Feature changed by: Thomas Schmidt (digitaltomm) Feature #308352, revision 24 Title: Easy Way to put Media to USB Stick - openSUSE-11.3: Implementation + openSUSE-11.3: Rejected by Thomas Schmidt (digitaltomm) + reject reason: Not done for 11.3 Priority Requester: Mandatory Projectmanager: Important + openSUSE-11.4: Done + Priority + Requester: Desirable Requested by: Andreas Jaeger (a_jaeger) Product Manager: (Novell) Project Manager: (Novell) Engineering Manager: (Novell) Engineering Manager: (Novell) Developer: (Novell) Technical Contact: (Novell) Partner organization: openSUSE.org Description: Currently a user has to run "dd" to copy an ISO image from file system to media - and this runs the risk that the user destroys the harddisk instead of the usb stick. We should create some simple ways to do the copy. Some options: a) A shell script that checks for one attached USB stick and copies the image over to it. b) A boot entry on the media to copy the image to an attached USB stick. Option b) would allow me to download and create the image on one machine and then put it to use on another one. Discussion: #1: Duncan Mac-Vicar (dmacvicar) (2009-11-18 12:47:56) This is already implemented. At least I saw the Studio team having a similar tool during their demos. #2: Duncan Mac-Vicar (dmacvicar) (2009-11-18 12:48:43) (reply to #1) (it does not work from the same media though but from the running system, I find it a good idea to have the option in the boot menu itself) #3: Klaas Freitag (kfreitag) (2010-02-10 16:04:28) Michal, could you check here what it would take us to implement one of the solutions mentioned in #308352 and if they are sufficient? #4: Michael Löffler (michl19) (2010-02-10 16:45:34) out of today's discussion on ml: There is a UI tool for writing images to USB sticks available as part of the kiwi project: http://software.opensuse.org/ymp/openSUSE:Tools/openSUSE_11.2/kiwi-tools-ima... #5: Matt Barringer (mbarringer) (2010-02-17 11:23:48) I have moved the RPMs for the ImageWriter to the SUSE:SUSEStudio OBS repository where they will be maintained. I think it would fulfill this FATE request and missing features (.desktop files and hybrid ISO detection) will be along shortly. #6: Andreas Jaeger (a_jaeger) (2010-02-17 11:40:33) (reply to #5) Cool! Matt, could you submit the package to openSUSE:Factory and set the SUSE:SUSEStudio OBS repo as devel project? #7: Matt Barringer (mbarringer) (2010-02-17 11:57:16) (reply to #6) I've submitted the request, but I'm not very experienced with OBS so I hope it worked :-) #8: Martin Seidler (pistazienfresser) (2010-06-09 21:09:43) (reply to #5) Cool, too! Where can I look at the "missing features"? The dd part may include the most risk but this seems to me the least difficult part compared with the creation of an second partition for a live USB flash disk / USB stick with the ability to save at least some things (especially my WLAN pasword ;-); only I could not understand why the Software Manager wants to install so many things [and fails at the first package]). The explanation here was nothing I could follow or do with success: http://wiki.opensuse.org/SDB:Live_USB_stick#Create_partition_from_remaining_... the old version with fdisk and some commands was easier to understand and to do (for me): http://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=Live_USB_stick&oldid=117023#Create_partition_from_remaining_space #9: Martin Seidler (pistazienfresser) (2010-06-22 11:14:42) (reply to #8) The imagewriter from SUSE:SUSEStudio/openSUSE_11.2 seems to be only a graphical tool for the copy/dd part but I can see no more features. More information and discussion on the "copy" and especially the "really persistant"/"not forgetting" feature now: Start openSUSE 11.3 from external USB drive? - openSUSE Forums - Post #25 (http://forums.opensuse.org/get-help-here/pre-release-beta/439729-start-opens...) How to copy a dvd or net iso to a flash drive - openSUSE Forums (http://forums.opensuse.org/information-new-users/unreviewed-how-faq/439455-h...) "Easy Way to put Media to USB Stick" (openFATE #308352) - openSUSE Forums (http://forums.opensuse.org/get-help-here/pre-release-beta/440129-easy-way-pu...) SDB Talk:Live USB stick - openSUSE (http://wiki.opensuse.org/SDB_Talk:Live_USB_stick) #10: Matt Barringer (mbarringer) (2010-07-15 12:22:59) (reply to #8) Currently the only missing features I've been asked for is the ability to automatically decompress bzip'd raw images,and the ability to write non-hybrid ISOs to USB keys, like UNetBootin does. Right now it's only hybrid ISOs and raw disk images - so LiveCDs and SUSE Studio created appliances, which is what this FATE entry was asking for. I'll look through the links you've posted and see if I can add partitioning functionality. #11: Martin Seidler (pistazienfresser) (2010-07-15 18:52:04) (reply to #10) That would be nice. But as I understand the latest editions in the linked wiki article (I have not tested it jet): With the (new) hybrid images and decompression the second partition would be needed not so much - the meaning in that was in first and foremost the ability to save your personal settings (wlan password etc.) and data on the same (USB-) device and also to have a operating system that is able to work on nearly any hardware without a real installation procedure. P.S.: Is the Kiwi ImageWriter a part of the (default) distribution openSUSE 11.3 and jet described in the new wiki? See: http://wiki.opensuse.org/index.php?title=Product_highlights&diff=prev&oldid=15269 but: http://wiki.opensuse.org/index.php?title=Portal:11.3 /Features&oldid=15341 #12: H. Hansen (cyberbeat) (2010-07-23 20:45:45) it would be nice to use a casper file for persistent storage. this would not destroy any fat filesystem on the stick, and the stick would stay usable on other systems (windows). perhaps it would be possible then to support that method in a gui tool with chooseable persistent file size. #13: Brandon Philips (philipsb) (2010-10-16 07:56:39) Can we get imagewriter to be installed by default on the openSUSE 11.4? It would certainly help in cases like this: http://sellingfreesoftwareforaliving.blogspot.com/2010/10/winding-road-to-st... It really is a handy feature from an Ubuntu install. #14: Stephan Kulow (coolo) (2010-10-18 09:30:44) (reply to #13) what makes you believe that he would have looked in the menu before following the wrong and outdated documentation again just to get frustrated? ;( + #15: Thomas Schmidt (digitaltomm) (2010-12-21 12:48:26) + Imagewriter is in Factory now, so I think we can close this. -- openSUSE Feature: https://features.opensuse.org/308352