How to keep Knoppix on DVD w/only persistent data on USB stick?

[PBear.SF]

I've spent the last two days searching the forum and am more confused than ever about this topic (mainly because so many of the posts I found were old and referred to outdated versions of Knoppix).

The last version of Knoppix I used was v5.3 (until I downloaded v7.4.2 a few days ago) and on the older version it was possible to simply set up a folder on a USB stick for storing persistent data. I don't think Knoppix even used an image file in those days but, rather, simply stored all persistent data as uncompressed, individual files that were fully readable within the Knoppix directory on the removable media.

I'd like to continue to use Knoppix that way. Is there any way to create a persistent store on removable media with current versions of Knoppix and continue to run Knoppix from the DVD (without installing Knoppix in its entirety on the flash media)?

Thank you.

[rajibando]

Hi, PBear...!

Why do you want to keep your Knoppix iso on the DVD?

And please do stop being confused and read my post on the issue, with both the iso and persistent on a two-partitioned USB stick. That way Knoppix runs very smooth.

You could also use the information on the post to of course use the DVD and the persistent on USB stick, but you would need a little workaround, by informing Knoppix of the situation during boot: prompt.

[PBear.SF]

Thanks for the reply, rajibando.

I've got a drawer full of USB sticks, all in use, with one 8GB stick reserved for small, miscellaneous stuff (like a persistent folder or image), and I really don't need to buy yet another pen drive for a distro that I plan to use very infrequently (basically as an emergency repair disk), that's my reasoning.


And please do stop being confused and read my post on the issue

I'd love to read your post but you don't provide a link, or even a title for it. Where do I find it?

Regards.

[rajibando]

Not required really! Had you searched with ext4, iso, persistent, etc., and you would have found it. It is a post tagged solved.

[Werner P. Schulz]

Hello Rajib,
it would help new users to give them also the link to your other posting. With right mouseclick on the number of your other posting you can copy the URL of it and insert it in your new posting.

[rajibando]

...With right mouseclick on the number of your other posting you can copy the URL of it and insert it in your new posting.... :confused:

... ... scratching head ... ...
scratching...
scratching ...
duh?!
scratching ...
for nearly five minutes...

Did I ever rub you the wrong way?! I sincerely apologise.

[Werner P. Schulz]

No. I have no problem to find your postings. But the question in this thread has been for the link to your posting and it would be very nice to give the link:

http://knoppix.net/forum/threads/31412-solved-Knoppix-Image-in-ext4-dual-partitioned-Flash-Drive?p=132348&viewfull=1#post132348

[rajibando]

I had my reasons ... I am thankful and relieved to not hear a negative response.

[PBear.SF]

http://knoppix.net/forum/threads/31412-solved-Knoppix-Image-in-ext4-dual-partitioned-Flash-Drive?p=132348&viewfull=1#post132348

Thanks, Werner.

I'm 66 years old and not as resilient as I used to be. After spending a couple of hours, on two separate days, searching through posts here already, I was pretty much over it. :neutral:

[PBear.SF]

Having now read Rajibando's post, I realize it doesn't really address my original query.

My goal was (is) to find a way to run Knoppix the way I used to: from a live DVD, with only the persistent folder or image on a multi-use USB stick. Perhaps my memory fails me in thinking that I used to do this with Knoppix 5.3 using just a folder on a FAT32-formatted flash drive (which was in no way destructive to the data already on the drive) -- but maybe I did have to multi-partition the drive even then, creating an ext2 or ext3 partition for the Knoppix persistent storage area. (I remember I did create a multi-partitioned USB stick once, for some reason, but I can't remember why -- or how, since Windows doesn't even recognize multi-partitioned flash drives.)

Anyway, is this still possible at all with current versions of Knoppix?

[superman]

@ PBear.SF

It seems that the feature of storing all the preferences in a plain folder has been stopped since KNOPPIX V6; venturing into minirt.gz may be the only way out.

A workaround (less ideal; requiring quite a bit of manual work) I can think of is to install KNOPPIX on the 2nd partition and the persistent partition on the 1st partition and to take advantage of knoppix-data.inf, so that KNOPPIX knows where the user's files are stored and Windows can also access those files.

An even less ideal workaround is to flip the Removable Media Bit (RMB) of the flash drive, so Windows will treat the flash drive as a hard drive and shows all the partitions in the Windows Explorer. Personally, flipping the RMB isn't my cup of tea as the RMB is embedded in the firmware of the controller and the firmware is often vendor-specific.

[PBear.SF]

Thanks for the info - and suggestions - superman.


It seems that the feature of storing all the preferences in a plain folder has been stopped since KNOPPIX V6; venturing into minirt.gz may be the only way out.

Yeah, I was kind of getting that impression. A plain folder is more convenient (and easier to snoop through for the just innately curious like myself) but I have no objection to letting Knoppix create and use a compressed image file -- if I can just figure out how to make Knoppix create and use a compressed image file on a USB flash drive (even if it needs to be in a separate, Linux file system partition) and read/write it from a live DVD.

Your pair of workarounds go beyond what I really need. It would have been preferable but I don't need to be able to access or view the Knoppix persistent store from within Windows, especially if it turns out that all of Knoppix' persistent data must be contained in a compressed image -- too much trouble to try to get inside and look around it, in that case, anyway. I appreciate the time you took to come up with those ideas, though.

I guess it boils down to (at this point) that I'm just looking for something along the lines of a cheat code to use when I start the Knoppix Live DVD to tell it to use a persistent image on a USB flash drive (the cheat code "home" seems to have been deprecated, from all I've read here, and no longer does anything) and what, if anything, I need to do to prepare the USB stick (does the area I use for the persistent store really need to be formatted ext3, not FAT16 or FAT32, and do I need to create some sort of folder and/or file on the removable drive in advance of starting the Live DVD or can Knoppix create the necessary folder/file combination on the fly)?

Best regards.

[superman]

@ PBear.SF

If I observe correctly, the newer and stock KNOPPIX, e.g. V7.4.2, won't automatically load the persistent overlay which is stored on a different physical device. It's a shame that the home cheatcode is obsolete...

ATB,

[fredvej]

@ PBear.SF

In http://knoppix.net/forum/threads/30770-suggestion-to-load-persistent-settings-when-booting-from-CD I suggested a change to the init script in the minirt, that could be used for this purpose. I think it was for Knoppix 7.2 , so the diff may not fit the init script in 7.4.2.

[PBear.SF]

@ fredvej

Your link is very interesting, thanks; I'll look into it.

How does one create the file on the external device? Knoppix won't create one on the fly, using your init, will it?

[fredvej]

How does one create the file on the external device? Knoppix won't create one on the fly, using your init, will it?

No. the init will not create the file.

To create a persistent image file, you must use the boot code that was introduced in Knoppix 7.4 , I think it's createimage , but I'm not sure. I don't use 7.4 because metacity has removed the keyboard shortcuts for switching between running programs. The image will be created in knoppix_dir (default KNOPPIX) , so you must boot with knoppix_dir on a writeable partition.