ehci-hcd
Forum: USB booting
Topic: ehci-hcd
started by: crew
Posted by crew on July 06 2005,23:44
hi,I hope you can help me with a problem I have booting
DSL from a "Kingston Data Traveler Elite 1GB" USB Stick.
1. I booted the DSL from a CD.
2. activated ehci-hcd by insmod command, everything was fine,
the USB stick was showing USB2.0 connection.
3. Install DSL on pen-drive by useing the script on "apps ->tools ->install on USB-pendirve"
4. install was sucessfull and dsl is booting from the stick
but the ehci-hcd module is not loading and the stick is showing USB 1.1. connection.
where must I load the ehci-hcd ?
Posted by cbagger01 on July 07 2005,05:54
Do this.Download a copy of the USB boot floppy image file from the DSL website.
Then find and download the rawrite32.zip program.
Create a DSL USB boot floppy disk using this program.
Rename the minirt24.gz file on your usb drive to minirt24.gz.old
Copy the minrt24.gz file over from the boot floppy into your usb drive.
Reboot.
Posted by gjhicks on July 07 2005,10:45
Hi,Also having a Kingston DataTraveller USB stick, I read the suggestions with interest.
Used the menu provided USB installation (ie: the USB-HDD) routine. All seemed to go fine.
Renamed the minirt24.gz on the USB stick to minirt24.gz.old and copied the minirt24.gz from the usb-boot floppy to the USB stick.
Rebooted.
Started off OK, the 'ehci-hcd' module was loaded and the USB stick was recognised.
Then, the routine 'looked' in (it seemed) every 'sdn' device, from /dev/sda1 to /dev/sdg7
After which the screen messages said:
Accessing DSL Linux at /dev/sda1... cat: No file /KNOPPIX/etc/ld.so.cache
Setting paths.... /linuxrc: /KNOPPIX/bin/rm: not found
followed by a series of 'not found' messages and ending in a 'Kernel panic' message.
Any suggestions?
Regards,
Geoff.
Posted by crew on July 07 2005,14:55
iīve the same problem :/the minirt from the usb-bootdisk is recognizing the stick
corrcet with ehci-hdc,
then itīs searching for /knoppix and finally fails with
a kernel panic which says that it cant find root fs.
Posted by cbagger01 on July 07 2005,18:58
I apologize.I assumed that you were running the usbzip pendrive instead of the usbhdd one.
Try putting the minirt24.gz.old file back to minirt24.gz
to get you back to your original state.
Then reboot and open an xterminal and type this:
sudo su
mkdir /mnt/image
If running from livecd:
mount /mnt/sda1
cp /mnt/sda1/minirt24.gz /home/dsl/minirt24.gz
gunzip minirt24.gz
If running from usb:
cp /cdrom /home/dsl/minirt24.gz /home/dsl/minirt24.gz
gunzip minirt24.gz
Then continue with:
mount -t ext2 -o loop minirt24 /mnt/image
beaver /mnt/image/linuxrc
Go to line 227 or search for "usb-ohci.o;" and change it to
"usb-ohci.o ehci-hcd.o;"
save file and exit beaver
The ehci-hcd.o drive file should already be existing at /mnt/image/modules/scsi/ehci-hcd.o
If not, copy it over using this command:
cp /lib/modules/2.4.26/kernel/drivers/usb/host/ehci-hcd.o /mnt/image/modules/scsi/ehci-hcd.o
Finally:
sync
umount /mnt/image
gzip -9 minirt24
Then rename your old minirt24.gz to minirt24.gz.old
and copy your newly created file in it's place:
cp /home/dsl/minirt24.gz /mnt/sda1/minirt24.gz
or
cp /home/dsl/minirt24.gz /cdrom/minirt24.gz
Then reboot and give it a try.
Hope this helps.
Posted by roberts on July 07 2005,21:04
This should only be affecting USB-HDD installs and not USB ZIP. The USB boot floppy will only work with USB-ZIP. The USB-HDD is extlinux and uses a different setup. The ehci-hdc.o module was left out of line 227 by Klaus Knoppix because on systems without USB 2.0 the system could hang. The module, ehci-hcd.o is already in the modules/scsi section of minirt. I can go ahead and add this module for boot up detection but it may mean some users may experience the "hang" and then have to use the nousb boot option. It is difficult to support both the old and the new and sometimes we may have to choose which is in the majority. The USB-ZIP install does not have this issue as it installs the custom made floppy just for such purpose.
Posted by crew on July 07 2005,23:36
hey guys, it seems to work now 
I followed the instructions of cbagger01,
first it still booted with usb1.1.
Then i removed the usb-uhci from the line 227,
after that it was booting with the ehci-hcd.o
I added the usb-uhci again in the line 227 and it is still booting
with the ehci-hcd.
Iīll crosscheck tomorrow, that I`ve the right linuxrc in place.
Thank you for your fast and qualified help.
@ roberts, I understand that you support the configuration
that is reasonable for the majority.
I donīt know how common this "problem" is, but I would have been happy about a hint in the documentation.
If Iīve missed it, sorry.
Regardless of that, great job!
Posted by gjhicks on July 08 2005,00:50
Hi,Thanks for cbagger and roberts for their helpful replies.
Have now got both the USB-ZIP and USB-HDD versions of the USB install to work fine. They both boot without a problem.
