[OE-core] [PATCH 0/4] add wic based image installer

[Lee, Chee Yang]

Tom, Thanks for the sharing
I try out this method and it works 
however I notice that sdimage-bootpart.wks format bootimg-partition with vfat still limit the rootfs.img size to 4GB.
Anyway, with the similar trick and using a new .wks with combination of 2 partition below could build the installer image for image greater than 4GB.
- bootimg-efi with "wic: bootimg-efi: add label source parameter" patch 
- bootimg-partition ( format in ext4 ) 
so I think it would be great to keep the enhancement for bootimg-efi while ignore the other 3 patches. 


On 5/16/19, 8:20 PM, "Tom Rini" <trini at konsulko.com> wrote:

    On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 11:48:02AM +0000, Lee, Chee Yang wrote:
    
    > I couldn’t figure out how to make it with sdimage-bootpart.wks, can
    > you tell me what did you set for IMAGE_BOOT_FILES ?
    > 
    > To further explain the idea,  I'm trying to use the new source plugin
    > and .wks.in to build a wic image that "mimic" a hddimg, where I can dd
    > the wic image to an USB drive and use that usb drive to install image
    > to my target machine (like hddimg did ). 
    > first partition allow to boot into initramfs and it will execute the
    > install script. The script will then install system-boot
    > configuration, efi, kernel, rootfs.img and initrd from second
    > partition to target machine. 
    > 
    > My sample image here: 
    > https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c1FCJ2ghWNzsXK1zbOAVz1bz6G3H5zx5/view?usp=sharing
    
    OK, so some cleaned up snippets from the installer image recipe:
    # List of external things we must have had complete.
    do_rootfs[depends] += "core-image-minimal-initramfs:do_image_complete"
    do_rootfs[depends] += "full-image-to-install:do_image_complete"
    do_rootfs[depends] += "grub-efi:do_deploy"
    do_rootfs[depends] += "virtual/kernel:do_deploy"
    
    WKS_FILE = "sdimage-bootpart.wks"
    
    IMAGE_BOOT_FILES_append = "\
        ${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE};EFI/BOOT/${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE} \
        core-image-minimal-initramfs-${MACHINE}.cpio.gz;EFI/BOOT/initrd \
        full-image-to-install-${MACHINE}.wic.xz;rootfs.img \
        grub-efi-bootx64.efi;EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi \
        grub-installer.cfg;EFI/BOOT/grub.cfg \
        "
    
    And note that I reworked the installer for our case to write then update
    the real image's wic image rather than copy contents and then modify
    files due to other constraints (this project is also why I was pushing
    various changes to meta-secure-core).
    
    > 
    > 
    > On 5/16/19, 10:38 AM, "Tom Rini" <trini at konsulko.com> wrote:
    > 
    >     On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 02:23:05AM +0000, Lee, Chee Yang wrote:
    >     > Hi Tom, 
    >     > 
    >     > Would you mind to share with me how you make the installer image using wic? 
    >     
    >     I ended up using sdimage-bootpart.wks and IMAGE_BOOT_FILES to populate
    >     the partition as needed.  I can't paste the exact image as it was done
    >     for a customer.
    >     
    >     > 
    >     >     -------- Forwarded Message --------
    >     >     From: Tom Rini <trini at konsulko.com>
    >     >     To: chee.yang.lee at intel.com
    >     >     Cc: openembedded-core at lists.openembedded.org
    >     >     Subject: Re: [OE-core] [PATCH 0/4] add wic based image installer
    >     >     Date: Wed, 15 May 2019 11:33:43 -0400
    >     >     
    >     >     On Wed, May 08, 2019 at 02:40:58PM +0800, chee.yang.lee at intel.com
    >     >     wrote:
    >     >     
    >     >     > From: Chee Yang Lee <chee.yang.lee at intel.com>
    >     >     > 
    >     >     > Existing installable image (hddimg/ISO) has limit of 4GB size, so to
    >     >     > build larger installable image, we can build it in wic based image.
    >     >     > 
    >     >     > 2 partition needed for installable image
    >     >     >  - first partition build using source plugin bootimg-efi and
    >     >     > configure to run install
    >     >     >  - second partition build with root.img, systemd-boot and kernel to
    >     >     > be install on target machine (this partition build using new source
    >     >     > plugin installer-partition)
    >     >     > 
    >     >     > These patches:
    >     >     >  - add new source plugin for second partition
    >     >     >  - add new .wks
    >     >     >  - add new wic dependency and set default value for required variable
    >     >     >  - allow source plugin bootimg-efi to configure to install
    >     >     > 
    >     >     > 
    >     >     > To build the image, set WKS_FILE="wic-installer.wks.in" in
    >     >     > local.conf.
    >     >     
    >     >     I'm confused as to why we need most of these changes to support the end
    >     >     goal.  The enhancement to bootimg-efi makes conceptual sense.  I don't
    >     >     see why we need a new plugin to do the rest, however.  What's being
    >     >     done
    >     >     here that we don't already do today?  I say this having made installer
    >     >     images for EFI machines using wic (in sumo, even).  Thanks!
    >     >     
    >     >     -- 
    >     >     Tom
    >     >     -- 
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    >     >     Openembedded-core at lists.openembedded.org
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    >     >     
    >     >     
    >     > 
    >     
    >     -- 
    >     Tom
    >     
    > 
    
    -- 
    Tom