Full Monty Files

Copyleft's MAXI Stick FAQ

Original title "Full Monty".

See KVM/qemu for how to run MAXI as a client.

What are MAXI and Stick?
MAXI Stick are flash drives that do two things.
1.  Installs a Debian GNU/Linux system.
2.  Acts a repository for the complete Debian 8.x (jessie) archive.
There are smaller versions, DVD sized Sticks.
The MAXI-FLOSS Stick is the functional equivalent of the 13 DVD
Official Debian disc set.

What architectures?
i386 (32 bit) and amd64 (64 bit) on different usb sticks.

How does it work?
The initial installation is quite normal.  Plug in the usb stick and boot.
When the installation usb stick is inserted after rebooting it is
automatically mounted and extra software can be installed.

Automount
Automount will only mount MAXI and Stick installation sticks of the same
architecture as the installed system.  However, future MAXI Sticks will also
be mounted, eg 64 bit Debian 9 on a 64 bit machine installed from a MAXI
Debian 8 stick.

How big is it?
The two versions of MAXI are about 60GB each which are loaded onto
separate 64GB flash drives.  The DVD Sticks are DVD sized.

Why not use the on-line repositories?
Some people are Internet deprived, slow /expensive /erratic /non-existent.
Some people have to use old hardware without working cdrom drives.  This
is often the case in the poorer parts of the world.  And then there are
those people who like to have the complete Debian archive in their pocket.

What about these poor parts of the world?
Arrangements will be made with organizations representing and working with
communities in these areas.  These people are encouraged to contact me.

What about updates?
Debian supplies the official update discs for the point releases.  

Can I download MAXI?
From here!

What is jigdo?
Jigsaw Download.   The Jigdo and template files are downloaded.  Jigdo is
then pointed at a Debian mirror and the required software packages
downloaded into the template. As the jigdo and template files are about
1% of the total image they take up little room on a server.  However,
jigdo will have to download about 60GB of packages from a Debian mirror.
The new image checksum is identical to the original.
   See  http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Debian-Jigdo/

Can I install Debian packages with a CD or DVD?
Yes.  A usb stick or optical disc can be used.  But make certain that the
cdrom tray is empty when using a stick.  The cdrom drive and usb ports
continue to work as normal for video, sound, data etc. Network software
installation can be used.

KVM/qemu
This was tested on Debian stretch (testing).
/qemu is the path to the MAXI.qcaw2 image
/dev/sdx is where the MAXI stick shows up as a dive.  fdisk -l will find it.
qcow2 works much better than raw.   Do not use usb3.
ABCD is the vendorid
1234 is the productid
These are found by plugging in the MAXI stick and running lsusb, the MAXI
stick line is easily identified.  ABCD:1234 is what you want.
Creating the blank image     qemu-img create -f qcow2 /qemu/MAXI.qcow2 8G
Installing the system       kvm -hda /qemu/MAXI.qcow2 -boot d -cdrom /dev/sdx -m 1024
Booting the client system.   kvm -m 1024 /qemu/MAXI.qcow2 -usbdevice host:ABCD:1234
Once the client system has booted then the maxi stick can be inserted and extra
software installed.


What is the copyright situation?
Any copyrights that E.P.G. Charles (Copyleft) has on MAXI are licensed
under the GPL v3.  This means that people can redistribute and modify MAXI
without restriction. 

Ubuntu has no problems with usb sticks, so why Debian?
Ubuntu and most other distributions use live usb sticks as installation 
media. The installation is started by booting off the stick and once
complete the stick is not remounted on the new system.  Without the
automount feature the usb stick would have to be manually mounted every
time new software was to be installed.

Are there any installation problems?
The MAXI modifications occur at the very end of the installation, just
before booting the new system.  So any installation problems are
Debian problems.

Where do I get help?
Most of the problems you will come across will be Debian problems so the
answer will be in the Debian documentation and mailing lists.  The Debian
manual and release notes are included in MAXI. If the problem concerns the
mounting of the stick then it is a Copyleft problem, so ask me. 

What is the history of the usb stick problem?
The problem surfaced about the time of the wheezy release, but it was too
late for a fix to be incorporated in wheezy.  The issue was brought up
again in the latter part of 2014 but the relevant code is old and solving
the stick problem could have prompted a complete rewrite. As they say,
if you want it fixed, fix it yourself.  If there is a rewrite for stretch then
MAXI or something similar could be incorporated stretch (Debian 9). 

Who is this Copyleft that produced MAXI?
Copyleft was founded in 1997 by E.P.G. (Philip) Charles as a hobby.  For
about ten years he was producing the installation discs for Debian
GNU/Hurd.  During this time he was a Debian Developer.  He has at
various times 'improved' and/or 'corrected' Mandriva, SUSE, Red Hat and
other installation discs.  Custom discs have been produced from the
inception of Copyleft.

What about feedback?
Feedback about MAXI and this FAQ  is very welcome.
Any other suggestions are also welcome.

Philip Charles  2016           info@copyleft.co.nz