Full 64 bits Knoppix - a project for this site?
While running Knoppix with the 64 bits kernel version works very well for me, Knoppix is still, basically, a 32 bits system. And, according to Klaus K, it will probably stay that way for a while. Maintaining 4 (64/32*CD/DVD) versions instead of 4 would probably more than double his work (according to him, and I think he should know), and I don't think that is a sensible use of developer resources, even if he had been willing.
For some purposes, we may need "pure" 64 bits. Video/image editing, running virtualization software, doing data analysis on large data sets are some examples.
It turns out that creating a 64 bits version is probably much more of an administrative than a development task. If we make a minimum of modifications from standard Knoppix, we can mostly substitute Debian's 64-bits packages, and most of the Knoppix-specific software is architecture-independent scripts. So, it may go with just a few new compiles, and I tend to think that most of the work involved will be to set up some efficient administration scripts. Having assembled all the necessary packages, it should be mostly plain remastering sailing to create a new cloop/squashfs image. But one has to try it to tell.
While it might be tempting to do a lot with setup and package selection in this context, I would try to do as little as possible. For my own use, it would imply adding some more scientific programs, a bit like Dirk Eddenbuettel's Quantian, and remove quite a few games and little used programs, to free up space for program adding and remastering.
Also, such a version could have two cloop/squashfs images: One with Open Source programs, and one with non-free software. There is still support for this in the init process.
While a more experimental version could well be called "Geek-Knoppix", as suggested before, the 64 bits version might perhaps be called Server Knoppix, because server use will be an important application area.
I would like to stress that this is not any kind of fork or fundamentally new derivative. I think it should work exactly like standard Knoppix whenever possible, and that additions should not modify the ordinary ways of doing things. We might add a few scripts and other programs, and some new cheatcodes, but that should be all. In practice, a user could install both 32 and 64 bits versions on, for example, a USB harddisk, and then choose which to use at bootup, just like 32- and 64 bits kernel versions are used today.
I don't know exactly how much work this will be, but I imagine it won't have to be a very huge task,so a few volunteers ought to suffice.
Or am I completely mistaken? :)
Running first version w/2.6.37-64 now
Can report success so far.
Procedure:
- Installed Debian 6.0.1 w/LXDE-openbox: A
- HD-Installed Knoppix 6.4.4 32-bits kernel CD version: B
- HD-Installed Knoppix 6.4.4 64-bits kernel remastered DVD version: C
- Compared packages, installed 64-bits versions of all available packages installed in B on A
- Set up a 18GB partition with Reiserfs: D
- Transferred B-system to D by rsync
- Updated D-system from A by rsync
- Updated /boot on D from C: 64-bits kernel as vmlinuz
- Updated D-system /etc, /lib/modules, /usr/src from C by rsync
- Updated D-system /etc/alternatives from A by rsync. (To get the 64-bit library links right.) Added grub entry for D in common /boot, using basically copy of C-entry for D
So, essentially, this was carried out by a mix n' match of three OS installations, resulting in a fourth. If 64-bits support had not been broken in CD version of Knoppix 6.4.4, it might have been enough with two, but it was quite nice to be able to check with the full Knoppix version on HD. And starting with the CD version gave me fewer packages to install (or miss) in 64-bits versions.
There are a few minor editing details left out in the above list.
Here are the grub entries:
Code:
# entry created by 0wn
title KNOPPIX 64-kernel HD install DVD
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda8 rootwait lang=us apm=power-off nomce libata.force=noncq tz=localtime loglevel=1 ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en keyboard=no nosound vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off initrd=minirt.gz nomce libata.force=noncq loglevel=1 tz=localtime rw
# ---
title KNOPPIX 64 FULL Devel vs 2
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda6 rootwait lang=us apm=power-off nomce libata.force=noncq tz=localtime loglevel=1 ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en keyboard=no nosound vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off initrd=minirt.gz nomce libata.force=noncq loglevel=1 tz=localtime rw
As for the Knoppix vs Debian questions: No, Knoppix is not Debian. Knoppix is far, far better. Basic Debian is still stuck in the "being everything to everybody" sure-to-fail paradigm. That is one important reason why Ubuntu has strayed unneccesarily far from its parent.
Installed system size is now 5.8 GB, that is with full 64-bits R and VMware workstation and MySQL installed. Plus lots of unneccessary Debian 6.0.1 stuff - but it does no harm, I think. Typically, the 64-bits versions are somewhat bigger, I think the compressed kernels: 3.2 vs 2.9 MB, may be representative.
"DVD version": Ca 13 GB size
The system seems to work well in daily use, but I have of course not been able to test it thoroughly. Now I have installed almost all packages from the DVD version, except for the games category, and system size is now ca 13 GB, whereof ca 1GB in /var etc. With duplication of OpenOffice/LibreOffice and some packages left over from the Debian 6.0.1 install, "necessary" space for a DVD-like version with enhancements seems to be ca 12GB, I think that is a 10-20% increase over 32-bits version.
This means that it's probably hard to fit everything in one 4GB cloop image, but we may use as many such as we like, and everything will still fit on a 8GB pendrive.
Still lacking is jBoss and a few Java packages (too old versions in Debian repos), but I have installed Oracle XE11g beta. Converted from rpm with alien - seemed to work well, but haven't tested. The only major problem has been with postgresql, can't get it to install.
So, I'll soon try the first remastering now.