Remastering Knoppix from HD install

**mlopes** · 08-22-2005, 02:55 PM

Hi. I was trying to avoid adding another thread on this subject, but there is so much information (there should be some final HOW TOs instead of separate bits) that I've completely lost myself.

I've been trying to remaster Knoppix 3.9 by installing it to HD, changing and then using a script I've found here to remaster from HD. Unfortunately, several errors occur, like KDE doesn't start, some files I've changed aren't copied to the remastered version, the final ISO is > 1Gb, etc..

Today, I've found http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13867 that states that Knoppix 3.9 has a bug with UNIONFS so is not suitable for remastering. Now I've downloaded 3.8

So, final question: is there any way to change Knoppix by running it (instead of using chroot, which makes difficult to change KDE settings, for example) and then easily remaster it without any glitches (like oversized ISO, KDE not starting, etc..?)

I don't mind reading, but something concise rather than a topic with 200 answers and no definitive answer.

Thanks in advance for your precious time

Kind Regards,

Mário Lopes

**UnderScore** · 08-22-2005, 04:12 PM

is there any way to change Knoppix by running it (instead of using chroot, which makes difficult to change KDE settings, for example)

Have you seen the HOWTO that I wrote? http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13867 It documents how to change KDE settings in the chroot.

As for ISO size. A simple fool-proof method does not exist.. Approximately 1835MB is compressed down to a 696MB cloop image file. I exit the chroot and do a

Code:

du -h --max-depth=1 /mnt/hdb1/remaster/

to get a total size. If it is under 1850MB then it should create a compressed loopback image file that will fit on a 700MB CDR.

**nelsongs** · 08-22-2005, 05:03 PM

mlopes,
Problably you´re talking about the script I developed for remastrering your hd installed knoppix, which is posted at http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18222
AFAIK it works well for knoppix versions 3.7, 3.8 and 3.8.1, as well as kanotix 2005-02. I didn´t upgrade it to the newer versions due to lack of time, since I´m working on a new project called "Distro Maker", which is a collection of script you use to build a debian box almost from scratch, using the Morphix Base. It´s already available but in brazilian portuguese. As soon as I have it in english I´ll let everybody here knows.
Regarding your issue, since you´ve downloaded the 3.8 knoppix I would like to know if you´ve used the script with it and if it has presented some problems. If so, let me know exactly what they were and the specific knoppix version, as well as your amount of RAM and SWAP.
Cheers.

**mlopes** · 08-23-2005, 10:31 AM

Hi nelsongs.

Yes, I was using your script. I didn't know that Knoppix 3.9 had bugs with remastering, or that your script could not work with other versions (actually, I thought the changes between 3.x branches were only to update packages and correct minor issues).

I e-mailed you with telling about the problems I had, but I completely understand, we are on holidays season

Anyway, currently I'm trying the UnderScore's How To. If I don't manage to successfuly build a remastered version, then I'll dedicate myself to fishing or I'll try your way again

Thanks for your reply

P.S. - It should be more visible that Knoppix 3.9 has problems.

**mlopes** · 08-23-2005, 11:10 AM

By the way nelsongs, I have a question for your that is independent of what I am doing. I fully customize the hd install of Knoppix, but when I run your script, it does not copy my settings (like KDE background, splash screen, etc..). Is there a way to force the script to copy those settings? Otherwise, what's the point of remastering from the HD?

Thanks in advance

**stuart_b** · 08-24-2005, 11:47 PM

Nelsongs, actually I have had good results remastering with the first version of your script and Knoppix 3.9. I HAVE run into a few puzzling things...

In the live CD, I can sudo, so I can do most things--but I can't run the root Konsole. And since I can't run the root Konsole, I can't set a password for root--so I can't run the root file manager.

Probably unrelated, but when I uninstalled all the other window managers but KDE in the HD install then installed FVWM and XFCE, the resulting live CD insists on booting to XFCE.

And I haven't run into what mlopes talks about. Both the liveCD and a resulting new HD install have kept my user settings, including the KDE splash. But then I put my initial HD install together to deliberately try to make that work. I set up only one user, and the username was knoppix.

**arkaine23** · 08-25-2005, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by UnderScore

is there any way to change Knoppix by running it (instead of using chroot, which makes difficult to change KDE settings, for example)

Have you seen the HOWTO that I wrote? http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13867 It documents how to change KDE settings in the chroot.

As for ISO size. A simple fool-proof method does not exist.. Approximately 1835MB is compressed down to a 696MB cloop image file. I exit the chroot and do a

Code:

du -h --max-depth=1 /mnt/hdb1/remaster/

to get a total size. If it is under 1850MB then it should create a compressed loopback image file that will fit on a 700MB CDR.

My mileage has always varied as far as cloop goes. My latest is 1796MB uncompressed and comes out at 699MB as an iso. Might be the fact I have two kernels outside the cloop (based on knoppix 3.7), but they can't be all that big.... I even when in with freedup.pl to create hardlinks all over /usr/share to and saved maybe 36mb in all that way. Still coming out big.

Does the -b option actually do anything? Last time I tried it it took a long time to cloop, but it was the same size as not using -b, or within like .5% anyway

**knopx4me** · 08-27-2005, 08:34 AM

nelsongs

Thanks for the great efforts. Would you please put a link for the "Distro Maker" even if it is not in English? I would like to try it to create a Gnome based distro.

**nelsongs** · 08-28-2005, 02:28 PM

knopx4me,
Pick it this way (in a terminal): wget http://www.ngsys.eti.br/mkdistro/en/mkdistro_en-1.2.tgz

Please, let me know if you meet any bug or trouble with it. I'm preparing the english tutorial for it. There's a new version coming the next days, but this is fully functional.

See a picture of my Xfce4.2 based distro created with this script:
[img=http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/4232/xfcetela4lp.th.jpg][/img]

Cheers

P.S.: Sorry, I forgot to say the very basic to run it:
1 - Untar it to a directory, could be your home.
2 - run the main script, as a regular user or as su: ./kmdistro_en-1.2.sh. If you run it as a regular user it will ask you the root password.
3 - If you're gonna install gnome, you need to install the pack morphix-init-gnome when you are on the main module build up routine. The same for theother window managers. morphix-init-icewm, etc... Xfce is morphix-init-light.