Initial Experiences with Hadoop on a VM, Ubuntu on an external drive and other eccentricities...

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02/05/2014
Linux version: Ubuntu Server 12.014 Precise - http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server

I will try installing it in an external drive from a flash drive. First I need to download Ubuntu image file (.iso) from the address http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server

To prepare the flash drive to receive Ubuntu installer I will be using an application called Rufus that can be downloaded from the address http://rufus.akeo.ie/. This application doesn´t need to be installed. Just need to be downloaded and run. Once it has started select:

1. MBR partition scheme for BIOS or UEFI computers
2. Create a bootable disk using: ISO Image
3. Select the .iso file downloaded previously
4. Rufus will run and prepare the usb stick to be a bootable device

I will now reboot my system and check if the OS will be loaded from the usb stick this time. Once this is done, I will start the installation process in the external hd. First thing to remember: it is a "sdb" drive and the boot loader will be loaded from him NOT the "sda" drive.

Note: On my Samsung Ativ 6 with Windows 8.1 there´s a feature in the bios setup that must be disabled. Samsung Ativ 6 Setup Sequence is activated by pressing F2 during boot. First go to Advanced and disable Fast Bios Mode. Then save settings and reboot. Get back to the setup sequence by pressing F2 again. Now go to Boot and chance boot order making the USB stick the first option. This will load the Ubuntu installation program.

Now let´s get back to the installation procedure.

Product was installed and boot sequence was ok. Now it appears the boot loader for the external HD. Nonetheless after an initial sequence procedure was followed in the end the system comes to a blank black screen. My initial reaction was to reinstall the server. I did this and put in the installation only Postgresql and Tomcat Java Server. The installation sequence went in a very smooth way and the same problem happened. I than tried to start Ubuntu in a different way, only with command line support. It seems to accept this procedure, even asking me my login name (gustavo) and my password (standard, new, non-windows)

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03/05/2014

I found one explanation and one possibility for this problem. First: the graphical user interface in Ubuntu(Linux) is not present in the server version. This is why I ended up with a black screen and a command prompt (when I tried to initiate one of the secured sequences in Ubuntu). For this problem I´m now downloading the desktop version and will try to add other features later. Second: my video card maybe is incompatible with Ubuntu, which I will be aware in a few minutes, since I´m downloading Ubuntu desktop (which comes in a much bigger package right now).

An interesting alternative would be to run Ubuntu in the Oracle Virtual Box (former Sun Box) and configure everything from there. It is repeatedly stated in the literature that this runs perfectly. I will also give it a try.

Keep having the blank screen and found a possible solution that is related (as I suspected ) to the video drivers. Here is a copy paste explanation / solution that I got from the internet (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2203824):

1. "Because the BIOS/UEFI firmware is setup in CSM mode (which emulates old fashioned 16-bit BIOS calls) the installer's generic video drivers won't recognize your Intel Haswell ULT Touchscreen Graphics card which ultimately results in booting up to a blank screen. There's an easy way and a hard way to fix this:
1. Easy way: When the GRUB bootloader prompts you to Install Ubuntu, press F6 (this is the easy way). Pressing F6 will display some options and you want to select the very last option NOMODESET which disables a portion of the RAM [framebuffer] that's built-in your Intel Haswell graphics card. The active drivers on the bootable USB installer don't know how to utilize this yet."
2. Hard way: 
1. Use the GRUB prompt (hard way) if necessary to edit "quiet splash" command which you can simply replace with "nomodeset" before GRUB mounts the Kernel and boots Ubuntu.
2. Also in the same address it is said to adjust my firmware setting in the following way:
1. Keep Fastboot DISABLED
2. Keep Secure Boot DISABLED
3. Select UEFI OS
4. Save & Reset

Note: I tried the F6 option and it didn´t work. I than noticed that there was an option to edit the start configuration file by pressing "e". I did this and found the line with the "quiet splash" command. I replaced it by "nomodeset" and BINGO, everything worked just fine. I was able to boot from the pendrive, and saw for the first time the Ubuntu graphical user interface.

Now let´s move back to the hard drive configuration.

I tried starting the hard drive installation but again got stuck in the black screen. Suspecting that I was facing a video driver problem again I started my system once more and before going into the Ubuntu installation I pressed "e" and there it was "quiet splash" once more in the configuration file. I changed it to "nomodeset" and the installation started.

I was then presented with the hard disk configuration utility. I found info about Windows 8.1 and Ubuntu in different drives in the url http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2013/10/23/how-to-install-ubuntu-13-10-on-an-external-hard-drive/ and I got the following info:

1. sda is the drive with Windows 8 and it should be left alone. Let´s focus either in sdb or sdc
2. choose the option "something else"  (don´t choose any of the standard options or you will end up messing up your windows 8.1 partition in your internal hd)
3. Leave sda alone and delete the other partition(s). Now prepare the system to receive ubuntu the following way: 
1. Create a new partition (I did this using 90% of my 1Tb disk for a Ext4 journaling system mounted on / (i.e. root),
2. Create another one using a little bit less than 10% for swap 
3. Change the bootloader location to this new partition (sdb or sdc) and voilá, you´re ready to go.

Obs: so far, I must remember that, whenever I try running Ubuntu I must change quiet "splash" to "nomodeset" in the loader script. I will try learning how to make this change permanent. The summary of "strange" pre-reqs for this Ubuntu installation is:

1. System setup (F2) :
2. Fastboot DISABLED
3. Secure Boot DISABLED
4. Method UEFI OS
5. Boot sequence: Pendrive, External HD, Windows
6. Loader script:
1. Press "e" to edit
2. Change "quiet splash" to "nomodeset"
3. Press F10 to boot

When running Ubunt ALWAYS change the loader script, otherwise, system will not run

That´s it. Now I have a system with boot-loader and can start either Windows 8.1 or Ubuntu.

So far, so good!