Create an Ubuntu LiveUSB with Persistence

Create an Ubuntu LiveUSB with Persistence

PREREQUISITES:

  • A USB thumbdrive of 8GB capacity or larger
  • A Windows Workstation with internet access

GETTING STARTED:

  1. Prepare a USB drive of capacity 8GB or larger.
  2. Format the drive in Windows to FAT-32. (Windows will prompt you automatically to do this once you insert it.)

DOWNLOADING THE REQUIRED FILES:

From a Windows Workstation, download the following first:
  1. Download and install Live Linux USB Creator: http://www.linuxliveusb.com/en/download
  2. Download the latest version of Ubuntu Desktop 16.04 (ISO):
    1. Navigate to: http://releases.ubuntu.com/xenial/
    2. Download the latest ISO for Ubuntu 16.04. For example, as of this writing, the latest release is:

CREATING AN UBUNTU LiveUSB WITH PERSISTENCE:

  1. Launch 'LiLi USB Creator'.
  2. Select the USB drive you want to use under 'Step 1' in LiLi.
  3. In 'Step 2', click on "ISO / IMG / ZIP" and navigate to the Ubuntu 16.04 ISO you have downloaded.
  4. LiLi will verify the ISO file, and will warn you that it is using settings for 15.04 (ignore this and proceed to the next step).
  5. In 'Step 3', drag the slider to 1024MB (for 1GB persistence). This will allow permit you to save diagnostic tools and log files on the USB drive.
  6. Leave all default settings as-is in 'Step 4'.
  7. Click on the lightning bolt icon in 'Step 5' to create the LiveUSB with Persistence. This may take up to 10 minutes to complete.
  8. When you see the message "Your LinuxLive key is now up and ready!", please safely eject and then remove the USB drive from your Windows Workstation.

TEST AND DOWNLOAD UTILITIES ONTO THE LiveUSB WITH PERSISTENCE:

  1. Power off your workstation.
  2. Re-insert your LiveUSB drive.
  3. Power on your workstation again and as it is booting, select the option to boot from the LiveUSB drive. NOTE: This process/hotkey varies by manufacturer. Supermicro systems use F11 to select from a "one-time boot menu" and 'Del' to change BIOS settings; others use F2 as a hotkey to modify BIOS and boot order settings.
  4. Once booted, you'll be presented with a graphical window asking you to either 'Test' or 'Install' the OS from the USB drive. Choose 'Test it out'.
  5. Once you are fully booted into the Live OS, hit 'Start/Windows/Superkey' and type 'terminal' and hit <ENTER>.
  6. Become root and then download our diagnostic tools using the following commands:
  7. These diagnostic utilities, SM-Lumberjack and LSIget, will 'persist' in the root user's home directory ('/') through reboots. NOTE: If you wish to verify the 'persistence' of these files under root ('/'), you can `reboot` and select 'Test it out' again from the LiveCD boot menu.
  8. You are now ready to gather logs from your airgapped or otherwise non-network connected system. Run `poweroff`/`reboot`, remove the LiveUSB from your workstation, and insert it into the target server.

BOOT INTO THE LiveUSB ON THE TARGET SERVER AND GATHER LOGS:

  1. As in above, with the LiveUSB inserted, select the option to boot from it on your server. (For Supermicro servers, hit F11 for a 'one-time boot menu'; select the USB drive.)
  2. Select 'Test it out' when prompted.
  3. Go to a terminal: <WindowsKey/Superkey>; type "terminal"; hit <ENTER>.
  4. Become root: $ sudo su -
  5. Check that your diagnostic utilities are still in the root directory ('/'); run: ls
    • You should see these files listed:
      • sm-lumberjack.sh
      • lsigetlinux_latest.tgz
  6. Next, gather logs using these utilities (LSIget may be optional; consult with your Support Representative as to whether this is needed.)
RUN SM-LUMBERJACK:
  1. # chmod +x sm-lumberjack.sh
  2. # ./sm-lumberjack.sh
  3. Select 'Yes' to accept the EULA and proceed with running Lumberjack.
  • If you DON'T HAVE NETWORKING on the target server: Select 'no', 'no', 'no' to opt out of downloading LSIget, ipmitool, and smartmontools.
  • If you DO HAVE NETWORKING, select 'yes', 'yes', 'yes' to download and run LSIget, ipmitool, and smartmontools.
  • If the script hangs, or appears to not be doing anything for more than 5 minutes, hit 'Ctrl+C' and try again and then choose 'no' for all additional downloads.
RUN LSIGET:
  1. tar xvzf lsigetlinux_latest.tgz
  2. cd lsigetlinux_080416/
  3. ./lsigetlunix.sh
SHARING LOGS:
  1. Once these scripts have completed their log-gathering, poweroff from the LiveOS, move the USB drive back to your workstation (boot normally), and forward these log files to your Support Representative.
    • sm-lumberjack-<hostname>-<date>.tar.gz
    • lsi.linux.<hostname>.<date>.<time>.tar.gz
  2. You may attach these to an existing support ticket, or email support@siliconmechanics.com to create a new ticket. (Please reference any other related, open tickets when emailing us.)
  3. If your logs are too large to upload or send via email, please let us know and we can provide you with guest access to our SFTP server to upload the files.






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