RE: [Fedora-livecd-list] RFC- improving livecd installer efficiency

As a relative noob (only been into Linux for about 1 year - and a lot of what you guys
talk about goes over my head), I would just like to add that with my 4GB usb2 stick it
does seem to take a disproportionaly long time to copy the boot image files from the
livecd iso file to the stick. This might be because it is filling the rest of the drive
with 0's as you suggest.Still damn cool though!Russ.> Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007
06:07:37 -0500> From: dmc.fedora(a)filteredperception.org> To:
fedora-livecd-list(a)redhat.com> Subject: [Fedora-livecd-list] RFC- improving livecd
installer efficiency> > Question:  Does the current livecd installer inefficiently
write lots of 0's to > the destination drive that it doesn't need to?> >
I think it might.  The os.img on the F7 livecd is a 4G sparse file with about > 2.3G of
data.  Anaconda's livecdcopy backend uses python's os.read/write.  I > would
guess that that means that 4G of data is getting written, when > theoretically only
2.3G needs to.> > The solution that comes to mind is this-> > in livecd-tools,
create the os.img as a 7G (or 700G??) sparse file.  Basically > just way big.  Then
take care to make the ext3fs be the exact correct size for > the data (i.e. 2.3G). 
Then, in the initramfs, just after mounting it (after > snapshotting it), do a
resize2fs to 7G (or 700G).> > Then when anaconda does the copy, only copy the first
2.3G of the sparse file.> > It is however late in the 'day' for me, so maybe
someone can chime in with > confirmation or refutation of my logic here.> >
-dmc> > --> Fedora-livecd-list mailing list> Fedora-livecd-list(a)redhat.com>
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-livecd-list
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RFC- improving livecd installer efficiency

[Douglas McClendon]

Russ,

If you are referring to the /usr/bin/livecd-iso-to-disk tool, then
the problem I described is not the culprit.  If however you are talking
about the 'install to harddrive' feature run from within the fedora-7-livecd
environment, then yes, that would be affecting you.

If my theory is correct, the install time might be taking up to 70% longer than 
it could (if implemented with the resize2fs procedures).

-dmc

russdyson(a)hotmail.com wrote:
>  As a relative noob (only been into Linux for about 1 year - 
and a lot of what you guys talk about goes over my head), I

would just like to add that with my 4GB usb2 stick it

does seem to take a disproportionaly long time to copy the

boot image files from the livecd iso file to the stick.

This might be because it is filling the rest of the drive with 0's

as you suggest.Still damn cool though!Russ.

RFC- improving livecd installer efficiency

[Douglas McClendon]

Douglas McClendon wrote:
>  Russ,
>  
>  If you are referring to the /usr/bin/livecd-iso-to-disk tool, then
>  the problem I described is not the culprit.  If however you are talking
>  about the 'install to harddrive' feature run from within the 
>  fedora-7-livecd
>  environment, then yes, that would be affecting you. 
To correct and clarify myself-

If you have hacked/patched livecd-iso-to-disk to support something like the 
output of livecd-tools --uncompressed, then theoretically a similar issue might 
come into play.  (but unless you know for sure that is the case, it's not the case).

Also, the issue is still valid for the case of running livecd-iso-to-disk to 
move a livecd iso onto a usb flash stick, and _then_ booting a live environment 
from that flash, and _then_ installing to some _other_ disk using the anaconda 
live install to harddrive feature.  I.e. it comes into play only in that last 
step, when installing fedora-7 from a live booted environment (cd or usb-flash) 
to hard disk.

-dmc


>  
>  If my theory is correct, the install time might be taking up to 70% 
>  longer than it could (if implemented with the resize2fs procedures).
>  
>  -dmc
>  
>  russdyson(a)hotmail.com wrote:
> > As a relative noob (only been into Linux for about 1 year -
>  
>  and a lot of what you guys talk about goes over my head), I
>  
>  would just like to add that with my 4GB usb2 stick it
>  
>  does seem to take a disproportionaly long time to copy the
>  
>  boot image files from the livecd iso file to the stick.
>  
>  This might be because it is filling the rest of the drive with 0's
>  
>  as you suggest.Still damn cool though!Russ.
>  
>  -- 
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>  Fedora-livecd-list(a)redhat.com
>  https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-livecd-list