[solved] Install Arch with all files downloaded beforehand?

[TheJayOJ]

How to install Arch on a new/untouched Pogoplug B-01 with all requisite files, such as the 150 odd MB ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz already downloaded on my computer?

I am asking this because the Internet over here is very slow and erratic. It is much easier to download large files beforehand (yes, 150 MB is large and takes about an hour or so) and work with them later. The default installation instructions point to a script that wgets the file as it goes through the steps automatically -- too slow and unpredictable (what if the Internet goes out and doesn't come back for hours?) for my requirements.

I know one should be able to do it technically, that is, Arch could be installed onto a fresh pogoplug with all files ready and at-hand, but I don't really know how to go about it.

Any help?

[WarheadsSE]

You could edit the install script to work from a pre-downloaded copy of the files.

[TheJayOJ]

I don't really know any scripting. :/

I tried reading oxnas-install.sh and was wondering if removing these lines will work.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'wget http://archlinuxarm.org/os/ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz
wget http://archlinuxarm.org/os/ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz.md5')

But of course, for that we need to put ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz and ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz.md5 I downloaded into the /tmp folder.

How long would it take for you to edit the script and make it suit offline installation needs? I know that wouldn't be a priority, but still.

If not, it'll take me far longer to understand everything that the script is doing and change it where I need to. I might even brick the thing, for all I know.

[karog]

If you put ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz in the root of your drive and in the script put a # before the wget for that file to comment that line out you should be good to go. Only comment out the one wget line. You still want to download the md5 file which is only 68 bytes thus tiny.

In the script when it does the wget, the current dir is /tmp/usb so that is where it is placed by the wget. But up top in the script is the line:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'mount /dev/sda1 /tmp/usb
')
which mounts the root of the drive as /tmp/usb so that is just what you want.

[WarheadsSE]

You may also want to note: you will need to pre-format the drive, and disable that line of the script.

[Philoo]

if you do have access to another computer in the same local network you can:
- setup a small webserver on that other computer, serve the rootfs image, the md5 and possibly other stuff just for your home/lab. then change the script to wget from your local server instead of archlinuxarm central. For THAT type of use apache is overkill but simple enough to setup, I think the utmost minimal setup would be a busybox but that's a matter for an other time and place. Do not expose either server to the internet though or you'll probably get pawned in a matter of minutes (if not seconds)
- setup a proxy: squid is not that hard once you figured out the access control stanza, polipo is even simpler IMHO (make sure to allow caching really big files and for a very long time). This would also improve your general use of the internet by telling your browser to use it (even pacman can use it if you craft the right line in pacman.conf)
- setup an apt-cacher-ng. This is quite involved but works great. Ask google for archlinux apt-cacher-ng then you can tell pacman to use it (love to see pacman -Syu bring updates at 17MB/s while my crappy dsl runs 3Mb/s)
- all of the above.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('karog', 'I')f you put ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz in the root of your drive and in the script put a # before the wget for that file to comment that line out you should be good to go. Only comment out the one wget line. You still want to download the md5 file which is only 68 bytes thus tiny.

[TheJayOJ]

I'm just editing the install script and pointing it to the files on my laptop on the same network. Will let you know how it goes.

[karog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheJayOJ', 'A')lso, the md5. I downloaded ArchLinuxARM-oxnas-latest.tar.gz yesterday. How often do you guys update that rootfs image? Will the md5 downloaded today match with the file downloaded yesterday?

[TheJayOJ]

Success! I just finished installing it on my Plug and am playing around with it right now. I couldn't be happier actually. Let the script download the files from my laptop and voila.

Thanks for all your help guys.