Ubuntu 14.x USB Install

The Ubuntu server installer on 14.x and before lacked full support for installing from USB. This document shows one possible workaround.

  1. Download an Ubuntu server install image from the Ubuntu Website, such as ubuntu-14.04.3-server-amd64.iso

  2. Write the image to a USB memstick using Unetbootin.

  3. Copy the ubuntu-14.04.3-server-amd64.iso file to the root of the USB memstick.

  4. Connect to the console port of the RCC-VE using a mini-USB cable attached to another system.

    See also

    Connecting to Console Port

    Connecting to the console port. Cable is required.

  5. Connect a network cable that is attached to the local LAN to one of the ethernet ports. On 6-port models, using one of the four ports on the right side is recommended.

  6. Place the memstick in one of the USB ports and boot the system.

  7. When the boot menu appears, scroll down to ‘Install Ubuntu Server’ and press Tab

  8. Change the boot line to remove vga=xxx and quiet, replace with --- console=ttyS1,115200n8 so it reads:

    /install/vmlinuz initrd=/install/initrd.gz  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu-server.seed --- console=ttyS1,115200n8

  9. Press Enter to boot. The kernel will start up and after a minute the system will launch the installer, first prompting for a Language and Country.

    ../_images/ubuntu-rcc-ve-1.png

  10. After a while an error will appear stating that the Detect and mount CD- ROM action failed. On this screen, select No, then Continue

  11. A new menu will appear with more options, from this list, select Execute a shell, then Continue

  12. Enter the following command (substitute the name of the ISO if different than quoted):

    mount -o loop /media/ubuntu-14.04.3-server-amd64.iso /cdrom
exit

  13. From the menu, select Detect and Mount CD-ROM and the installation will proceed again as usual.

  14. The installer will display a menu labeled Configure the Network. This menu contains options to configure the network interfaces. All RCC-VE units have four ports listed and models with six ethernet ports have two additional ports listed. Move the cursor to select the interface connected to the network and press Enter. Consult the table below to determine which network port to use based on the name provided by Ubuntu and the number of available network ports.

    Ubuntu Installer NIC Mappings

    Ubuntu Installer NIC Label

    4 Port

    6 Port

    eth0

    eth0

    eth2

    eth1

    eth1

    eth3

    eth2

    eth2

    eth4

    eth3

    eth3

    eth5

    p3p1

    eth0

    p2p1

    eth1
    ../_images/ubuntu-old-rcc-ve-2.png

  15. The installer will then prompt for various system settings, such as the hostname, users, clock, and disks. These values must be set appropriately for to the role and environment of this system.

    Note

    When configuring the installation disk, the disks are listed with their capacity. The eMMC will be labeled “Ultra HS-Combo”, if an mSATA disk is installed it can be identified by its capacity and make/model.

    Warning

    When selecting the installation target disk, be careful not to unmount the USB disk (/dev/sdb) and make sure not to select it as the install target.

  16. When the installation has completed, a box labeled “Finish the installation” will be displayed with the choices Go Back or Continue. Select Continue and press Enter. The system will reboot.

  17. Remove the USB drive from the USB port. Ubuntu will start up automatically from the target drive (mSATA SSD or internal eMMC). If the USB drive remains attached, the system will boot into the installer again because the system firmware is configured so that a device plugged into the USB port will be booted with a higher priority.