > rootfs.unzip
# mkdir rootfsFolder
# mount -t auto -o loop rootfs.unzip rootfsFolder

Before copy it we need to remove some soft links that otherwise will be broken when booting from /dev/hda5

# cd rootfsFolder
# unlink sbin
# unlink usr
# unlink lib/modules
# ln -s /modules lib/modules

And we also have to modify the fstab table in /media/hda5/etc/fstab (use your favorite text editor). Be careful *not* to edit your host system fstab (which is found in /etc/fstab not in /media/hda5/etc/fstab). The /dev/hda5 must be mounted as root file system and we don't need to mount /cdrom (next you can see the new fstab):

# cat etc/fstab

/dev/hda5 / ext2 defaults 1 1
# /dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 ro 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=4,mode=620 0 0
shm /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0

(Note that the cdrom entry is commented)

Now we can copy the contents of rootfsFolder to /media/hda5

# cp -r * ..

and unmount it.

# cd ..
# umount rootfsFolder

Note that 'rootfs.unzip' contain an image of every modification we have done, so if we need to use the original rootfs image we must use the compressed one in the 'isolinux' folder.

The initrd image does not supply device nodes for partitions in the hard disk. We need to modify it and add, at least, a device node for the target partition (/dev/hda5 in our example).

# gunzip -c isolinux/initrd.gz > initrd.unzip
# mkdir initrdFolder
# mount -t auto -o loop initrd.unzip intirdFolder
# cd initrdFolder
# mknod dev/hda5 b 3 5

Of course, we have to invoke mknod with the proper device name and major and minor numbers (see mknod man page and http://www.lanana.org/docs/device-list/ for more details. For partitions in the master device of the primary IDE -hda-, the major number is 3 and the minor one must equals the number of the partition -the number at the end of its name-).

We don't need the linuxrc script in initrd, so we modify it (use again your favorite text editor) like this:

# cat linuxrc

#!/bin/bash
#
# Modified from the original linuxrc (created by Fulvio Ricciardi 16-11-2003)
# 6-feb-2007
#
mount -t proc proc /proc

(I think it is not necessary to leave /proc to be mounted, anyway...)

Now the initrd filesystem must be unmounted and compressed again. For convenience we will put it on to the 'boot' folder, so we do with the kernel image:

# cd ..
# unmount initrdFolder
# gzip -c initrd.unzip > boot/initrd.gz
# cp isolinux/vmlinuz boot/vmlinuz

Now the system is ready! We only have to make it bootable by using our preferred boot loader. I use grub, so I added the following entries in the menu.lst file:

title ZeroShell
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda5 quiet init=/bin/init ramdisk_size=131072
initrd /boot/initrd.gz
boot

and ZeroShell boots from hard disk. Boot options are copied from the original isolinux.cfg. Further tests must be acomplished in order to ensure that everything works properly, but I hope this helps.

Thanks Fulvio for this wonderful system!
_________________
Regards,
Fernando González

[fergon]

Hello,

When I posted the installation proccess I had only booted it up and browsed the login page. When I finally tried to login into the system, it never ends the authentication process .

I am really confused: the 'kerbynet' program (in /usr/local/apache2/cgi-bin), which is launched as a cgi script when the user press the login button, seems to start a never-end loop: it begins but it never ends (you can see it with a 'top' command from a shell prompt in the server.)

When the root file system is mounted from as a ram disk (default in the liveCD) kerbynet works without problems, so I have modified the "installation" method in a manner that the root file system still remains in a ram disk. It seems to work (at least kerbynet doesn't hang), but, again, further testing must be accomplished.

In order to install zeroshell in /dev/hda5:

# mkdir $HOME/zeroshell
# mount -t iso 9660 -o loop Zeroshell-1.0.beta3.iso $HOME/zeroshell
# mkdir /media/hda5
# mount -t auto /dev/hda5 /media/hda5
# cd $HOME/zeroshell
# cp -r * /media/hda5
# cd /media/hda5
# umount $HOME/zeroshell

Now we modify the linuxrc script in initrd in order to link /dev/cdrom to /dev/hda5 instead of to the actual CDROM device.

