Mandriva 2008 Spring Flash key, GUADEC edition

For those fortunate people who are attending GUADEC this year, you'll get a nice 4GB USB key featuring Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring Flash, in a special GUADEC edition, with your favorite GNOME 2.22 desktop on it :

Compared to last year Guadec key, it is now possible to use the key to install a new system with Mandriva Linux, just like you would do with a Live CD.

Currently, keys are being processed by Turkish customs at Istanbul, so I don't know yet if they'll be available for Guadec opening on Monday but if not, they should be available during the week. Guadec team will tell everybody when they get theirs hands on them.

However, we discovered (after sending keys to production, of course :( a small bug which will prevent this new install system to work properly (only Guadec keys are concerned, not standard Mandriva 2008 Spring Flash key). To fix your key and be able to use the installer, just follow this procedure :

• download this initrd file 
• if you are downloading the file from a running Mandriva Flash system, copy it to  /live/media/.boot/usb directory and restart Mandriva Flash system. 
• if you have just mounted the key on any other system, copy downloaded file to the mounted key, in .boot/usb directory.
• Here you are, you can now use Live Install feature any time you want.

Even if you don't plan to use the USB Guadec key immediatly (or if you want to give to somebody else, etc..), I strongly advise people to do the procedure so they have a fixed key which can be use whenever they want.

We also found a gdm crash when you boot the key for the first time, after filling configuration steps : you go back to text login, instead of getting autologin. If this happens, as root, just run : service dm restart. You can get the same issue the first time you'll boot a system installed with the key. It appear to be system dependent (it doesn't crash on all systems), probably a race condition where gdm doesn't always like to be told to reload his configuration.

Of course, if you have any problem with your Mandriva USB Guadec key, just grab me in GUADEC venue, I'll be attending the entire conference.

Enjoy !