Wiki » Feature:Composite ISOs

Summary

Create composite ISOs consisting of more than one file. The base ISO would boot the media, and would be able to find the other components. The idea is to have fewer ISOs, with more flexibility.

Owner

• Name: André Blais
• Email: andre999mga@laposte.net

Resources

• Anyone implicated in creating ISOs. (At least ennael and tmb.)
• Anyone involved with the installer ?
• Anyone else who would like to help, including myself.
  Feel free to add your name.

Current status

• Targeted release: Mageia 3
• Last updated: 2012-06-12
• Percentage of completion: 0%

Detailed Description

Currently ISOs are packaged as a single file. This file must fit on the install media, and a separate ISO must be created for each variation of content.

Composite ISOs could offer the possibility of creating fewer ISOs, and allowing more variety of content for the install media. The idea is that the base ISO file would be able to detect supplementary ISO files, and access their content. This would allow those who wish to add multiple supplementary files to do so, particularly if they use a larger media, such as an 8G USB key.

For example, we could have only 2 live cd ISOs, one for KDE, one for Gnome. Which would contain only the English localisation. Then add a supplementory file for each set of alternate localisations. This would allow those who wish to add multiple sets of localisations to use a USB key (of at least 1G) or a DVD.

For DVD ISOs, we could have a base ISO for each of the 32 and 64-bit architectures, with supplementary files oriented to developpers, servers, games, or whatever, only limited by our collective imagination.

Also this could be used to resolve the include-proprietory-firmware vs. totally-free DVD ISO debate. The proprietory firmware could be a supplementary file, which would normally but not necessarily be copied to the install media.

Why it would be good for Mageia to include it

It could simplify the creation of ISOs, and would create more flexibility for install media, particularly for users with constraints on installing from Internet.

Test case

We would have to test that

• The base ISO can boot the media (which we do now).
• All dependancies of the base ISO are self-contained (which we do now).
• The base ISO can recognize any supplementary ISO files on the media.
• Each supplementary ISOs is self-contained w.r.t. itself and the base ISO.
• We have a reliable means to transfer the base ISO and supplementary ISO to the various media which could be used.
• There is enough space on the cd or dvd-targeted media for the anticipated base + supplementary ISO files.
  For example, we would have to carefully monitor the size of the base live-cd ISO and the largest supplementary localisation file.
• Probably other factors which have been overlooked.

Software / Packages Dependencies

todo

What could disrupt development of this new feature

• Lack of means to reliably install the supplementary ISO files on the various media.
• Difficulty recognising the supplementary ISO files on the various media.
• Probably other factors.

Planning

todo

Contingency

If not doable, we continue as we have done in the past.

Documentation

Include here any needed information or link to documentation