# mkdir initrdFolder
# gunzip -c isolinux/initrd.gz > initrd.unzip
# mount -t auto -o loop initrd.unzip initrdFolder
# cd initrdFolder
# cp linuxrc linuxrc.old
# cat > linuxrc << EOF

> #!/bin/bash
> #
> # linuxrc by Fulvio Ricciardi 16-11-2003
> # Modified by Fernando Gonzalez 7-2-2007
> mount -t proc proc /proc
> if mount -t auto /dev/hda5 /cdrom 2>/dev/null ; then
> echo Success
> echo -n "Loading root filesystem into RAM device... "
> if gzip -dc /cdrom/isolinux/rootfs >/dev/ram2 2>/dev/null ; then
> echo Success
> umount /cdrom
> /sbin/insmod /lib/loop.ko
> mount -o loop /dev/ram2 /cdrom
> cd /cdrom/dev
> ln -s hda5 cdrom
> cd /
> umount /cdrom
> else
> echo Fail
> umount /dev/hda5 > /dev/null
> fi
> else
> echo "Fail"
> fi
>
> EOF

# mknod dev/hda5 b 3 5
# cd ..
# umount initrdFolder
# cp isolinux/initrd.gz initrd.gz.old
# gzip -c initrd.unzip > isolinux/initrd.gz


(I am not sure if it is necessary or not to create the device node.)

And we change fstab in rootfs to mount /dev/cdrom as ext2 instead of iso9660:

# mkdir rootfsFolder
# gunzip -c isolinux/rootfs > rootfs.unzip
# mount -t auto -o loop rootfs.unzip rootfsFolder
# cd rootfsFolder
# cp etc/fstab etc/fstab.old
# cat > etc/fstab << EOF

> /dev/ram2 / ext2 defaults 1 1
> /dev/cdrom /cdrom ext2 ro 0 0
> proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
> none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
> devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=4,mode=620 0 0
> shm /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
>
> EOF

# cd ..
# umount rootfsFolder
# cp isolinux/rootfs isolinux/rootfs.old
# gzip -c rootfs.unzip > isolinux/rootfs

Now the system is ready, only rest to make it bootable. With grub, append in /boot/grub/menu.lst

title ZeroShell
root (hd0,4)
kernel /isolinux/vmlinuz quiet root=/dev/ram2 ramdisk_size=131072 init=/bin/init
initrd /isolinux/initrd.gz
boot

-------------------------------------------------------

It must be improved: Although booting from hard disk, the whole root file system is mounted as a ram disk. I think it can be a problem if there is not enough memory installed.

I hope this can be helpful. Any idea about why kerbynet hangs when it the root file system is mounted from a partition in hard disk?
_________________
Regards,
Fernando González

[fulvio]

Try to use cp -rp that preserves the permissions better than cp -r
Take in mind that the kerbynet cgi runs with the apache web server privileges. Hence the /etc/sudo program must have the setuid flag active.
Try if it works after you use the command chmod u+s /etc/sudo

Regards
Fulvio

[fergon]

Thanks Fulvio,

It works well by changing the 'cp -r' in the first post:

**************************************************************
Now we can copy the contents of rootfsFolder to /media/hda5

# cp -r * ..

and unmount it.
**************************************************************

for 'cp -a' when copying the contents of rootfsFolder:

**************************************************************
Now we can copy the contents of rootfsFolder to /media/hda5

# cp -a * ..

and unmount it.
**************************************************************

Regards,

Fernando
_________________
Regards,
Fernando González

[marcin]

Thank you for your how-to. I'm at the end of it and i'm a little bit stuck. I have to make it bootable. You suggest to use grub. But ZeroShell doesn't install grub, does it? When i run shell prompt from ZeroShell console, i don't see /boot/grub/menu.lst.... I see directory /mnt/sdb1/boot/grub but there's no menu.lst. I created my own and added what you said to add but after reboot, there's 'No operating system installed'....

How to install grub loader from ZeroShell 'shellprompt'?
Thanx.

[fergon]

Hello,

I'm sorry. I forgot to say that I was using a previously installed system (Ubuntu) as a "host" system so I have grub already installed. In order to "install" Zeroshell I booted Ubuntu and followed the steps.

It seems that you have done it from zeroshell 'shellprompt', and that you don't have any other OS in your disk. I suppose you have to obtain grub and install it following the instructions in http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/. I will try it...
_________________
Regards,
Fernando González

[marcin]

Yes, i used clean hard drive (without any OS).
After some time i was able to install ZeroShell (AFAIR there's grub-install somewhere in /usr or /var) but after all i had to switch to IPCOP because VPN available on ZeroShell is different than VPN on IPCOP and i didn't have much time to get know how to connect net-to-net VPN from ZS to Procurve router.
Anyway, ZeroShell is great (with http proxy and scanning for viruses by clamav it will be even more powerful).

Best regards.

[Lohuis]

thanks for this way that we can install zeroshell on HDD and change its FS ...
i did it step by step , my HDD part was sda3 instead of hda5 , so i modified some things , also regarding the files editing (CAT ..) i used text editor in ubuntu and replaced all the content with the lines you mention ..
then i tried to boot , a Kernel Panic error occurs :

[Howie69]

[Lohuis]

thanks for your reply ...
it has been along time since i did that , but i think that changed that also as you said ...
did you succeed with installing it on a hard disk ?

