how to remaster 3.8.1

[redss]

What is the prescribed method to remaster knoppix 3.8.1?

Won't there be a vastly SIMPLIFED remastering method for knoppix 3.8+, made possible by UNIONFS?

I jumped through hoops to remaster 3.4, BUT with UNIONFS, and tools from (or similar to) those at linux-live.org, why can't we expect a simple remastering method that won't even require a harddrive installation?

I envision being able to boot off a liveCD, add/update/remove packages with apt-get, then generate a compressed filesystem and ISO directly to a SAMBA share (or to RAM if you have enough). What could be easier?

Currently I don't have enough RAM to try the linux-live scripts, which I believe are currently incompatable with SAMBA...

Thoughts or advice anybody?

[nelsongs]

redss,
Would you like to try out the script I developed to remaster easily your installed knoppix? I developed it with the help of some good friends and have posted it at http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18222. Anyway, if you'll consider to try it you can download it from here: http://www.ngsys.eti.br/remasters/knphdremaster_en-1.2.sh. It's a very short script, ways shorter than that of linux-live.org (which I've never tested) and its goal is to remaster the knoppix you have installed and customized in your hd. The way of having it ready for running is as follows:
1 - After download, move it to /usr/local/sbin.
2 - Set its permission to execute (chmod +x /usr/local/sbin/knphdremaster_en-1.2.sh).
3 - Set its owner to root (chown root.root /usr/local/sbin/knphdremaster_en-1.2.sh).
4 - You can open konsole as normal user and run it (knphdremaster_en-1.2.sh). It will ask you the root password, and then proceed automatically till the end, asking you some few questions.
5 - If you prefer, put it on a kde menu and run it with: konsole -e knphdremaster_en-1.2.sh.

Some considerations: At the first time you run this script it will ask you to insert the knoppix cd in order to extract some few important original files and also keep them on /usr/local/sbin. It also extract the necessary files for mounting the structure responsible for produce the final iso image, which means the master folder without the big KNOPPIX compressed image. From the second remastering on you won't need the knopix cd anymore. One of the questions the script asks is if you want to ramaster to a separate partition or to a folder inside your installed system, provided you have enough space for that. Of course, at the end of the whole process the folders created to hold the files are deleted so you save back the used space. Notice that you can't use an MS Windows partition to do the remastering process since it lacks support for symlinks. You need to have a total of 1GB of combined RAM+SWAP to run this script smoothly. For instance, if you have 256 MB of RAM you'll need a SWAP of approx. 750 MB. Depending on how powerful your machine is you'll have the iso image burned in a very short time. A routine to blank a cdrw and burn the iso image is included within the script, so you go from the beginning to the end without extra tools, although you can always decline to burn the iso using the internal routine and choose to do it with, for instance, k3b. it's up to you.
Sorry for being so boring explaining and explaining. If you try it, please, post your results.
PS: It's focused on the 3.7 and 3.8.1 versions of knoppix, using kde. It was not tested against other versions or other windows managers.

[redss]

I'd like to try to make a remaster this weekend, but before I try your script I have a question: Will your script create a remaster that uses UNIONFS?

After looking over your excellent script, I unfortunately have a feeling the answer is no, however even if that is the case I'm sure it can be modified for UNIONFS (by someone more technical than me).

From 3.8 on I'm sure nearly all people who remaster will want to keep the UNIONFS benefits which are many.

[nelsongs]

redss,
Yes, the UNIONFS is still there. See for yourself.
And I have changed the script a little so now it also remasters the Kanotix-2005-02, besides Knoppix-3.8 and Knoppix-3.7. This new one is available at: http://www.ngsys.eti.br/remasters/kanoppixhdremaster_en-1.2.sh. I played wit kanotix and knoppix to form kanoppix in this new script.
Cheers!

[redss]

Great, I plan to try that script to remaster 3.8.1 once I can work the bugs out of 3.8.1 (I am having problems compiling some drivers, whereas they compiled fine on 3.4 :-(

BTW, do you know if it is posslble (probably not) to remaster an earlier version of knoppix (say 3.4) into a remaster that employs UNIONFS (does your script create UNIONFS only for 3.8 or 3.7 also?)

[nelsongs]

redss,
Have a look at the http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18222, last page for a new version of the script.
Regarding your question, I'm afraid it's not possible. The script remasters the system in which it is installed to, with all its features and it was made targeting the 3.7 and 3.8 versions only, which are the only ones I have here with me. Problably 3.4 uses a small different folders and files structure and certainly was not made up with the UnionFS. I'm quite sure also that 3.4 don't even use isolinux but boot.img instead, am I right? Although this is not a big issue since it can be easily adapted. Regarding the UnionFS, you would have to install it and set it on the 3.4 box, which is possible, and run the scipt afterwards.
Cheers.