[GRLUG] mount iso for install from hard drive

[GRLUG general mailing list]

GRLUG general mailing list wrote:

> Hello!  I have googled all over and haven't been able
> to find any docs, how tos on mounting a iso in an ext2
> partition and directing the suse 9.3 installer to that
> partition and use the mounted iso.  Any help with
> finding out how to do this would be greatly
> appreciated.  thank you for your time
> Jeff 


I have also tried to do this, but with out real success. The closest I have 
come, is to copy the entire contents of the disk to a directory, and then use 
the "install from directory" option.

One way I have done this was as follows: Boot into rescue mode and set up your 
hard drive for the install. Then copy the ISO (I recommend the DVD ISO) to the 
file system ( By the way, I recommend using XFS, or ReiserFS, or ext3 rather 
than ext2) and then create directories "mnt" and "SuSE9.3-DVD1". Next mount the 
ISO on mount point mnt:
     mount -o loop SuSE9.3-DVD1.iso mnt
and then copy everything from the mount directory to the working directory:
     cp -a mnt/* SuSE9.3-DVD1/
and reboot into install mode, select the install from directory option, and 
install from the directory SuSE9.3-DVD1. I do recommend that you put this 
directory on a partition other than your sysem root, such as /data or /home.

This waste of disk space, having two copies of DVD1 is necessary only for the 
install. (If you were really pressed for space you could copy the contents of 
the disk to the directory without copying the iso till later. Like after you 
delete the install files. See below.)

Once the install is done you can delete the contents of you install directory, 
and your temporary mount point directory mnt and make SuSE9.3-DVD1 the permenant 
mount point for SuSE9.3-DVD1.iso. Edit your /etc/fstab by adding a line like the 
following:

    /data/SuSE9.3DVD1.iso  /media/SuSE9.3DVD1   iso9660   loop   0  0

Since Yast alredy has the mount point directory listed as the installation 
source you can add new programs easilly, without looking for your disk. And the 
ISO is inherently a read only file system, so it constitutes (IMHO) "trusted 
media, should you get hacked and need to reinstall.

I hope this helps.
Raymond McLaughlin