Re: [Thinstation-general] Modifying the initrd file

[Reimers, R. L (TOG) <rlr...@Th...>]

I got it figured out.  I can now modify a Thin Station initrd, save it
out, and have it auto-download.  A bit of the PITA, but does what I
needed it to do.  This has to be done inside of a Linux client, which I
was not very familiar with.
If you don't know Linux - work with it - learn - I certainly had to, and
did learn a lot.

Steps:
Download a Thinstation-2.3..tar.gz - a recent version
Install, or unpack it - then copy the mksquashfs executable from
utils/tools to /bin
Copy initrd to your local drive.  (I copied to /home)
Create a couple of folders, such as /home/init and /home/init2.
Mount the initrd file system: mount /home/initrd /home/init -o
loop=3D/dev/loop0 -t squashfs =20
Copy the files from the mounted initrd: cp -R /home/init/ /home/init2=20
You may need to chown the files in /home/init2 to enable you to work on
them: chown -hR logonID /home/init2
Unmount the initrd: umount /home/init/

You may now work with, modify the files in the /home/init2 folder to the
way you want.  The following assumes you are working in the /home/init2
folder.
I added a file to etc/init.d that runs a file located at
/tmp/mnt/disc/disc0/part1, which gets installed there during the
ThinStation update process.  I then added a link to that file in
/etc/rc5.d from a prompt.  I was cd to etc/rc5.d, entered: ln -s
../init.d/linaout S25linaout - the file I added was called linaout.  You
also have to change your "added" file (etc/init.d/linaout) to
executable: chmod a+x ./linaout
Now, you need to change the version number that will be in the new
initrd:  Edit etc/thinstation.defaults - change HDUPDATE version info to
a higer number (at bottom of file)=20
FYI - with the new Time Zone information - this is the setting for
Central time: TIME_ZOME=3D"CST6CDT,M3.2.0,M11.1.0" - sets for the new
daylight time.
When done with the mods you want, you need to recreate the initrd.  I
found it works for me to copy the folder structure to /boot/initrd-tree
- cp -R /home/init2/ /boot/initrd-tree - as su or root.
Now to create the initrd - mksquashfs /boot/initrd-tree ./initrd
-noappend
Copy the initrd to a network location, to the TFTP server - follow
directions for updating the image.=20
This worked well for me - I "may" have missed a trailing "/", or
something, I am not perfect.  Play with it, test - if it works for you -
great - if not - ?  YMMV

Randy


-----Original Message-----
From: TrevorB [mailto:tre...@us...]=20
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 6:12 PM
To: Reimers, Randy L (TOG)
Cc: thi...@li...
Subject: Re: [Thinstation-general] Modifying the initrd file

On Fri, 2007-10-12 at 17:10 -0500, Reimers, Randy L (TOG) wrote:
> I'm trying to modify the initrd file.  Using Ubuntu Linux, I can mount

> the file system as read-only, but not save any changes.  I use=20
> syslinux to run it from the hard drive - this works beautifully, runs=20
> a Citrix session - no complaints on this part.  Now, I need to run an=20
> Asset management program on each computer, so we know that the=20
> computers are in use, and some other information.  I am running=20
> version 2.1.3
> =20
> How do I modify the files and scripts, within initrd, then save the=20
> changes as a new initrd?

Thinstation TS-O-Matic and the local build system (which runs on Ubuntu)
generate the initrd, based on your build.conf file, from pre-compile
components in a build tree (this is a construct, NOT a compile, so no
compilers needed).

You can't hack the scripts or add additional executeables via
TS-O-Matic, but you can with a local build.=20

Download Thinstation-2.2.1rc3.tar.gz from sourceforge (follow the
download links from the Thinstation home page or
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=3D80408)

> I copy the file to the Ubuntu drive, at a prompt I enter:=20
>=20
> Mount /home/rreimers/initrd /home/reimers/init -o loop=3D/dev/loop0 -t =

> squashfs
>=20
> I then have access to the inside files at /home/rreimers/init, I need=20
> to change to modify access.  How?
>=20
> =20
>=20
> I need to add a new binary to the initrd - it is an asset finder from=20
> Alloy-Software, called lina.  I need to mount a TFTP site, then run=20
> lina, put the resulting file onto the TFTP server.  This TFTP server=20
> is the same one that Thin Station is connecting to for configuration=20
> files.  Can someone help me with the script, and make it auto-run each

> time the computer starts?  I can run lina at the Linux prompt, and=20
> copy it to the tftp server, just need to get it all together, and=20
> automate the process.

Create a package for lina. You could look at packages/template as the
standard example, but in your case the package should be very simple.

cd packages
mkdir lina
cd lina
echo 'base' > dependencies
mkdir bin
cp <path-to-lina-executable> bin/.
mkdir etc
cd etc
mkdir init.d
mkdir rcd.0
put your script into init.d as lina.init cd rcd.0 ln -s S11lina
../init.d/lina.init

Add a line into your build.conf 'package lina'
and build (if you don't know how - read the FAQ).

Good Luck
Trevor B
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Thank you
>=20
> Randy
>=20
>=20
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