running on Windows partition

[Jean Béliveau]

Use KNOPPIX compressed file from HD, or RAM or Samba or ... instead of CDROM is a usuful idea.
But in the linuxrc of the miniroot of the boot.img this compressed file is in a directory /cdrom. So this monting point is not available for many standard use. This situation induce confusion when KNOPPIX file are found on HD or RAM or...
The device were KNOPPIX file is found lose some fonctions.

To avoid this, I suggest to use a special monting point like :
/stock instead of /cdrom for the device were KNOPPIX file is found.
So /cdrom/KNOPPIX will be change to /stock/KNOPPIX in softlink and may script.

Also I suggest to make the KNOPPIX file readonly instead of make all the device readonly when it is possible.

With those modications KNOPPIX can use CD burnner easyer.

And for more clean copy of KNOPPIX CDROM on HD or ... I suggest to put all things (Demos.. autorun.bat..) except autorun inf in the KNOPPIX directory. LInk are to be ajust also.

For users without CD bunner or for those have copy the iso as file in the CD, I suggest to give outside the iso a new boot.img with in the linuxrc a new mounting point like :
/mnt/xx/KNOPPIXvv.iso /mnt/loop5 iso9660 ro,loop=/dev/loop5 0 0
were xx is the device were KNOPPIXvv.iso are found and
vv the version of KNOPPIX


Also, at boot If the user not give his choice at the CMDLINE, the linuxrc can list all the founded KNOPPIX compressed file with localisation and date. If many KNOPPIX are found, the choice can by offer to the user.

[garyng]

Jean,

all are very good ideas, I have already made some changes myself to the linuxrc and in order to support loading from a list of existing KNOPPIX images, the shell used in the initrd must be changed.

I have replaced it with a busybox compiled with diet which have more functionalites(bott the ash as well as other things like ls, find etc.) and can maintain the same object file size as Klaus ash-knoppix.

Keeping the boot.img within the 1.44MB envelope but at the same time provide more feature(in linuxrc) is not an easy task .

[ruymbeke]

I tried again using the new NTFS driver, and this time it works. So a quick summary for NTFS and KNOPPIX :
It works if the new 2.x NTFS driver is used(a custom kernel build is needed). I can now place the big KNOPPIX file on an NTFS partition. However, I only use it as 'quick CD' and read only. This may not be useful for most people though as there isn't a boot loader for linux that can boot from NTFS partition(I hope the lilo maintainer can change it).

GRLDR a patched version of Grub 0.95 can do it now ! Grub can be loaded from the NT/XP boot loader by adding a line in the boot.ini file. Grub will also be able to load a kernel and a ramdisk from a NTFS partition !!!

I am looking now for booting Knoppix 3.4 from an ISO file being on a single NTFS partition already hosting XP and that with a minimum of changes and risk for the user. cf: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11796

I am almost there but it still hangs within the linuxrc script when looking for the loopback filesystem image. Any help will be greatly apreciated !
Thanks, Gilles