Many thanks!
However, after a search on these forums and reading the V1.1 news, as suggested in one of the posts, I am afraid that I still don't understand the relative benefits/differences of the two approaches.
I have probably overdosed on stupid pills but, aside from USB-ZIP being vfat based and 2 partitions compared to USB-HDD being ext2 based and 1 partition, the differences escape me.
Can some kind soul give a little background on why there are two approaches and reasons for preferring one over the other?
Regards,
Geoff.
Posted by roberts on July 08 2005,01:17
I would say that most computers as of this writing would support USB-ZIP over USB-HDD. Seems only the newer computers will support USB-HDD. USB-ZIP is based on the syslinux boot method, that is why the boot boot floppy will work. USB-ZIP being an older method seems to limited to the size of the old zip drives, i.e, it requires special geometry to get it to boot. This special geometry does not support the larger drives as extlinux does. The USB-ZIP make a small but bootable fat partiton, and the remaining a second partition. Windows can see these partitions. WinXP can only see the first partition but that is a limitiation of WinXP. Older windows can see both. Use the USB boot floppy is not able to boot USB-ZIP.
USB-HDD is based on extlinux which is similar it isolinux and why you won't find a boot floppy that will fit everthing into it. USB-HDD using extlinux has no geometry issues and can be a single linux partition. But Windows cannot see this partition. If you cannot boot USB-HDD you can still use this method by booting from the cdrom, with a boot option like: dsl fromhd=/dev/sda1 frugal
Plus don't forget DSL also offers Qemu emulation, which is by far the easiest method to get DSL on a pendrive. Just unzip it onto a pendrive, from windows run the dsl-windows.bat file and your there. But be aware that is a Virtual PC running on top of Windows, and the Virtual PC is running DSL. So, speed will be dramatically slower, also the virtual PC does not have full access to the real hardware devices, you have a small Virtual harddrive of 60MB with the standard setup. You can use samba to get access to the real drives of the system.
Pendrives, we got them covered. DSL your way.
Posted by cbagger01 on July 08 2005,04:20
Roberts,I have a new, slightly different approach available for your testing that combines the best of both worlds for the USBHDD users.
Since I didn't have your e-mail address handy, I sent it to Ke4nt1 for his review and to also forward it on to you.
If you don't get it soon, PM me and I'll send it directly to your account.
Regards,
-CB
Posted by cbagger01 on July 08 2005,04:23
Crew,Maybe the load order of the drivers was incorrect in my last post.
Try again with echi-hcd.o at the begginning and followed up by the ohci and uhci drivers.
My hope is this will give you both USB2.0 and USB1.1 functionality without the need to edit your linuxrc depending on what computer you are using today
Posted by roberts on July 08 2005,05:24
CB,I got it and I like it very much. My Big Fat PenDrive.
cbagger combined some parts of USB-ZIP and USB-HDD to get the best of both in a USB-HDD that provides a single "big fat" partition bootable via USB-HDD. So, by uisng syslinux and fat, windows can see it and qemu can also be used as well as the linux tools 5way. Because it uses syslinux means that it can work with the usb boot floppy. that *is* what it is using just like the USB-ZIP script does. Now it seems to me that the current USB-HDD can be deprecated and replaced with this. After some more beta testing it will be deployed. Look for it soon. Nice job. CB.
Robert
Posted by roberts on July 08 2005,18:27
Ok. Folks,Cbagger's modified pendrive_usbhdd.tar.gz has now been deployed on ibiblio.org.
It will work from the install to pendrive hdd version from the system menu. So no need to manually download it. Just be aware that it may not yet be on your favorite mirror that is specified via /opt/.dslrc. You know you have the new modified version if on the opening display it shows "A single FAT partition will be made."
This version has many benefits over the prior version, as noted in the previous post.
Posted by crew on July 08 2005,21:09
k, I killed my installation from yesterday and reinstalled DSL on the stick with the new script.
Iīm impressed. ;D
The installation didnīt take longer than 3 or 4 minutes, not
compareable to the old one.
Recognized the stick correct on the first boot.
Great job, thanks.
Posted by gjhicks on July 09 2005,00:38
Hi,I have just tried the new usb-hdd script. Took only a few minutes and just booted! Brilliant!
Am sending this from a DSL session using the newly created usb booting DSL.
However, I have a question/request.
After trying Red Hat/Fedora, Mandrake, Knoppix, Kanotix, Mepis and Feather, I have settled on DSL as the best (and most supported) linux distro to use as the base for adding the bits and pieces I need.
These bits and pieces include support for wireless adapters, a program called 'Privoxy', that I use as a content filter on my home network plus a few others.
To get all these working and to have the X session looking good is very difficult (for a relative newcomer) to achieve in a console based session - where it seems most remastering is done.
So, it would be great to be able to get a DSL hd installation working just right and then make a /KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX compressed file system from it. This could then be copied onto the USB stick (or ISO'd and burnt to a CD) and all the setup, tinkering, etc would be preserved.
A post from late last year (by noclobber, based on DSL 0.8) showed how to make a compressed KNOPPIX file from a hd installation but (I think) the method doesn't work for the newer DSL.
I reckon there are quite a few DSL users that would like to be able to preserve all the tinkering attached to a hd installation.
What's the chance of a guide/how to?
Regards,
Geoff.