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mkusb version 9

This version of the mkusb tool, version 9, is still only a bash script. Previous versions have been running at least partially in text mode, but people want eye candy, so now the menus and dialogue windows are purely graphical using zenity. There is also a text console for output from the engine behind the zenity curtain.

Improvements and new features

File selection dialogue only via zenity (so only for graphical environment)

• mkusb 9.0.1
  • Cosmetic improvements: I try to make the colour scheme as consistent as possible given the limitations of zenity. The menu lists have no colour, only shades of grey. I use the icon colour in the final confirmation windows. The blue colour which is standard in dialog is abandoned. The read warning colour is still there, it is important.
  • Extended help with a separate help menu. There is even a quick link to this wiki page. The default web browser is called from the normal user id to avoid browsing with superuser id (a security issue).
• mkusb 9.0.2:
  • livedrive recognition debugged: grep -m 1 ...
  • skip if iso diskname matches on livedrive
  • check environment variables needed for zenity
  • fix for buggy(?) zenity --list in trusty
  • added gnome-www-browser for debian
  • added png icon for systems that cannot use svg icons
• mkusb 9.0.3:
  • adding to zenity window width and height, automatic for Knoppix 7.4
  • function tweak_zws: manual tweak of zenity window for distros with special interpretation of zenity window size and or fonts
  • function file_from_parameter for cleaner exit, so clean_mtab_n_colors_n_zerrlog is called 'only' at the end
• mkusb 9.0.4
  • improved identification of (the linux distro in) iso files

  • functions (find_distr final_warning_legacy mkz_html mkz_legacy zenitylegacy) for identification of distros and adjusting the graphics: html if available, otherwise 'legacy' black & white windows - for example in Fedora and openSUSE where zenity is compiled without WebKit, so there is no --html option.

  • legacy desktop files available at http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/, useful in linux distros, where the standard desktop file does not work

  • several minor bug-fixes

  • mkusb-installer: script available at http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/, useful in linux distros, where the PPAs do not work. (The PPAs are made for Ubuntu and Ubuntu based community flavours and re-spins, they can work in Debian, but not at all in non-debian distros.)

• mkusb 9.0.5
  • improved management of mounting an unmounting when identifying drives for iso-testing, functions same_iso and sed_mtab
  • minor bug-fixes of the output text and new-lines
  • improvements ported to mkusb-nox when relevant
• mkusb 9.0.6

  • minor bug-fixes and preparation for transfer to the stable PPA ppa:mkusb/ppa

• mkusb 9.0.7
  • livedrive recognition for installed fedora
• mkusb 9.0.8
  • improved text in "Select device - warning and overview" - two windows merged to one
• mkusb 9.1
  • zenity --list "Action for ${imagefile##*/}" fix for Trusty because the slashes of a full path not accepted after return from another function
  • function work_flow describes the sequence of zenity windows and the corresponding manual file is updated
  • Warning and overview - "Select drive in the next window" written on the OK-button
• mkusb 9.1.1
  • zenity --window-icon="/usr/share/icons/mkusb.png" used in --list windows (available in zenity 3.12.1)
• mkusb 9.1.2
  • "Please wait for sync until 'Done' is written ..." is written to the mkusb console to make people wait ... (written also by mkusb-nox and mkusb-bas)
  • separate packages for mkusb and mkusb-nox
• mkusb 9.1.3
  • cd to source file's directory to keep the partition mounted. Otherwise, if it is not a system partition, it would be unmounted in the process to check if 'iso-testing', and the source file would not be available.
  • bug-fix: after trying to unmount, the test is changed to [ "$?" != "0" ] to work in all situations to set busy=1
• mkusb 9.1.4
  • final text for wipe-whole-device improved: "Done, but you should also check for the line 'dd: writing '$target': No space left on device', which means that the whole device is wiped. (Look in the terminal window)"
• mkusb 9.1.5
  • bug-fix: source=${source##*/} ... to manage path in parameter (broken by cd to source file's directory in 9.1.3)
  • new feature: Clone a device (typically a CD drive or USB drive), sudo mkusb /dev/sr0 # example of CD drive

Installation

from the unstable PPA

This version is still developed and debugged. It is available from our unstable PPA.

