Comments on: Install OpenFiler on USB stick

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:26:06 +0000

Hi!

Thanks for sharing!
It really helped me alot!
I just have one problem though…
After few months using my openfiler (configured as ISCS target), we got an unexpected power failure.
Then the openfiler usb boot drive (where it was installed) got crached. It wont boot to openfiler anymore! What should I do!?
Is there a way to rebuild it without destroying the files inside the openfiler drives?

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:37:36 +0000

Ouups, form cut off end of command.

Basically the mkinitrd command after the preload statements has the name and path of where you want to put the initrd image followed by a space and then the kernel release number in full as in the directory name where /lib/modules is ie in case above 2.6.29.6-0.24.smp.gcc3.4.x86.i686.

mkinitrd

If you get an error already exists choose a different initrd name as its already there.
If you get is not a directory. then you have the kernel release wrong. Check the new kernel release number in /lib/modules.

Joe.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:31:34 +0000

Hi,

Quick note when a kernel updates you can simply use mkinitrd to make a new loader.

mkinitrd –preload=ehci-hcd –preload usb-storage –preload scsi_mod –preload sd_mod /boot/initrd-2.6.29.usb.img 2.6.29.6-0.24.smp.gcc3.4.x86.i686

takes a couple of minutes.

This will preload the usb module and other bits needed to start machine.
Also the mkinitrd script has a preloaded delay for usb module set into it.

Once done edit your /etc/grub.conf with new kernel details as first entry so its looks something simliar to:-

title Openfiler NSA (32-bit PAE) 2.3 (2.6.29.6-0.24.smp.gcc3.4.x86.i686)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.29.6-0.24.smp.gcc3.4.x86.i686 ro root=LABEL=/ quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.29.usb.img

mkinitrd takes the following parms.

mkinit –preload=ehci-hcd –preload usb-storage –preload scsi_mod –preload sd_mod /boot/

You could actually do this from the rescue section to get installed instead of making your own initrd file.

Hope this makes it easier for some folks.

Cheers
Joe.

By: ChrisB

ChrisB — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:26:01 +0000

Rather than increase the size of the partitions or the USB stick itself, you can instead modify /etc/fstab to mount certain folders as tmpfs folders i.e: /var/{run,tmp,cache,spool}, /tmp etc

You can also tmpfs /var/log and create an init script to recrate folders, files and their perms as well as increase the log rotation frequency, but it’s better to enable remote syslogging and leave as little local logs as possible.

By: michael

michael — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:54:32 +0000

Hi!
I’m following the instructions but I’m stuck at
” cd /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers
cp usb/storage/usb-storage.o /tmp/a/lib
cp usb/host/ehci-hcd.ko /tmp/a/lib
cp usb/host/uhci-hcd.ko /tmp/a/lib ”

the first line is not working.. how should i do this?
sorry for the question..

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?