Thanks for the update, Christian.
Closing this bugreport in Grml's BTS.

regards,
-mika-

This is now http://bugs.gentoo.org/326507 . (binutils 2.20.1-r1 is now in Gentoo 
stable, but still has the bug.)

@msg2903: yes, binutils (not gcc) bug, fixed upstream;
you need either a newer or an older binutils ebuild.

> GNU assembler version 2.20 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) using BFD version (GNU Binutils) 
2.20
> gcc version 4.4.3 (Gentoo 4.4.3 p1.0) 

From your versions, I gather you're using ~x86 aka a bleeding edge gcc/binutils.
Please try downgrading to the stable versions, and grml2usb should compile 
properly. If this fixes the problem, please consider reporting this in the Gentoo 
bugtracker against the gcc and/or binutils package.

Thank you,
  -ch

I have the following gas

### as -V
GNU assembler version 2.20 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) using BFD version (GNU Binutils) 2.20

### gcc -v
Using built-in specs.
Target: i686-pc-linux-gnu
Thread model: posix
gcc version 4.4.3 (Gentoo 4.4.3 p1.0) 
###

on gentoo
uname -a
Linux firstserver 2.6.31-gentoo #4 SMP Sat Jan 2 15:51:03 CET 2010 i686 Intel(R)
Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

I have cloned the grml2usb with the following command.

git clone git://git.grml.org/grml2usb.git grml2usb_2010-02-16

and follow the command in

http://grml.org/grml2usb/#download

###
cd grml2usb_2010-02-16
make -C mbr
make: Entering directory `/olddisk/home/al/grml/grml2usb_2010-02-16/mbr'
cc -D_ASM_SOURCE -DBOOTMANAGER -D__BOOT_VER=\"0AA6\" -c mbr.S
mbr.S: Assembler messages:
mbr.S:218: Error: too many memory references for `ljmp'
make: *** [mbrmgr] Error 1
make: Leaving directory `/olddisk/home/al/grml/grml2usb_2010-02-16/mbr'
###

Maybe there is another problem which is similar as the one from the origin post.

Closing, as binutils (2.20-5) which addresses this issue has been uploaded to 
Debian unstable.

thanks for reporting and investigation,
-mika-

Debian #541535 → fixed-upstream

http://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=10740

Now you just need newer binutils in sid.

Update: forwarded to Debian's BTS:

  http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=541535

regards,
-mika-

Latest (Aug 16 2009) version of grml2usb from git doesn't appear to build on
Debian unstable/amd64. mbr.S fails to assemble.

Log:

$ uname -a; lsb_release -a

Linux sun-ra 2.6.30-1-amd64 #1 SMP Mon Aug 3 12:28:22 UTC 2009 x86_64 GNU/Linux
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Debian
Description:    Debian GNU/Linux unstable (sid)
Release:        unstable
Codename:       sid

$ git clone git://git.grml.org/grml2usb.git

[...]

$ cd grml2usb
$ dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -uc -b

dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2                       
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:                            
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value:                             
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2                       
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2                     
dpkg-buildpackage: source package grml2usb                                   
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 0.9.9                                      
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>          
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture amd64                                   
 fakeroot debian/rules clean                                                 
dh_testdir                                                                   
dh_testroot                                                                  
rm -f build-stamp                                                            
# Add here commands to clean up after the build process.                     
/usr/bin/make clean                                                          
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb'                        
rm -rf grml2usb.8.html grml2usb.8.xml grml2usb.8                             
rm -rf grml2iso.8.html grml2iso.8.xml grml2iso.8                             
rm -rf html-stamp man-stamp grml2usb.tar.gz grml2usb.tgz grml2usb.tgz.md5.asc
#                                                                            
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb'                         
cd mbr && /usr/bin/make clean && cd ..                                       
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb/mbr'                    
rm -f mbrmgr mbrldr mbrmgr.elf mbr.o                                         
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb/mbr'                     
dh_clean                                                                     
 debian/rules build                                                          
dh_testdir                                                                   
# Add here commands to compile the package.                                  
/usr/bin/make                                                                
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb'                        
# grml2usb:                                                                  
asciidoc -d manpage -b docbook grml2usb.8.txt                                
sed -i 's/<emphasis role="strong">/<emphasis role="bold">/' grml2usb.8.xml   
xsltproc /usr/share/xml/docbook/stylesheet/nwalsh/manpages/docbook.xsl
grml2usb.8.xml                                                                 
         
