Remastering Distro

[Spyder_Snyper]

So according to this site here:

http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Knoppix_Remastering_Howto#APT


Warning: apt-get upgrade is a BAD IDEA. It will, quite probably, render your KNOPPIX remaster unbootable, or broken in some way. A far safer method is to only upgrade packages as necessary.

So... I know that what I want to do *WILL* require me using apt-get. But I don't want to break my newly customized Knoppix remaster.

I've seen other remasters, based on Knoppix, that are totally bootable. So I KNOW that using apt-get and STILL having a bootable remaster is possible.

How?

I haven't been able to find any decent info on this how... Can anyone point me in the right direction???\

Thanks...

[JohnnyH]

Because it all depends on what packages are upgraded.
Doing apt-get upgrade causes apt to upgrade almost everything that it can, with limitations in the case of complex dependency manipulations.
apt-get dist-upgrade is even more aggressive and will perform wide-scale package removals and replacements when these are required by major changes to an application package.

The above upgrade methods are designed for, and work with, 'pure' Debian installations.

The safest approach, as you are using Knoppix, is to apt-get install *only* the application packages that you want to install (or maybe upgrade).
Usually (as demonstrated by the many successful remasterings) this is OK, but there are no guarantees - you just *might* be unlucky in the application that you want to install - it may come down to trial and error.

In any case, before doing apt-get install whatever.deb do
apt-get -s install whatever.deb
which will only simulate the installation and will report what it would do.

[Spyder_Snyper]

So that leaves me with 2 questions...

1. If I do the "simulation", how can I find out if it breaks the booting?
2. If I DO break the booting, how can I go about fixing it?

[JohnnyH]

1. The only way is to try it - the amount of output the simulation produces is only indicative of how radical the upgrade will be. Be prepared for failures - to minimise burning 'coasters' burn to CD-RW or run the iso image in e.g. VMware Player if you have it.

2. The ways in which the system could 'break' are so open ended that I couldn't predict, nor, probably, advise a fix for them. The cleanest way is to forestall, rather than 'patch', a failure ;)

... but be not downhearted :) . If you update your /etc/apt/sources.list file as advised here
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27800
you are very unlikely to have problems.