Lost symlinks and long file names when creating USB from Ubuntu ISO

[Murz]

I try to create a bootable USB from ubuntu-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso file. The usb creates without errors, but I got an errors on install process.
Full install process described at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/debian-installer/+bug/122402/comments/11

Two errors in this install are related to unetbootin:

1. Symlinks at USB creates as empty files.
At the first steps of install I see the error that installer can't found a CD.
It tries to scan folder /cdrom/dists/stable but it was an empty file on FAT system on USB.
On the iso image this folder links to /cdrom/dists/jaunty.
I have copy folder /cdrom/dists/jaunty to /cdrom/dists/stable with commands:
# rm /cdrom/dists/stable
# cp /cdrom/dists/jaunty /cdrom/dists/stable -R
After that installs go succesfully to next step.

I think that unetbootin must follow this links, creates folder and copy files to it for solve the problems like this.

2. Files with long filenames saves wrong.
After some steps, install process fail with error that file pool/main/l/linux/fs-secondary-modules-2.6.28-11-generic-di_2.6.28-11.42_amd64.udeb not found.
I have scan a usb and found that this file saves as pool/main/l/linux/fs-secondary-modules-2.6.28-11-generic-di_2.6.28-11.42_amd64.ude (without last symbol).
I have solve this problem with command:
# cp /cdrom/pool/main/l/linux/fs-secondary-modules-2.6.28-11-generic-di_2.6.28-11.42_amd64.ude /cdrom/pool/main/l/linux/fs-secondary-modules-2.6.28-11-generic-di_2.6.28-11.42_amd64.udeb

I think that unetbootin have a limit to filename or filepath length and we need to increase it.

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Unfortunately we can't fix it without more information. Could you please attach as plain text, separate attachments, ~/.usb-creator.log and /var/log/dmesg? Thanks.

[Murz (murznn)]

From which place you need this files?
I can't find an ~/.usb-creator.log file on host computer (from which I create the usb bootable drive) not only at ~home and root folder, but on whole system too. And after boot a installer from this USB I didn't see this file in whole system!

Maybe I need to run unetbootin with special debug parameters?

I have attached a dmesg file from booted computer with unstaller from usb stick (First step of installer where it tells me that can't find a cdrom).

[Murz (murznn)]

You can try this on your computer via ubetbootin, file ubuntu-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso (or any debian/ubuntu alternate install or netinstall) and Virtualbox virtual machine.

[Simon Jagoe (azriphale)]

I have also just found that UNetbootin truncates filenames to 64 characters. For example: "firefox-3.5-gnome-support_3.5.3+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu6_i386.deb" is 66 characters and is truncated to "firefox-3.5-gnome-support_3.5.3+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu6_i386.d".

This is a file on the standard xubuntu 9.10 i386 alternate iso.

[Geza Kovacs (gezakovacs)]

The issue seems to be with 7-zip truncating long file names for this particular iso file; I've filed a report upstream at http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=2928072&group_id=14481&atid=114481

[MarianoAbsatz (el-baby)]

I got the same truncation problem from a slightly modified ubuntu alternate 8.04.4 image... I read the comments in the upstream (7zip) report and wonder if we should file a bug on ubuntu regarding the length of filenames in the standard iso images...

Thanx Geza for an excellent product.

[ubu-krol (smiecie1)]

All comments are partially bullshit. The Ubuntu ISO images uses 3 types of filenaming concurrently on image of CD: ISO/Jolliet/RockRidge. If we browse UbSO under isobuster we see that it has correct long filenames in Rock Ridge system and truncated to 64 chars in ISO/Joliet format because of ISO/Joliet 64 characters limit defined in cdrom ISO-9660 standard with extensions.
Unetbootin uses only ISO/Jolliet format to extract filenames from image to flash , but not Rock Ridge - correct for linux long filenames. This is the reason that all filenames extracted from iso are truncated to 64 charrs.
It's very funny that linux developers ignores ISO standards in reading long filenames (over 64 chars) which they use on their distributions:)
This makes me ROTFL that no one look at this project and system in complete technical and professional IT way.

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

@ubu-krol: We make attempts to treat everyone with respect in this project. Please do likewise. If you have the knowledge to correct this and other issues, your help would be appreciated. If not, comments such as these are unwarranted and unwanted.

[ubu-krol (smiecie1)]

@Charlie Kravetz
The long existing linux tool called isoinfo supports option -R to extract Rock Ridge Info about filenames permissions etc.
The man is here:
http://linux.die.net/man/8/isoinfo
The first step is to look into the isoinfo source and find RockRidge API for -R option which has to be inside.
After couple of hours fighting with stupid Ubuntu installer warning "cd-rom reading error" which doesn't inform me in message about what or which file is a problem and time of recover the problem source my frustration has to pass away in my previous post.
My apologizes.

[cfr (reescf)]

Wondering if this is also a problem if burning 10.04 or 10.10 desktop for ppc to CD (DVD for 10.10 since oversized). I'm seeing consistently truncated filenames though other people seem to have installed OK (but possibly upgraded?).

Using isoinfo, here's one of the files listed under ./pool/main/libs/libspe2 for 10.04:
<code>
LIBSPE2_2_2_2_80_95_3_1UBUN.DEB
</code>
Here's the corresponding file and md5 sum as burned to disk:
<code>
aff6af4dfdc336157ec84bc592130cf6 pool/main/libs/libspe2/libspe2-2_2.2.80-95-3.1ubuntu4_
</code>
Here's the corresponding line from the list of md5 sums:
<code>
aff6af4dfdc336157ec84bc592130cf6 ./pool/main/libs/libspe2
/libspe2-2_2.2.80-95-3.1ubuntu4_powerpc.deb
</code>
So the md5 sums match. The file is burnt correctly in some sense but the name is truncated relative to the intended name. And I'm not sure what its relation is to the name given by isoinfo.

<code>isoinfo -R -i ubuntu-10.04-desktop-powerpc.iso</code>
returns nothing.
<code>isoinfo -J -i ubuntu-10.04-desktop-powerpc.iso</code>
returns
<code>Unable to find Joliet SVD</code>

isoinfo is from cdrtools 3.00 compiled on Mac OS X 10.4.11. I've tried burning with Disk Utility, hdiutil and cdrecord.

[Paul Tötterman (ptman)]

I'm still having this problem with unetbootin 565-3 and ubuntu-12.04.2-alternate-amd64.iso