live cd/usb projects?
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From: T o n g on 2 Dec 2009 23:30 Thanks a lot Tzafrir & Rob for your explains. Hope that my slow respond can still get the thread going. On Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:32:25 -0500, Rob Owens wrote: > . . . There are many conflicting sets of instructions floating > around on wikis, etc. It took me a long time to get this stuff figured > out. That's exactly what I felt, and why I gave up after several attempts. I think it is time for me to try it out again. So more questions followed: > If you're concerned about adding packages w/o using "-p mylist", you can > add "--interactive enabled" into the lh_config command. That'll give > you a shell before the image is created (after you run lh_build). There > you can add repositories, install software, etc. When you exit the > shell, the build will continue. Any one know if I can break down this Ms-Windows-like, all-magic-happen- within-a-single-click approach into finer steps? Say, get into the interactive shell mode as many times as I want; or stops after debootstrap? This way, I can make a backup with the smallest system and trying playing with my various package lists. If I screwed, I can just restore from backup and start over in no time, without going through the lengthy procedure of another debootstrap session. Maybe I've got used to the tools that I am using, but I found that grml- debootstrap and grml-chroot give me the maximum freedom regarding playing with the underlying live system in micro steps. E.g., I can install packages step by step, which is a must if you use file-rc; I can do my own customization to the live system before wrapping it up in the .squashfs and/or .iso file. This will save me tremendous time in learning/exploring period, comparing to go over the whole process for a simple/minor fix/enhance. >> - is there any other way to install the content, say copy into a ext3 >> partition? > I think you should be able to mount binary.img as a loopback interface. > You might need to specify "-t squashfs" in your mount command Ok, thanks. Just for the record, mounting with "-t squashfs" is actually the 2nd step after loop mounting binary.img, to expose the underlying compressed root file system in the .squashfs file. >> - how can I create an .iso file instea? > Use "-b iso" instead of "-b usb-hdd" in the lh_config command. I'm not > sure if/how persistence would work if you create a live CD. I've never > tried it. Yes, it works exactly the same. Your step #11 creates a filesystem for the peristence partition, which is all the magic it need for the persistence, regardless whether the OS is booted from USB or ISO. But personally, I strongly recommend to create a peristence file instead of peristence partition, on each computer that you want to boot the USB. This reason is for maximum compatibility. For detailed explanation, please check out the reason at http://live-developers.sourceforge.net/tools/persistent/ #Make_it_portable_and_fast thanks -- Tong (remove underscore(s) to reply) http://xpt.sourceforge.net/techdocs/ http://xpt.sourceforge.net/tools/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST(a)lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster(a)lists.debian.org
From: Rob Owens on 3 Dec 2009 18:20 On Thu, Dec 03, 2009 at 04:25:41AM +0000, T o n g wrote: > Thanks a lot Tzafrir & Rob for your explains. > Hope that my slow respond can still get the thread going. > > On Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:32:25 -0500, Rob Owens wrote: > > If you're concerned about adding packages w/o using "-p mylist", you can > > add "--interactive enabled" into the lh_config command. That'll give > > you a shell before the image is created (after you run lh_build). There > > you can add repositories, install software, etc. When you exit the > > shell, the build will continue. > > Any one know if I can break down this Ms-Windows-like, all-magic-happen- > within-a-single-click approach into finer steps? Say, get into the > interactive shell mode as many times as I want; or stops after > debootstrap? This way, I can make a backup with the smallest system and > trying playing with my various package lists. If I screwed, I can just > restore from backup and start over in no time, without going through the > lengthy procedure of another debootstrap session. > I don't really know the answer to that, but here are some suggestions: 1) Install apt-cacher-ng (or another caching proxy) on your LAN, and use it for your builds. This way you won't have to re-download packages on your second build. The easiest way I've found to get lh_build to use my proxy is to run this in the same shell that I will run lh_build in: export http_proxy="http://myproxy:3142"; (port 3142 is apt-cacher-ng's default port) 2) Build a basic system image, and then use the persistence feature to customize your installation, just as you would a regular hard-disk-installed system. > Maybe I've got used to the tools that I am using, but I found that grml- > debootstrap and grml-chroot give me the maximum freedom regarding playing > with the underlying live system in micro steps. E.g., I can install > packages step by step, which is a must if you use file-rc; I can do my > own customization to the live system before wrapping it up in > the .squashfs and/or .iso file. This will save me tremendous time in > learning/exploring period, comparing to go over the whole process for a > simple/minor fix/enhance. > > >> - is there any other way to install the content, say copy into a ext3 > >> partition? > > I think you should be able to mount binary.img as a loopback interface. > > You might need to specify "-t squashfs" in your mount command > > Ok, thanks. Just for the record, mounting with "-t squashfs" is actually > the 2nd step after loop mounting binary.img, to expose the underlying > compressed root file system in the .squashfs file. > > >> - how can I create an .iso file instea? > > Use "-b iso" instead of "-b usb-hdd" in the lh_config command. I'm not > > sure if/how persistence would work if you create a live CD. I've never > > tried it. > > Yes, it works exactly the same. Your step #11 creates a filesystem for > the peristence partition, which is all the magic it need for the > persistence, regardless whether the OS is booted from USB or ISO. > > But personally, I strongly recommend to create a peristence file instead > of peristence partition, on each computer that you want to boot the USB. > This reason is for maximum compatibility. For detailed explanation, > please check out the reason at > There's also a persistent snapshot feature, which I'm just experimenting with now. It keeps all persistence changes in RAM, until shutdown or reboot, when it does all its writes at once. There is a bug in live-initramfs right now, though, requiring a very minor edit to the live-snapshot script. See: http://lists.debian.org/debian-live/2009/11/msg00224.html The word "eval" needs to be added in 2 spots. -Rob -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST(a)lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster(a)lists.debian.org
From: Celejar on 3 Dec 2009 19:10
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 18:19:09 -0500 Rob Owens <rowens(a)ptd.net> wrote: .... > 1) Install apt-cacher-ng (or another caching proxy) on your LAN, and > use it for your builds. This way you won't have to re-download packages > on your second build. > > The easiest way I've found to get lh_build to use my proxy is to run > this in the same shell that I will run lh_build in: > > export http_proxy="http://myproxy:3142"; > (port 3142 is apt-cacher-ng's default port) http://wiki.debian.org/DebianLive/Howto/Cache_Packages Celejar -- foffl.sourceforge.net - Feeds OFFLine, an offline RSS/Atom aggregator mailmin.sourceforge.net - remote access via secure (OpenPGP) email ssuds.sourceforge.net - A Simple Sudoku Solver and Generator -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST(a)lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster(a)lists.debian.org |