[arch-releng] Help with hybrid ISOs and making extra partitions

[Gerardo Exequiel Pozzi]

On 03/22/2010 07:59 PM, Jim Pryor wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:32:39 -0300, "Gerardo Exequiel Pozzi"
> <vmlinuz386 at yahoo.com.ar>  said:
>
>    
>> 1) isohybrid write a MBR to first 512 of the .iso (LBA 0)
>> 2) Inside this MBR there is one partition (is fake*) defined that is
>> type 0x17 (hidden NTFS) that points to LBA 0 (with offset 0) so points
>> to MBR (this is why called recursive), if offset 1 will point to LBA 1.
>> 3) If you try to mount the partition with offset 1, you receive an
>> error, because there is no filesystem starting at that point. The only
>> real filesystem is at LBA 0 (UDF).
>>
>> * is fake, because under this partition there is no real filesystem.
>>
>> OK?
>>
>> This is the "boot archiso" step (the key of the issue is at udev rule
>> 60-persistent-storage.rules)
>>
>> supose sda is the USB key.
>>
>> * offset 0 scenario:
>> 1) udev process sda ->  blkid is execute and get some attributes, in
>> these attr there is a LABEL, and set in udev database.
>> 1a) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH_201003 ->  /dev/sda
>> 2) udev process sda1 ->  blkid is execute and.... (same above)
>> 2a) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH_201003 ->  /dev/sda1
>>
>> right, there is no problem here, because sda1 points to UDF filesystem
>>
>> * offset 1 scenario:
>> 1) udev process sda ->  blkid is execute and get some attributes, in
>> these attr there is a LABEL, and set in udev database.
>> 1a) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH_201003 ->  /dev/sda
>> 2) udev procces sda1 ->  blkid is execute but FAILS, attributes are
>> ihnerited from parent device (sda).
>> 2a) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH_201003 ->  /dev/sda1
>>
>> bad, there is no filesystem at sda1
>>
>> so, why label for all filesystem? because the last unlabeled filesystem
>> will point to parent device (the attributed is inherited from parent
>> device)
>>
>> is more clear now?
>>
>> More info about udev rules here:
>> http://mailman.archlinux.org/pipermail/arch-releng/2010-March/000900.html
>>      
> Thanks, these details are helpful. So let me clarify/confirm:
>    
you are welcome.

> 1. If one's ever in a situation where one needs to supply a filesystem
> type to mount the sda1 partition, one should use "udf", correct?
> (Sometimes mount was asking me for a filesystem type, other times it
> recognized it automatically. I'm not sure how often this will be needed,
> but just to get clear about what to say when it is.)
>    
mount (util-linux-ng), automatically guess the filesystem. (thanks to 
libblkid)
mount (busybox), can't automatically detect the filesystem, (not linked 
to libblkid)

so under initramfs should always use mount -t filesystem

under offset 0, /dev/sda and /dev/sda1 points to the _same_ block 
offset, this is first sector.

so
mount -r -t udev /dev/sda /bootmnt
and
mount -r -t udev /dev/sda1 /bootmnt

are the same.

> 2. We don't need to do anything to adjust the label of the sda1
> partition; this will be taken from the ISO header. We only need to make
> sure that every additional filesystem we put onto the device has a
> label. If we fail to do that, then attempts to mount e.g. sda4 if that
> contains the last unlabeled filesystem will really mount sda1.
>    
exactly, you can't put a label under sda1 because:
(offset 0) sda1 points to first sector (sda1 have the same label as sda, 
and is a valid FS [UDF] made by mkisofs)
(offset 1) sda1 points to second sector (sda1 can't have a label, is not 
a valid FS)

Remember that isohibrid is just a hack, in ""common world"" sdN never 
have a FS, is just an MBR (there is no label defined), so all childrens 
(sdNM can not inherit a label from parent)

> 3. Does the device really have a MBR? (I think the answer is Yes, "MBR"
> just refers to a part of the device.)
>    
Yes, If you think that a valid MBR is:

----
boot code executable (446 bytes)
----
space to define four partitions (64 bytes)
----
0x55 0xAA ,signature of valid mbr, (2 bytes)
----
and this is present in iso, then yes, is a really MBR :)

> 4. Does the device really have a partition table? (I think the answer is
> no, although somehow you're still able to create partitions, for example
> with fdisk. That's what people seem to be saying. Have I understood
> correctly?)
>    
Yes, really have it. There is an entry in MBR, that say "hey! the 
partition start at 0 (or 1) and end in N and the type is 0x17)"


> 5. Does partition 1 have a filesystem? (You said the answer is no,
> instead there's a UDF filesystem overlaying the region consisting of
> both the MBR and partition 1, is that right?)
>    
Right.
Yes (offset 0), No (offset 1)
The issue is that this partition does not contains a FS inside (when 
offset 1), but there is a FS when offset 0.

So MBR acts as MBR, and acts as FS [UDF]. Hybrid!! This is really cool, 
but of course as you can see there are some implications.

If you inspect how look an iso udf image, there are lots of zeros at 
start (32768 zeros/64 sectors), so isohibrid use these first 512 to 
install a valid MBR.

See this:
1) dd count=1 if=archlinux-2010.03.19-netinstall-i686.iso | file -
x86 boot sector; partition 1: ID=0x17, active, starthead 0, startsector 
0, 319488 sectors, code offset 0x31
2) dd 
if=/home/data/iso/archlinux/archlinux-2010.03.19-netinstall-i686.iso | 
file -
ISO 9660 CD-ROM filesystem data 'ARCH_201003                    ' (bootable)
3) dd skip=1  
if=/home/data/iso/archlinux/archlinux-2010.03.19-netinstall-i686.iso | 
file -
data

1) See only first 512 bytes, is a MBR.
2) See all .iso, is ISO9660.
3) oops! there is nothing here! (this is what view if isohybrid create 
the partition with offset 1)

> 6. Do additional partitions sda2, sda3, ... we create on the device have
> real filesystems? (I think the answer is yes, of course they do.)
>
>    
Yeah!, and must contains a valid FS with a label, otherwise the last 
unformated/unlabeled partition when boot archiso, /dev/disk/by-label 
will point to this partition. (made by udev rule) And this is wrong!

-- 
Gerardo Exequiel Pozzi ( djgera )
http://www.djgera.com.ar
KeyID: 0x1B8C330D
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