I'm trying to create a new multiboot plugin for Parted Magic.

http://partedmagic.com

The latest version is 3.0 and has changed pretty significantly, but is pretty useful and featured for 45MB. I'm basing my idea here off the Plugin PCuser created for UBCD4win (Thanks Again!), however I have discovered I have less idea of how UBCD4win plugins work than I though.

PCcusers old plugin:



I guess I'm hung up on exactly what:

[WinntDirectories]
a="isolinux",2
b="BCDW",2

[SourceDisksFiles]
files\isolinux\initrd.gz=a,pmagic.gz,1
files\isolinux\bzImage=a,pmagic,1
files\isolinux\isolinux.bin=a,,1
pmagic.ini=b,,1
files\PMAGIC=30000,pmagic,1


is doing.

I take it that we are renaming the Kernel "bzImage" to "pmagic" and moving it to the isolinux directory, and doing the same thing with the ramdisk "initrd.gz" , but I'm not sure what is being done with pmagic.ini or "files\PMAGIC=3000" as that doesn't appear to be a file. I also don't understand what , for example "a,,1" means at the end of these lines.

My guess is that, as above the ramdisk & kernel are moved so to the isolinux directory, but how do I move the rest of the files to somewhere that the ramdisk and kernel will know what to do with them?

Thanks in advance!

The entire plugin protocol is explained HERE



Yes, you're right on the money



PMAGIC is a directory found in the root of the cd, 30000 (not 3000) is a directive telling the builder to place it in the root of the output folder.



files\isolinux\isolinux.bin=a,,1

is the same as:

files\isolinux\isolinux.bin=a,isolinux.bin,1

It copies isolinux.bin to the isolinux directory (which is found at the root of the cd as defined by a="isolinux",2). and the ,1 tells the builder that this file is required.

I thought I had it but now I'm stuck. I get the Parted magic program to load but end up at bash console rather than a gui.

Here is my pmagic.inf



My Pmagic.ini (formatting exempted)



and my pmagic_bcdw.ini



Any Suggestions?

Patrick added ISO file support at SamK's request, thanks.
Parted Magic kernel mount ISO file at boot now.
http://partedmagic.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=151
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=38026


PartedMagic.inf

partedmagic_bcdw.ini Add a empty line.

files\menu.lst

Well, I think I know what the problem on my end is but I don't know how to solve it.

It looks like Pmagic.7z is being copied to root rather than to /pmodules/

I just don't know why this would be. I'm also not sure, but I thought there were problems including multiple linux builds in ISO format on one Multiboot cd, so I'm not sure if the ISO solution helps us.

Nope, I've just been starting at this too long. pmagic.7z is in /pmodules/, but I'm still ending up at the command line.

The problem is that you're using a plugin for the wrong version. I rebuild the pmagic.inf file in each new version so it matches the current file/folder structure and then change pmagic.ini to match the current syslinux.cfg file.


YES, YES, YES!!! I hope it helps to get the snowball rolling!

One of my first linux based multiboot plugins (KNOPPIX?) used this method (I modified initrd so it would find the iso and mount it as a loop device then continue booting from there) and I've been hoping for it to catch on ever since. I think multibooting this way is by far the best way to go.

I wish ALL linux distros would take the initiative to do this and make it a standard.




I would question your information source and ask them how it failed.

PCuser, I though that, say, including an ISO of Ubuntu and an ISO of Pmagic and using BCDW to load them would not work. I'm more than willing to admit I could be wrong because I'm lost at this point. I thought I was rebuilding the pmagic.inf and pmagic.ini ! . Looks like the solution is use cdob's suggestion, use BCDW to load the pmagic ISO and then Grub4dos takes over?

Usually it doesn't work but the author of PMagic added support for booting it this way.

Cool, thanks guys, I'll do it that way then. Can I ask though, shouldn't it be possible to load Parted Magic with isolinux? Iso/syslinux is part of the Parted Magic ISO, I'm really not sure where I went wrong trying to make this plugin.

Finally got it working. With some help from Patrick on his forum I found I had screwed the directories up.

Here it is, For Those who are intrested

Pmagic.inf


pmagic.ini (formatting exempted)




Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your successfull results with us and I'm glad to see that you got it working. Have you tried the new iso boot method yet?

I haven't yet tried the ISO solution, I've been rechecking my plugin. It works now but I think I have a typo in my menus. Any idea how to tell if one Linux distro or another will boot with the ISO method?

Currently none Linux distro support ISO file boot method. Ask the distributor for support.
Parted Magic 3.0 is the only exeption so far.