Note: meta source : no *info/productname or alternative            grml2usb     
Note: meta source : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/productname       grml2usb     
Note: meta source : no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=source   grml2usb     
Note: meta source : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2usb     
Note: meta version: no *info/productnumber or alternative          grml2usb     
Note: meta version: see http://docbook.sf.net/el/productnumber     grml2usb     
Note: meta version: no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=version  grml2usb     
Note: meta version: see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2usb     
Warn: meta source : no fallback for source, so inserted a fixme    grml2usb     
Note: meta manual : no titled ancestor of refentry                 grml2usb     
Note: meta manual : no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=manual   grml2usb     
Note: meta manual : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2usb     
Warn: meta manual : no fallback for manual, so inserted a fixme    grml2usb     
Note: Writing grml2usb.8                                                        
# ugly hack to avoid duplicate empty lines in manpage                           
# notice: docbook-xsl 1.71.0.dfsg.1-1 is broken! make sure you use
1.68.1.dfsg.1-0.2!                                                             
             
cp grml2usb.8 grml2usb.8.tmp                                                    
uniq grml2usb.8.tmp > grml2usb.8                                                
# ugly hack to avoid '.sp' at the end of a sentence or paragraph:               
sed -i 's/\.sp//' grml2usb.8                                                    
rm grml2usb.8.tmp                                                               
# grml2iso:                                                                     
asciidoc -d manpage -b docbook grml2iso.8.txt                                   
sed -i 's/<emphasis role="strong">/<emphasis role="bold">/' grml2iso.8.xml
xsltproc /usr/share/xml/docbook/stylesheet/nwalsh/manpages/docbook.xsl
grml2iso.8.xml
Note: meta source : no *info/productname or alternative            grml2iso
Note: meta source : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/productname       grml2iso
Note: meta source : no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=source   grml2iso
Note: meta source : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2iso
Note: meta version: no *info/productnumber or alternative          grml2iso
Note: meta version: see http://docbook.sf.net/el/productnumber     grml2iso
Note: meta version: no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=version  grml2iso
Note: meta version: see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2iso
Warn: meta source : no fallback for source, so inserted a fixme    grml2iso
Note: meta manual : no titled ancestor of refentry                 grml2iso
Note: meta manual : no refentry/refmeta/refmiscinfo@class=manual   grml2iso
Note: meta manual : see http://docbook.sf.net/el/refmiscinfo       grml2iso
Warn: meta manual : no fallback for manual, so inserted a fixme    grml2iso
Note: Writing grml2iso.8
# ugly hack to avoid duplicate empty lines in manpage
# notice: docbook-xsl 1.71.0.dfsg.1-1 is broken! make sure you use
1.68.1.dfsg.1-0.2!
cp grml2iso.8 grml2iso.8.tmp
uniq grml2iso.8.tmp > grml2iso.8
# ugly hack to avoid '.sp' at the end of a sentence or paragraph:
sed -i 's/\.sp//' grml2iso.8
rm grml2iso.8.tmp
# we're done
touch man-stamp
asciidoc -b xhtml11 -a icons -a toc -a numbered grml2usb.8.txt
asciidoc -b xhtml11 -a icons -a toc -a numbered grml2iso.8.txt
touch html-stamp
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb'
cd mbr && /usr/bin/make && cd ..
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb/mbr'
cc -D_ASM_SOURCE -DBOOTMANAGER -D__BOOT_VER=\"0AA6\" -c mbr.S
mbr.S: Assembler messages:
mbr.S:218: Error: too many memory references for `ljmp'
make[1]: *** [mbrmgr] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/xjjk/src/grml2usb/mbr'
make: *** [build-stamp] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2