[Howie69]

Not yet. Me and my kids all ended up with the flu, so I haven't been back to work since I posted that yet.

Should be sometime this week. Will be testing the features of the captive portal on livecd first, then attempting to install to HD if all goes well.

[Lohuis]

oh ...
i am sorry for that , i hope you and your family pass this soon .

[thistleknot]

makefs "filesystem larger than apparent device size"

also my ramdisk got some sort of write error on a particular number.

any ideas? It locked up at the filesystem remark. I got it to boot though! partly

IT WORKED!
btw, I never really troubleshot the makefs, but I realized it was ramdisk related.
I read the second post by the thread starter saying he needed to mount the rootfs on a ramdrive, so I heeded what he said and overlaid those steps over the initial steps, and it worked.

I read the second post and it worked. Of course mine is hda1, but it booted!

One thing to note. Zeroshell doesn't like ext2 (at least in the gui). I would recommend converting everything to ext3.

converting to ext3 worked, but for some reason in the gui, it doesn't see the hosting partition. It does see the backup partition I made (which is an ext2 clone of the first partition). I created a 3rd partition (ext3) to host the profiles, and it sees this as well.

[thistleknot]

well, I got zeroshell to boot from a hard drive following the instructions on how to make a writeable copy.

I was able to do it without using a ramdrive (and I logged in). I had enough free space to extract apt.bin (which I didn't do just yet); however, on subsequent reboot, it wouldn't boot, got a message about a bunch of files not found in /etc.

Maybe my hd is corrupt. will try again with an ssd flash card I have.

To make matters worse, my profile got corrupt.

So in theory, if I get it up and running I should be able to get those linux headers with apt-bin (cross fingers), and then compile the compat wireless drivers.

btw, the error I got earlier was related to the ramdrive, I made a menu.lst file and verified I typed everything right, and I didn't get the error the second time.

[ngwasuma]

You can try the method outlined here: http://computing-tips.net/Solution_Howto_install_Zeroshell_Hard_drive_WinXP/
_________________
www.yote.info - Get tips, on computer related matters

[xtacy]

while trying to setup my CF with this method...
CF is vfat/fat32 and it couldnt b properly formatted as ext2... dunno why.

1st problem got at
cp -rp * ..
it refuses to copy a bunch of filles and dirs due 2 permissions...

2nd

[thistleknot]

don't have executable permission on menu.lst?
i.e. chmod +x /boot/grub/menu.lst
vi /boot/grub/menu.lst

You could also try sudo, but I didn't have to do that.

also try

/bin/cp * -f -r -a -p /destinationFolder

I'm not sure why your getting not fitting into memory, but oh well.

And the post on physdiskwrite, I saw that posted somewhere else on the net before it ended up in the forum (help docs) jumped all over it. It is a nice tool to have, but they also have dd for windows, which I couldn't get to work

http://www.zeroshell.net/listing/physdiskwrite.pdf

But that defeats the purpose anyways. Because it's still a read-only OS essentially. All changes are lost on reboot.

[xtacy]

thanx for reply, i'll try it.
well, what gonna happens if you'll do:

[ppalias]

The default line is

[xtacy]

[xtacy]

well fat32 fs really doesnt supportd by kernel and i got corresponding msg at boot. damn!
What should i do now?
CF refuses any fs except fat32. I did partitions using fdisk and cfdisk with writing changes but fat32 and all the CF's files was accessible after that. So i cant format it in any other fs... no ext2 - no ZS. its a deadlock and it drive me nuts!

[xtacy]

At last!
The key is CF need to b not partitioned at all just like HDD. But that is the thing which i couldnt do for a long time. Every time i boot linux CF mounts as hdc1(ZS) or sdb1(slax). But with no partitions it would b just hdc or sdb without any digit.
I had a problem with unpartitioning my CF. But somehow under ZS booted from CD and with help of fdisk/cfdisk (4 weird ghost partitions was deleted) i get ability to deletethe main partition but in WinXP! Or i just dont know how2 do it in linux cause fdisk/cfdisk was unable to do it. And i did it in WinXP with admin tools. After that i boot ZS from CD again and my CF was seen by fdisk -l like /dev/hdc (not hdc1 like it was b4) and i did gunzip -c ZeroShell-1.0.beta13-CompactFlash-IDE-USB-SATA-1GB.img.gz>/dev/hdc from usb-stick and tada! it works now!

And the same with HDD - before boot any live linux and doing anything like dd or gupzip>/dev/hdd you must kill all the partitions on this HDD. But with HDDs its much easier 2do. Even with admin tools in WinXP or with any partitioning soft.

Yes, linux is free but it takes a lot of your time...