While

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mkusb/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mkusb

will install the stable version of mkusb

the unstable PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mkusb/unstable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mkusb

# if you want mkusb-nox
sudo apt-get install mkusb-nox

# or if you want both mkusb and mkusb-nox
sudo apt-get install mkusb mkusb-nox

will install the bleeding edge version of mkusb and/or mkusb-nox (testing new features and bug-fixes)

from phillw.net

Another method is to download mkusb from http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/ It will bring the same bleeding edge version as you get via the unstable PPA.

Download the shell-script file mkusb-installer with the browser or do it directly from a terminal window with

wget http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/mkusb-installer

and run it from a terminal window with

bash mkusb-installer
...
[sudo] password:
...
Install via ppa or wget, uninstall or quit? (p/w/u/Q) w
...

• Enter your password (installed systems typically require password, but not live systems)

• Enter w (for wget) and the shell-script will download, check and install mkusb plus some small iso files for testing.

• Repeat the command bash mkusb-installer if some file was not downloaded correctly.

Then start mkusb from the menu Menu -- System -- mkusb or from Dash in Ubuntu or a similar finder for application programs, for example Show Applications in Mageia Gnome.

In some locales (the standard English and some more), and in some linux distros, an icon will also appear on the desktop.

Simple to test mkusb 9 in linux distros, which do not manage an Ubuntu PPA

This makes it simple to test* in linux distros, which do not use Ubuntu PPAs, because the script downloads, checks and installs mkusb using only standard commands. It even checks itself and that the md5sum file was signed with a good signature by sudodos (me). The script can also remove what it installed.

*) mkusb version 9 may fail in linux operating systems, where it is not yet tested; mkusb is tested (and tweaked to work) in

**) mkusb-nox works without any tweaks when running as root in Debian Jessie (tested with debian-jessie-DI-rc1-amd64-kde-CD-1.iso).

***) mkusb works with simpler display in 'legacy mode' (without colours and other html features, because Zenity lacks the --html option) in Fedora.

Use mkusb 7.5 alias mkusb-nox or mkusb 8 in distros, where zenity does not work. If you prefer the command line version, for example if you are an Arch linux user, you will find that mkusb-nox can use the pacman installer and suggests to install pv. Use the basic mkusb-bas where none of the more advanced versions of mkusb works.

mkusb 9 is tested with the following iso files / distros, which can (only) be installed

Separate versions for graphical mode and text mode

Version 9 takes a greater leap: there are separate versions for

• GUI mode: mkusb

• text mode: mkusb-nox

the unstable PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mkusb/unstable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mkusb-nox

will install the bleeding edge version of mkusb-nox (testing new features and bug-fixes)

This avoids some complicated logic and makes the code smaller. Maybe 90% of you will prefer the GUI version, but the text version is good for servers and for users who do not want eye-candy. The improved recognition of systems and devices is back-ported from version 8 to mkusb-nox. See this pdf manual.

Please try either or both of mkusb version 9 and mkusb-nox or if they do not work, try mkusb-bas.

mkusb-bas can be downloaded from phillw.net

wget http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/mkusb-bas

See this pdf manual.

Remote login via ssh -X

When you login remotely from a graphical desktop environment and it can be used at both ends, mkusb wants to use zenity, so you should enable X. Otherwise, use mkusb-nox.

ssh -X nio@server
...
sudo ./mkusb           # to select source file via menus
sudo ./mkusb file.iso  # to select source file via the command line is still possible

Except while using ssh -X, you should use sudo -H

sudo -H ./mkusb        # because of the graphics by zenity

Screenshots of mkusb version 9

Installing Lubuntu Utopic - final warning

../pictures/57-mkusb.desktop-in-lubuntu-select-device-final-warning.png

Installing Lubuntu Utopic - work done

../pictures/58-mkusb.desktop-in-lubuntu-work-done.png

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