Knoppix 3.3 full changelog

[Fabianx]

Hi,

as Klaus as always just had a small changelog, I'll detail some issues, which only readers of debian-knoppix mailinglist could know:

- New cheatcode: "noprompt":

Its especially useful in combination with noeject. With noprompt, Knopix won't eject the CD and ask for a keypress. It was a much asked feature some time ago.

- New cheatcode: "modules-disk"

This cheatcode allows to insert a floppy disk with additional modules: For example USB-stick or similar.
Yes, its also possible with "expert", but there you loose the automatic configuration afterwards.

- New cheatcode: "splash"

Thx to probono, who developed this with me in this forum.
It shows the upper half of the KDE splash-screen, while booting up. You can press Esc anytime to see all the messages. Ever wanted to hide those cryptic messages ? Here's the way to go.

You want to customzie it ? No problem, just add your favorite graphics to the cdrom, and add an /cdrom/KNOPPIX/splash.sh.

You can have an command like the following in it:

fbi -q /usr/share/apps/ksplash/pics/splash_top.png

- Change of syntax for "tohd":

Klaus asked me to change the syntax, so you can now do a "poor mans install" on vfat and ext2-Partitions with:

knoppix tohd=/dev/hda1

for example.

- New cheatcode "fromhd":

Yes it was already in last knoppix, but I'll explain it a bit more.
With this cheatcode the CD-Roms are ignored, so you can finally boot your "poor mans install" with just the original cdrom.

- Cheatcode "toram" and "fromhd" works now together:

Before it would copy the whole partition to Ram; Kanop pointed out, that this is no good idea. Thank you!

We are still missing dma-support in this early stage of booting, but there were some unexpected problems and too less time.
I'll try to get in contact my alpha-tester, who originally tested the toram-cheatcode, again and test the dma-functionality.

- "Sambaserver Startup" and "Syslog Startup" in Knoppix-Menü:

Chris Cliechti implemented the first one. It sets an password and exports the home-directories. It can also export all partitions, if you want it.

But we've gone step further. KDE has built-in functionality to publically share Directories and Files in your Home-Directory.

So, you can just right click on a folder and choose the last entry called "share".

As it was ever and ever asked again, Klaus added a startup syslog button.

- Reminder: Be sure to boot with cheatcode "dma":

Dma will then be activated for all harddisks and cdroms, which does speedup the system and system performance a lot.

Before dma was automatically started for hds. But there were problems... So now you have to explicitly say, you want this.

- Reminder: knoppix-customize:

Btw. If you want to add dma or similar to your iso, you won't need to remaster, there is a handly little tool called knoppix-customize, which will do this for you ). You can set certain params and so on. You can run it from running knoppix or download it here:
http://hydra.hq.linuxtag.net/~kester/knoppix-customize/

- Last but not least (At least I hope so):
->New release of knopix-installer:

Please don't use knx-hdinstall any more!

I won't support it any longer and its just there as uhm, its not my project, but those of Christian Perle.

knoppix-installer should now work in both modes (see below) and give a fairly stable system.

Klaus as always prefers the "knoppix-mode", which installs a system, which runs as if you run it from CD. You can even remaster from this system, as "nothing" is changed. However of course you can do everything with it, as with a normal debian-system, but you'll have the complete hardware detections and so on. Like from CD.

However there is one flaw:

You have to reconfigure the system again to your likings, but then settins in /etc/ are stored.

But there is another goddie:

The commandline in lilo will be the same, as you provided on boot prompt. So if you boot with the splash and dma-cheatcode and copy it to hd in knoppix-mode, it'll boot from hd each time with those two cheatcodes activated so kind of graphical and fast .

The other mode (old installer method) did improve much, as it now - supports automounter after start
- all entries (sorry for that) in the Knoppix-Menu do work
- the complete configuration and home-directory is taken from CD
-> so a running network from CD will also run from HD
- Entries in /etc/fstab are now without the wrong username "knoppix".
- experimental hotplug-usb-support for USB-sticks and so on (needs testing though)
- Open Office is english in EN-versions!

For both modes of operation:

- New: floppy disc creation. Greetings go to Gilles Pelletier from debian-knoppix-ml, here it is .

Thats all folks, I hope I found all bugs, and that you enjoy this new release.

I downloaded two knoppix 3.3 before it was released and always found more bugs .

Before I forget, there should be some power users out there, who want to install knoppix on more then one machine ...

There is an almost automatical way, to do this, as knoppix-installer uses a config-file ...

Its in ~/.knofig; you can also take a look at the log file ~/.knofig_log, which is written during installation process.

With a config on floppy disk or even burned to cdrom, network and knoppix-terminalserver an almost automatical installation should be fairly easy ...

Set BOOT_FLOPPY="no" in config-file.

cp config to ~/.knofig
Load installer
Click on "Install".

Do this on some other machines, then go drink a cup of coffe, and see on all of those: Finished installation after a while .

Also the ~/.knofig file is once created, well commented and has some other goodies like HD_MAP, with which you can have for example your home-dir on another partition.

You can create it though quitting the installer, or saving it under a different name from the menu.

Yeah, I forgot something. Luckily I made a note paper, before writing all this:

For those guys, who just get to the partition menu and can't go to the main menu, as my installer thinks the partition is not yet, right.


Please do the following steps:

sudo rebuildfstab -r -v # this should add all your partitions
export IGNORE_CHECK=1
sudo knoppix-installer

Then you can also install wihtout swap-partition and also install on a disk, which is smaller then we would need it. However do this onyour own risk .

And last thing for all those adventurous people out there:

There is experimental support for the original mepis-installer, which will also make a knoppix-mode installation.

If anyone don't like my interface, go on and try this one, but there is no support for it, yet.

To try it do:

sudo ln -s /KNOPPIX /linux
sudo /usr/share/knoppix-installer/minstall

Ok, but now thats all. And I think a 3.3 was ok, for such a release.

cu

Fabian

[Superstoned]

fabian: you proved to be wonderfull, again.

TNX alot!

ofcourse, also alot credit to Klaus, without him, I whouldnt have been able to use Debian, and that goes for alot ppl I think...

[ktheking]

Pffffff....
What a list..
Fabian ,do you sleep at all ????
Gotta test this one exhaustively,seems very promising (Samba Server startup,splash,etc..) .

[john_h]

Hello Fabian,


Please provide a URL for
downloading your new install
script.

Is it now possible to install
only selected packages or do
you still have to accept the
lot?

Regards


john

[Superstoned]

the new script is on the new cd. and it is still not possible to choose what packages to install and what not, and I think fabian is not even thinking about making that possible cuz that whould be a huge amount of work (I think). And you can easily use apt-get, or an frontend like synaptic, to remove and add packages yourself.

And knoppix was never meant as installer for debian, you should use memphis for that...

thats why klaus doesn't want the installer to have an link in the kde-menu, on the kicker or on the desktop.

grtz

[Stephen]

Hello Fabian,
Please provide a URL for
downloading your new install
script.

Regards

john

The link to the installer.

[Superstoned]

ehm... this link is to the old knx-hdinstall, and not to fabian's knoppix-installer, isnt it?

[Stephen]

ehm... this link is to the old knx-hdinstall, and not to fabian's knoppix-installer, isnt it?

No it is the correct installer it is just named similar if you look into the file knx-installer_2.1-0.tar.gz you will see the new installer (knoppix-installer) in there.

[Superstoned]

ow ok

[WuN]

I have been using knx-hdinstall and it has been working just fine for me (on versions up to this). What has changed with this one? Why is knoppix-install better?
Thanks