[bumbakashe]

The steps described here (http://www.computing-tips.net/Solution_Howto_install_Zeroshell_Hard_drive_WinXP/) worked well for me.

[kostis]

If you are experiencing the "kernel panic" message and you 're using a SATA hard disk, try to put the SATA operation in Legacy mode (disable RAID) from the boot menu (hit F2 while booting). This solved all my problems!

bumbakashe's solution didn't work for me. Try the instructions at: How to install ZeroShell on Hard Disk

Regards,
/kostis

[ndipit]

I've tried to install ZS2.0RC1 to hdd using instruction in 1st post.
But I couldn't mount ungzipped initrd:

[Alderon]

It seems that ZS2RC1 doesn`t recognize FAT32 and NTFS filesystems. Try to boot from zs1b16 CD and it works. I installed 2RC1 this way successfully.

[ndipit]

Hello all. Here my way to install ZS2.0 on HDD. Root folder is located on Hdd
Boot from your favorite liveCD linux (I've used knoppix 6.7) and execute the next steps:

1. Install ZS2.0 in the usual way, as described here or on http://www.zeroshell.net/eng/documentation/
   Then you must delete 2nd and 3rd partitions (all except 1st boot partition) and create your own partitions (ext3 and ext4 fs are supported)
   
2. Create tmp folders:
   

   Code:

   mkdir sda1 mkdir sda2 mkdir usb mkdir iso mkdir rootfs.dir mkdir initrd.dir

   
   and mount partitions to it:
   in my case HDD was /dev/sda, usb flashdrive - /dev/sdb and ZS2.0RC1 livecd iso image filename is ZeroShell-2.0.RC1.iso. You can find out flashdrive device name using dmesg or fdisk -l commands
   

   Code:

   mount /dev/sda1 sda1 mount /dev/sda2 sda2 mount /dev/sdb1 usb mount -o loop usb/ZeroShell-2.0.RC1.iso iso

   
   
3. Copy all files and directories from previously mounted iso image to sda2:
   

   Code:

   copy -arp iso/* sda2 rm -f sda2/isolinux

   
   
4. Unpacking rootfs to hdd:
   

   Code:

   gunzip -c iso/isolinux/rootfs > rootfs mount -o loop rootfs rootfs.dir ##mount unpacked rootfs ext2 image cd rootfs.dir find . -maxdepth 1 -type l -delete ##Deleting softlinks cp -arp ./* ../sda2 cd ../

   
   
5. Also we need to edit sda2/etc/fstab:
   

   Code:

   /dev/sda2      /              ext3      defaults     1    1 /dev/sda1      /boot        ext2      defaults,ro     0     0 proc              /proc        proc     defaults        0     0 none             /sys          sysfs     remount        0     0 devpts           /dev/pts     devpts   gid=4,mode=620  0     0 shm              /dev/shm     tmpfs    defaults        0     0 usbfs            /proc/bus/usb  usbfs    defaults    0     0

   
   
6. modification of initrd.img
   

   Code:

   gunzip -c sda1/initrd.img > initrd.dir/initrd cd initrd.dir cpio -id < initrd

   
   Edit initrd.dir/init script (I wrote only changed strings here):
   

   Code:

   ##   if [ "$root" = ISO ] ; then #     echo "Mounting ISO image  ..." #     mkdir /cdrom #     if mount "$device" /cdrom 2>/dev/null ; then #       echo -n "Loading root filesystem into RAM device... " #       if gzip -dc /cdrom/i#solinux/rootfs >/dev/ram2 2>/dev/null ; then #         echo Success #         umount /cdrom #         #/sbin/insmod /lib/loop.ko          mount $device /.root          cd /.root/dev          ln -sf $device cdrom          cd /          mount /.root/dev/cdrom /.root/cdrom 2>/dev/null     sleep 3          echo "Successfully mounted device $device"    #umount /cdrom #       else #         echo "Wrong ISO filesystem found" #         umount $device > /dev/null #         while true ; do sleep 10000 ; done #       fi #     else #       echo "Failed to mount the Live CD" #       while true ; do sleep 10000 ; done #     fi #  else #     if ! mount -n -t "$rootfstype" -o "$rootflags" "$device" /.root ; then #       no_mount $device #       cat /proc/partitions #       while true ; do sleep 10000 ; done #     else #       echo "Successfully mounted device $device"  #     fi #   fi

   
   pack new initrd and replace the original with it:
   

   Code:

   rm -f initrd find -print | cpio -o -H newc | gzip -c9 > ../sda1/initrd.img

   
   

That`s all. Reboot and try ti boot from hdd

[ndipit]

After all described in the previous post I`ve successfully logined to web interface/
But there were some moments I want to clarify to:
1. When booting: