Create a bootable Open Source Ecology (OSE) Linux USB Stick on Mac OS X

ose_linux-usb_stick_via_mac_os_x-hybrid_image.md

Create a bootable Open Source Ecology (OSE) Linux USB Stick on Mac OS X

Download

Download the latest OSE Linux ISO disk image (wiki, Google Drive). Please note there may be two disk images to choose from: a standard disk image and a hybrid disk image (source). The hybrid disk image is preferred.

Insert your USB Stick and determine its device identifier

1. Insert USB stick
2. Open a Terminal window
3. Determine USB stick device ID: diskutil list

$ diskutil list
...
/dev/disk3 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                                                   *16.0 GB    disk3

Create a bootable USB Stick from a hybrid disk image

Using a hybrid ISO disk image is by far the simpler approach as you just overwrite the entire USB stick.

1. Unmount all partitions on device: diskutil unmountDisk [Device ID]
2. Copy ISO: sudo dd if=[Path to ISO] of=[Device ID] bs=1048576
   • Press CTRL+T to send a SIGINFO signal to dd to track progress (source)

$ diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk3
Unmount of all volumes on disk3 was successful
$ sudo dd if=~/Downloads/ose0.3isohybrid.iso of=/dev/disk3 bs=1048576
2142+0 records in
2142+0 records out
2246049792 bytes transferred in 1841.710284 secs (1219546 bytes/sec)

The partition is automatically marked as as bootable.

Eject USB Stick: diskutil eject [Device ID]

$ diskutil eject /dev/disk3
Disk /dev/disk3 ejected

And you're good to go.

Boot target computer from USB Stick

First, configure the BIOS to prioritize booting from a USB drive. In my case, I'm installing on an HP Spectre x360 laptop (source).

1. Power up HP Spectre x360
2. Press F10 to enter the BIOS
3. Navigate to System Configuration
4. Select Boot Options
   1. Disable Secure Boot
   2. Enable Legacy Boot
   3. In UEFI Boot Order move USB Diskette to top of list
   4. In Legacy Boot Order move USB Diskette to top of list
5. Press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS

Your system will restart, recognize the USB Stick, and boot its contents.

For existing Linux systems with a boot manager installed, you may still need to intervene to select an alternative boot option. Press F9 to enter Boot Options and choose the USB Disk.