Comments on: Install OpenFiler on USB stick

By: viknet

viknet — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:53:53 +0000

for scott and because googling openfiler+usb give yur page as a first:
chroot does not work if bash is not on the filesystem where you chroot, this is the case if you have created a /boot partition (the standard with openfiler)
in this case two things have to be done:
1st: mount /dev/sda2 instead of /dev/sda1
2nd: you also have to mount /dev/sda1 as /mnt/source/boot/
then chroot to /mnt/source

good luck for others

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:08:23 +0000

This does not want to work for me. When I try to chroot /mnt/source I get an error:

chroot: cannot execute /bin/sh: no such file or directory

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:19:52 +0000

Hi,

Thanks for your article. I use a low cost Imation USB stick. With help of your writings I was up and running in minutes. (After the initials install which indeed takes a long time.)

By: PsyMan

PsyMan — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:23:27 +0000

I must admit, freeNAS is a lot simpler to install on a USB or CF card/drive however after many many stability issues I have decided to run with openfiler. Thanks for the guide though, from this I have decided to simply stick a 5th small hard drive in and forget using openfiler from a USB drive afterall

By: Carlton

Carlton — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:28:30 +0000

I followed your instructions, but I’m stuck on the grub.conf file. I copied the existing boot options and added “initrd /usbinird.img” to the end.
Here is the error I get when I boot from the USB:

root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0×83
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.26.8-1.0.11.smp.gcc3.4.x86_64 ro
[ Linux-bzImage, setup=0x3000, size=0x219300]
root=LABEL=/1 quiet
ERROR 11: Unrecognized device string
Press any key to continue…

Next screen is both boot options. (One I created a top.)
I setup the partitions on the USB with ext3. Does it need to be ext2?

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:44:37 +0000

I really appreciate this information, and wish USB was handled by the OpenFiler installer. I’ve prepaired several OpenFiler USB sticks without issue.

However, I have an issue with some servers (HP DL350 G3) that can only emulate USB as Floppy, not Hard Drive. I proved this by using HP’s Drive Key Boot Utility (cp006049.exe). It can createa a DOS USB Hard Drive or USB Floppy DIsk. The server only boots when configured as Floppy. OpenFiler won’t install to the floppy formatted USB as it prompts/forces to format as hard drive.

Can anyone give instructions on how to prepare the USB key in such a way that it would boot in this situation? Or, how to prepare another USB Floppy, 3.5″ Floppy, or CD with GRUB?

Incidentally, I believe this USB floppy emulation is the same cause of FreeNAS not booting with “Error 1 lba #####” “No /boot/kernel/kernel”

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:52:52 +0000

I use both freenas and open filer and where as i’d say the install is simpler with freenas on CF or USB and possibly easier to configure as a simple NAS, Open filer rocks for everything else and is much easier to use.

My 2p

By: JimC

JimC — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:38:38 +0000

openfiler is junk. In FREENAS all you do is go through a menu item, click and it formats your new bootable usb drive. You never have to go through that vi POS editor.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:32:22 +0000

google pulled up your post double-quick on a search for the terms openfiler+usb

anyway using your guidelines I’ve gone from Openfiler not seeing my 2GB flash to the error messages you described, complaints about low RAM and no Swap, etc… sounds like everything’s going smoothly. if this thing -needs- to swap with 512MB of RAM installed.. something is seriously wrong, heh. Anyway thanks for the helpful post!

By: wolfy

wolfy — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:10:09 +0000

You need to start the installer in expert mode.

In the openfiler boot loader screen, enter

linux text expert