Multi-CD USB stick

Well I'm not sure the title speaks for itself...
Live CDs are great and USB sticks have amazing capacities (I'm curious how it'll sound in a couple of years...)
I've bought a 6Gb USB "stick", actually it's a HD in a credit-card format.
The idea is to bring on it and be able to boot:

• Knoppix DVD v5.1.1
  • and memtest
  • and DOS (from balder.img) That one fails on my laptop :-(
• FCCU CD v11.0
• DBAN v1.0.7
• Etch installer from boot.img.gz

So I use a single syslinux with a huge configuration file.
Sometimes there are some clashes between the files of the various systems so we've to rename some when possible and choose between some when not possible.

• syslinux.cfg and isolinux.cfg => merge all and rename some of the targets if needed
• boot.* => choose one image (I took the Debian spiral from Etch installer) and one text (I list shortly the main targets)
• F1..F10 help screens => choose or mix

From Etch: this is really the basis of the install, with its syslinux

• debian-testing-i386-netinst.iso renamed as: debian.iso
• disk.lbl
• f1.txt .. f10.txt
• initrd26.gz
• initrdg.gz
• initrd.gz
• ldlinux.sys (install it properly as a bootable USB stick!)
• linux
• linux26
• splash.rle

From DBAN (dban-1.0.7_i386.ima):

• dbanlog
• dbanseed
• *.txt => dbaninfo/
• initrd.gz renamed as: initrddb.gz
• kernel.bzi

From Knoppix DVD:

• knoppix/
• balder.img
• linux renamed as: linux-kn
• memtest
• minirt.gz

From FCCU:

• knoppix/ renamed as: fccu/
• linux renamed as: lin-fccu
• minirt.gz renamed as: minifccu.gz (cf note)

Note: For FCCU as we had to rename the directory and as v11 is incompatible with knoppix dvd v5.1.1 I had to change minifccu.gz:

gunzip minifccu.gz
mount -o loop minifccu /mnt/disk

Edit /mnt/disk/linuxrc and prepend the module list by the new path: (but keep the rest!)

MODULE_DIRS="/cdrom/fccu/modules /cdrom/KNOPPIX/modules ...

And now this huge and quite messy syslinux.cfg:

DEFAULT fccu
TIMEOUT 300
PROMPT 1
DISPLAY boot.my
F1 f1.txt
F2 f2.txt
F3 f3.txt
F4 f4.txt
F5 f5.txt
F6 f6.txt
F7 f7.txt
F8 f8.txt
F9 f2
F0 f3

LABEL fccu
KERNEL lin-fccu
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us dma noswap nodhcp 3 apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minifccu.gz nomce quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=fccu

LABEL knoppix
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minirt.gz nomce loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL knoppix_expert
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minirt.gz nomce BOOT_IMAGE=expert

LABEL memtest
KERNEL memtest
APPEND foo

LABEL knoppix-txt
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=normal initrd=minirt.gz nomce loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL knoppix_debug
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=normal initrd=minirt.gz debug BOOT_IMAGE=debug
LABEL fb1280x1024
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=794 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL fb1024x768
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL fb800x600
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=788 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL dos
KERNEL balder.img
LABEL failsafe
KERNEL linux-kn
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us vga=normal atapicd nosound noapic noacpi pnpbios=off acpi=off nofstab noscsi nodma noapm nousb nopcmcia nofirewire noagp nomce nodhcp xmodule=vesa initrd=minirt.gz BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
LABEL userdef
KERNEL linux-kn



APPEND ###############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
LABEL install24
	kernel linux
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=11302 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL expert24
	kernel linux
	append priority=low vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=11302 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL install
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL linux
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL install26
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL linux26
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL installgui
	kernel linux26
	append video=vesa:ywrap,mtrr vga=788 initrd=initrdg.gz ramdisk_size=23109 root=/dev/ram rw  --

