Self-validating media suggestion

[Deleted member 81054]

While this might fit in the "Feedback please: foundation of a laptop and desktop work group" thread, it probably is worth discussing separately.

Ignoring (for the moment) other systems, just by way of example:

If you expect folks to prepare installation media on some other system, there is always the risk that the media has not been prepared correctly (e.g., someone COPYING an iso ONTO a medium instead of copying it INTO that medium). An optical medium may burn poorly (or, not be readable on the desired host). A flash drive may have been created incorrectly, ejected before completely written, etc.

What if:

For a given hosting OS:​

Write a small app that checks the integrity of the raw medium.​

So, if created on a Mac, the user would boot the media on that Mac and it would inform him of the image's integrity.​

Ditto for a PC, etc.​

When booted on the desired target, a FBSD utility performs that same check before starting the installer.​

​

This could eliminate the issue of uncertainty in the correct preparation of the install media. I.e., part of the media preparation instructions would be to run the verifier that has been written onto the media (instead of hoping that the tool used to create it has that verify ability)

This, of course, means additional work "prepended" to the existing ISOs.

 

[Phishfry]

To play devils advocate we have MD5 hash for the images.
The installation medium is the users responsibility.

 

[SirDice]

we have MD5 hash

SHA256 and SHA512, not MD5.

(e.g., someone COPYING an iso ONTO a medium instead of copying it INTO that medium).

So, if created on a Mac, the user would boot the media on that Mac and it would inform him of the image's integrity.

You can't boot the image from your example, how would that work?

 

[Deleted member 81054]

You can't boot the image from your example, how would that work?

A tool can't READ the image (e.g., for a verify pass or to verify the hash); how would THAT work?

An alternative might be to distribute tools that write the image and verify it. But, if that is separate from the image, it's yet another download that the user has to keep track of ("What's the latest version of that??"). I'm trying to figure out a way to seamlessly do the verify without requiring the user to make another step. Once the installer boots, there is nothing (?) that ensures the rest of the medium is intact. I.e., it could start throwing read errors at any point thereafter...