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Old 08-06-2009, 07:44 PM   #1
salemboot
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Booting from an Image File


Has anyone considered booting Linux from a File System Image file located on a file system?

I've done some searching on google and haven't come up with anything.

Let me explain:


sda1 contains a filesystem.

On it sits several image files of other file systems within a directory.

/bootable
reiser-ubuntu
ext4-fedora
jfs-slackware
xfs-suse


Then at boot time grub would show these images.

2.6.31rc22 GNU/Linux Ubuntu
2.6.29 Red Hat Fedora

etc


Again I'm talking about a complete installation of Linux in a file.

For instances, cat /dev/hda1 > output.img

That is the general idea.

Thanks
 
Old 08-07-2009, 01:03 AM   #2
allend
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Not feasible. An image file could not activate and correctly program chipsets as is required at boot.

What you are describing can be implemented using virtual machine technology.
 
Old 08-09-2009, 11:18 AM   #3
vonbiber
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It's not quite the same, but along similar lines
there's a frugal install of linux live system on the
hardrive. I've done this on one of my (linux-formatted)
partition:
I copied a certain number of live linux systems iso contents
(slax, grml, RIPlinux, pmagic, tinycore, ...) that
I reorganized in at most 2 folders
one, /boot (that has subfolders to hold
vmlinuz, initrd.gz of each distro, ...), common to all
a second, specific to each (/slax, /grml, ...)

I then added grub entries for these systems

The other thing that works is using memdisk to boot
an iso image or a floppy image
 
Old 08-09-2009, 03:20 PM   #4
gangettan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by salemboot View Post
Has anyone considered booting Linux from a File System Image file located on a file system?

I've done some searching on google and haven't come up with anything.

Let me explain:


sda1 contains a filesystem.

On it sits several image files of other file systems within a directory.

/bootable
reiser-ubuntu
ext4-fedora
jfs-slackware
xfs-suse


Then at boot time grub would show these images.

2.6.31rc22 GNU/Linux Ubuntu
2.6.29 Red Hat Fedora

etc


Again I'm talking about a complete installation of Linux in a file.

For instances, cat /dev/hda1 > output.img

That is the general idea.

Thanks

Sounds like something right out a frankenstein movie!


linux

Last edited by gangettan; 08-24-2009 at 05:20 AM.
 
Old 08-13-2009, 08:25 PM   #5
salemboot
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Guess that's why aliens fly in grey spaceships wearing grey jumpsuits speaking korean.

The future is mac j/k
 
  


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