LABEL expert
	kernel linux26
	append priority=low vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL expert26
	kernel linux26
	append priority=low vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  --
LABEL expertgui
	kernel linux26
	append priority=low video=vesa:ywrap,mtrr vga=788 initrd=initrdg.gz ramdisk_size=23109 root=/dev/ram rw  --

LABEL rescue
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  rescue/enable=true --
LABEL rescue24
	kernel linux
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=11302 root=/dev/ram rw  rescue/enable=true --
LABEL rescue26
	kernel linux26
	append vga=normal initrd=initrd26.gz ramdisk_size=9882 root=/dev/ram rw  rescue/enable=true --
LABEL rescuegui
	kernel linux26
	append video=vesa:ywrap,mtrr vga=788 initrd=initrdg.gz ramdisk_size=23109 root=/dev/ram rw  rescue/enable=true --

### DBAN 1.0.7
LABEL  autonuke
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --autonuke" silent

LABEL  dban
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe" silent

LABEL  dod
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method dod522022m" silent

LABEL  dod3pass
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method dod3pass" silent

LABEL  dodshort
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method dodshort" silent

LABEL  gutmann
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method gutmann" silent

LABEL  ops2
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method ops2" silent

LABEL  paranoid
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method prng --rounds 8 --verify all" silent

LABEL  prng
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method prng --rounds 8" silent

LABEL  quick
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method quick" silent

LABEL  zero
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --autonuke --method zero" silent


# Troubleshooting Labels

LABEL  nofloppy
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe" floppy=0,16,cmos

LABEL  nosilent
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe"

LABEL  noverify
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc quiet nuke="dwipe --verify off"


# Debugging Labels

LABEL  debug
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="exec ash" debug

LABEL  shell
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="exec ash"

LABEL  verbose
KERNEL kernel.bzi
APPEND initrd=initrddb.gz root=/dev/ram0 init=/rc nuke="dwipe --method quick"


# The DBAN kernel uses DevFS without devfsd, so you may not use conventional
# device node file names in kernel options.
#
# Note that Linux 2.4.19+ will not boot with root=/dev/rd/0.  The /dev/ram0
# name is, however, now hardcoded in 'init/do_mounts.c' so root=/dev/ram0 works
# instead.  This violates the DevFS documentation and is probably a kernel bug.
#
# If a VGA or HGA video adapter is not found, then the first serial port
# detected will be used as the system console.

# This option will start syslinux on the first serial port.
#SERIAL 0

# This kernel option will force a serial console on the first serial port.
#APPEND console=ttyS0,9600n8r [...]

# Print the product banner and liability disclaimer.
#DISPLAY warning.txt

# Extra screens.
#F1 warning.txt
#F2 about.txt
#F3 quick.txt
#F4 trouble.txt
#F5 raid.txt


# The Boot Prompt
# ---------------
#
#  Usage: [label [kernel options] [nuke="dwipe [dwipe options]"]]
#
#  Dwipe Options:
#
#       --autonuke  Be really sure.
#    -m --method    The wipe method to use.
#    -r --rounds    The number of times to run the method.
#       --verify    The verification level.
#
#  Dwipe Methods:
#
#    dod522022m         American Department of Defense 5220.22-M standard wipe.
#    dodshort dod3pass  DoD short wipe, passess 1,2,7 from the standard wipe.
#    gutmann            Peter Gutmann's wipe.
#    ops2               RCMP TSSIT OPS-II standard wipe.
#    prng random        PRNG stream wipe.
#    quick zero         Quick erase.
#
#  Verification Levels:
#
#    0  off         Do not read anything back from the device.
#    1  last        Check whether the device is empty after wiping.
#    2  all         Check whether all passes were written properly.
#
#  Notes:
#
#    * The rounds option does not apply to to the quick method. This method
#      always runs one round.
#
#    * Use at least four rounds with the prng method. Using eight rounds with
#      the prng method is recommended.
#
#    * The last pass of every method fills the device with zeros, except the
#      ops2 method which fills the device with a random stream on its last pass.
#

# eof