SDB:Instlux
This article decribes how to install openSUSE from inside Windows without configuring the BIOS.
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Overview
Instlux is a Microsoft Windows program which can prepare an installation of openSUSE. By using instlux, there is no need to configure boot order of BIOS which might be annoying you.
Instlux can:
- Install without CD/DVD media/drive: openSUSE can be installed without downloading/burning CD/DVD media. Drive is also not needed anymore. Everything you should download in Windows is Instlux.
- Install any version of openSUSE: Instlux can install any version of openSUSE, including Portal:Tumbleweed.
- (upcoming version only) Install to virtualized environment: Instlux can prepare a virtual machine and setup openSUSE media in it.
Instlux takes care of preparing installation. In detail:
- While installing to the real (non-virtualized) enviroment:
- Download kernel and initrd file of the selected version.
- Modify the Windows bootloader settings to boot from them.
- After installation, restore the Windows bootloader settings (because these are not required to boot installed openSUSE).
- After installation, uninstall instlux itself (remove kernel and initrd, because these are required only for installation).
- While installing to the virtualized enviroment:
- Download network install CD image.
- Download and install virtualization software if needed.
- Create a virtual machine (VM).
- Insert the CD image to the virtual machine.
- Start the virtual machine.
Instlux supports these languages (more translations are welcome):
- English
- Japanese
Requirements
In order to run instlux, these requirements should be met:
- Microsoft Windows must be installed.
- Windows' version should be 95 or later (Windows 95/98/Me/NT 3.5/NT 3.51/NT 4.0/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10).
- If you want to create a virtual machine:
- Windows XP/Server 2003 or later is required for VirtualBox.
- Windows 8.1/Server 2012 or later is required for Hyper-V.
- UEFI must be disabled if hardware supports it.
How to use
Preparation
- Boot Windows (if not running) and download instlux from http://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/openSUSE_installer.exe.
Installation of openSUSE
To do installation:
- Run openSUSE_installer.exe from explorer.
- Select your language from drop-down list.
- Select version, architecture, and environment (real (not-virtualized) environment or virtualized environment) which you want to install.
- Wait for moment.
- If you selected a real environment:
- Reboot your computer as requested.
- Select openSUSE installer while booting.
- Install openSUSE as usual. But please be careful, do not delete Windows partition, do resize instead.
- After completing installation, you can enjoy openSUSE and Windows within one computer (dual-boot).
- If you selected a virtualized environment:
- Instlux creates and starts a virtual machine. openSUSE can be installed as usual.
Clean-up instlux (if you selected a real environment):
- Reboot or boot Windows again.
- After logging in, you are prompted to uninstall instlux. Proceed as requested.
- Instlux will be uninstalled.
Development
Source code
Instlux was based on Marc Herbert's web page and was started as a sourceforge.net project on October 2005. It is currently rewrited and hosted on github.
- You can access the original code at SourceForge.net
- You can access the Open Build Service at OBS home:belphegor_belbel:instlux (see #Licensing doublt if you have questions why personal project is used for development).
Licensing doubt
There are some licensing doubts for compiling/using Windows application in Linux.
- Windows application (instlux) cannot run without GPL-incompatible library?:
- Similar to other (including Linux itself) operating systems, there are many libraries in Windows. Most of them are covered in proprietary license (Microsoft EULA), but some of them are essential to run instlux.
- These required libraries are not included instlux itself, so instlux does NOT have obvious license violation.
- But GPL demands that all of linked (including dynamic linked) libraries must be compatible with GPL, except system libraries.
- Because we cannot determine/define whether these libraries are system libraries or not (in other words, this depends on the situation), so we have only doubts currently.
- See some web pages for details:
- Linking requirements for GPL: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#GPLStaticVsDynamic
- Legal issues for GPL-incompatible libraries: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs
- Microsoft's Licensing Terms: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/intellectualproperty/useterms/
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