AMD64 "Netboot" Documentation: typo in instructions (suggested replacement text attached)

[Adam B Butler]

I was attempting to prepare a USB boot stick for Ubuntu Maverick (x86_64) Server. I followed this guide (official documentation):
https://help.ubuntu.com/10.10/installation-guide/amd64/boot-usb-files.html

Under the heading "Copying the files -- the easy way," the instructions read:
(quote)
To use this image simply extract it directly to a partition on your USB stick:
# zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1
(/quote)
** Note, for me this was: #zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdc1

I tried this twice (once using sudo and once using an actual root shell prompt) and the problem persisted.
SYMPTOMS:
- the USB stick was not recognized by Nautilus,
- it could not be mounted via the commandline,
- fdisk/cfdisk both refused to acknowledge the disk/partition (various errors, unable to find partition, incorrect partition table, etc),
- and the /dev directory stopped displaying the /dev/sdc1 partition altogether (only /dev/sdc was shown)

HUMBLY-SUBMITTED SOLUTION (SUGGESTED CHANGE TO DOCUMENTATION):
The following alternative command(s) worked great for me; no doubt there is a more compact/elegant way to do this, but I digress:

replace:
  # zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1
with:
  $ sudo mkdosfs /dev/sdX1
  $ gunzip boot.img.gz
  $ sudo dd if=boot.img of=/dev/sdX1
</end suggested text/commands>

Please note that the purpose of this bug is to point out that the method listed in the documentation did not work (for me, on an x86_64 Core2Duo system running Maverick 10.10). This bug is NOT intended to suggest in any way that my meager 3-line bash command line replacement text is in any way, shape, or form "ideal." So keep your jokes to yourselves, Mr. and Ms. Chuckles. :)

QUESTION:
Other than filing a bug against installation-guide, is there a (more) preferred way of pointing out problems/typos in the official documentation? For future reference, a friendly point-in-the-right-direction is kindly requested.

#####
(Abbreviated) Version/System info, probably unnecessary but provided for bug-report completeness:

$ lsb_release -rc
Release: 10.10Codename: maverick

$ uname -mosrv
Linux 2.6.35-27-generic #47-Ubuntu SMP Fri Feb 11 22:52:49 UTC 2011 x86_64 GNU/Linux

$ zcat -V
gzip 1.3.12

#####

[Tanu Kaskinen (tanuk)]

I believe the command should be

# zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX

instead of

# zcat boot.img.gz > /dev/sdX1

So just remove the "1" from the end. This is what solved my problems with booting from the USB stick, and this is also what the corresponding Debian documentation says: http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch04s03.html.en

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Tanu Kaskinen (tanuk)]

To be clear, this bug affects also the 12.04 installation instructions, in addition to 10.10 that the original reporter was using/installing.