[Bug 724383] Re: AMD64 "Netboot" Documentation: typo in instructions (suggested replacement text attached)

[Tanu Kaskinen]

I believe the command should be

# zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX

instead of

# zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1

So just remove the "1" from the end. This is what solved my problems
with booting from the USB stick, and this is also what the corresponding
Debian documentation says:
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.html.en

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to installation-guide in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/724383

Title:
  AMD64 "Netboot" Documentation: typo in instructions (suggested
  replacement text attached)

Status in “installation-guide” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  I was attempting to prepare a USB boot stick for Ubuntu Maverick (x86_64) Server.  I followed this guide (official documentation):
  https://help.ubuntu.com/10.10/installation-guide/amd64/boot-usb-files.html

  Under the heading "Copying the files -- the easy way," the instructions read:
  (quote)
  To use this image simply extract it directly to a partition on your USB stick:
  # zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1
  (/quote)
  ** Note, for me this was: #zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdc1

  I tried this twice (once using sudo and once using an actual root shell prompt) and the problem persisted.
  SYMPTOMS:
  - the USB stick was not recognized by Nautilus,
  - it could not be mounted via the commandline,
  - fdisk/cfdisk both refused to acknowledge the disk/partition (various errors, unable to find partition, incorrect partition table, etc),
  - and the /dev directory stopped displaying the /dev/sdc1 partition altogether (only /dev/sdc was shown)

  HUMBLY-SUBMITTED SOLUTION (SUGGESTED CHANGE TO DOCUMENTATION):
  The following alternative command(s) worked great for me; no doubt there is a more compact/elegant way to do this, but I digress:

  replace:
    # zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1
  with:
    $ sudo mkdosfs /dev/sdX1
    $ gunzip boot.img.gz
    $ sudo dd if=boot.img of=/dev/sdX1
  </end suggested text/commands>

  Please note that the purpose of this bug is to point out that the
  method listed in the documentation did not work (for me, on an x86_64
  Core2Duo system running Maverick 10.10).   This bug is NOT intended to
  suggest in any way that my meager 3-line bash command line replacement
  text is in any way, shape, or form "ideal."   So keep your jokes to
  yourselves, Mr. and Ms. Chuckles.  :)

  QUESTION:
  Other than filing a bug against installation-guide, is there a (more) preferred way of pointing out problems/typos in the official documentation?  For future reference, a friendly point-in-the-right-direction is kindly requested.

  #####
  (Abbreviated) Version/System info, probably unnecessary but provided for bug-report completeness:

  $ lsb_release -rc
  Release:	10.10Codename:	maverick

  $ uname -mosrv
  Linux 2.6.35-27-generic #47-Ubuntu SMP Fri Feb 11 22:52:49 UTC 2011 x86_64 GNU/Linux

  $ zcat -V
  gzip 1.3.12

  #####

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/installation-guide/+bug/724383/+subscriptions