Messages in this thread | ![/](/images/icornerl.gif) | | Date | Sun, 28 Jul 2002 12:33:30 -0700 | From | Matthew Dharm <> | Subject | Re: Linux booting from USB HD / USB interface devices |
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On Sun, Jul 28, 2002 at 11:40:01AM -0400, David Ford wrote: > Thank you for your reply. I've started a rough draft of this project, > http://blue-labs.org/ranger.php > > Matthew Dharm wrote: > > >>2) There are some vague comments about some devices requiring the > >>ability to boot, are there some USB hard drives that are incapable of > >>acting as a boot device? > >> > >> > > > >Yes. They are few, tho. The USB-IF is currently working on a bootability > >standard to eliminate this problem. > > > > Is there a list of these somewhere that point out components that I > should avoid?
Not to my knowledge. USB bootability is a very touch-and-go thing for the BIOS vendors right now... hopefully the specification being worked on now will help.
> >THe stock kernel won't work. There are patches floating around to make > >this work. Basically, the kernel needs to pause for a couple of seconds > >before attempting to mount the root fs so that the plug-n-pray detection > >can work, identify the drive, and get going. > > > > I'll go look for these patches, pointers are welcome of course.
Sorry, no pointers. See if you can find a linux-usb-devel or linux-usb-users archive. You're searching for something that introduces a "delay" (good keyword) in the boot process.
Matt
-- Matthew Dharm Home: mdharm-usb@one-eyed-alien.net Maintainer, Linux USB Mass Storage Driver
Sir, for the hundreth time, we do NOT carry 600-round boxes of belt-fed suction darts! -- Salesperson to Greg User Friendly, 12/30/1997 [unhandled content-type:application/pgp-signature] | ![\](/images/icornerr.gif) |