[IAEP] [support-gang] Confusing Musings re: versions, updating & downloading. Please Advise!

[Caryl Bigenho]

Hi....  Thanks James for the information. Of course I have more comments and questions!  See below.

Caryl

> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:34:23 +1100
> From: quozl at laptop.org
> To: support-gang at lists.laptop.org
> CC: iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org; support-gang at laptop.org
> Subject: Re: [support-gang] Confusing Musings re: versions, updating & downloading. Please Advise!
> 
> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 02:59:06PM -0700, Caryl Bigenho wrote:
> > * A question... can extra programs be downloaded to a usb key and used
> > on the XO to save XO memory space?
> 
> If you mean the XO RAM memory (the "temporary" storage lost on reboot),
> no.  A swap partition on an SD card might assist but so will closing
> activities before starting new ones.
> 
> If you mean the XO NAND flash memory (the "permanent" storage kept on
> reboot), possibly ... but I think it requires a bit of fiddling at the
> time to remove high cost activities in order to make room to load them.

I mean the XO NAND memory.  I want to be able to load several extra Activities.  Maybe the best solution is to remove the ones they probably won't be using.  Still it would be nice to be able to make a custom USB for reflashing.  I understand this has been done for some deployments. Are there some easy instructions for making one?

> 
> Are you really short of memory?  If so, which memory?

Not yet... just thinking ahead.
> 
> > If so, can the download be done on a MacBook?
> 
> Yes, provided the USB key is formatted with the conventional FAT
> filesystem.  Mac OS X can reformat a device with a Mac specific
> filesystem and that would not be approprate.

Yes I have successfully done this with the entire 802, but would like to  make a customized key.
> 
> > * I would like all of the machines at the hands-on session to be
> > running the same software build.  I will be reflashing about 20
> > machines next week. I would like to be able to do all of this from usb
> > stick with minimal updating from what I install.  [...]
> 
> Reflashing 20 machines should take you no more than about 15 minutes ...
Yes, I have done this several times. In fact, I co-wrote the No-Fail Update on the OLPC wiki.

> it takes one USB stick, the few minute delay as one unit is reflashed
> from the USB stick, then restart that machine only into OpenFirmware and
> use the NANDblasting feature to reflash the other 19 in only a few
> minutes.  Reference:
> 
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Multicast_NAND_FLASH_Update
> 
> I strongly suggest you try this method if you haven't already, as it has
> considerable efficiencies.  It is also quite a lot of fun.

This does look like a lot of fun!  I'm not sure if I understand though. Can this be done just using the mesh or is a school server necessary? The instructions say the sending machine has to be unsecure. By this, do you mean with a developer key?  Only one of my RoadShow machines has one.  At least it did.  Does it persist when the machine is reflashed?  I haven't used it (the key) in a very long time. 
> 
> If you need to add activities then take note of the special trick of
> clearing the identity from Terminal before using an XO as the
> transmitter.  That Wiki page has more detail.
> 
> -- 
> James Cameron
> http://quozl.linux.org.au/
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