Customizing Knoppix on a LiveUSB formatted with non-vfat Filesystems

[fmateo]

Hi folks. I have experimented to use knoppix as LiveUSB, but preparing it manually using proper linux filesystems instead of vfat. I tested with ext4, btrfs and reiserfs some time before; now recently i tested with JFS and XFS filesystem.

To describe more about these choices.

The knoppix kernel image has jfs and xfs built as a module, causing it to drop on a debugging shell. I ve put manually xfs.ko (for example) in a smaller partition on same usbstick, mounting that at /mnt-user:

# mount /dev/sdb2 /mt-user ==> ext2 partition containing the module file
# insmod /mnt-user/xfs.ko
# mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt-system ==> xfs partition
# <Pressed Ctrl+D>

And it continues booting, but in this case being an xfs partition, it boots faster than other native filesystems (less than 10 seconds on "System Setup" before X)

To avoid debugging shell i ve taken the own knoppix kernel config file located at boot, and recompiled the entire kernel with jfs / xfs filesystem kernel options as built-in modules. After Copy the bzImage replacing the original one, it boots automatically.


These are the detailed steps for this kind of remaster.

1. boot your knoppix DVD
2. format the USB Stick as xfs filesystem and mount it
3. copy the knoppix DVD content to the USB stick mount point
4. take the knoppix kernel compile config file located at /boot to use it on another linux installation.
5. Run make menuconfig with that config file
6. Enable as a built-in, the xfs kernel option
7. Run make to compile the new kernel
8. copy the file located on arch/i386/boot/bzImage to your USB Stick, replacing the original one located on /media/usbstick/boot/isolinux/linux
9. on the live dvd media, copy the /boot/grub directory on the /media/usbstick/boot
10. execute # grub --no-floppy and install grub to that mbr [ie. root (hd0,0) -- setup (hd0) -- and quit]
11. Modify your menu.lst using the isolinux.cfg as kernel arguments.
12. And done

You must reboot your computer and boot knoppix with xfs formatted Usb stick

i hope to share this thread as a contribution to knoppix community

[Capricorny]

Hi folks. I have experimented to use knoppix as LiveUSB, but preparing it manually using proper linux filesystems instead of vfat. I tested with ext4, btrfs and reiserfs some time before; now recently i tested with JFS and XFS filesystem.

To describe more about these choices.

The knoppix kernel image has jfs and xfs built as a module, causing it to drop on a debugging shell. I ve put manually xfs.ko (for example) in a smaller partition on same usbstick, mounting that at /mnt-user:

# mount /dev/sdb2 /mt-user ==> ext2 partition containing the module file
# insmod /mnt-user/xfs.ko
# mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt-system ==> xfs partition
# <Pressed Ctrl+D>

And it continues booting, but in this case being an xfs partition, it boots faster than other native filesystems (less than 10 seconds on "System Setup" before X)

To avoid debugging shell i ve taken the own knoppix kernel config file located at boot, and recompiled the entire kernel with jfs / xfs filesystem kernel options as built-in modules. After Copy the bzImage replacing the original one, it boots automatically.


These are the detailed steps for this kind of remaster.

1. boot your knoppix DVD
2. format the USB Stick as xfs filesystem and mount it
3. copy the knoppix DVD content to the USB stick mount point
4. take the knoppix kernel compile config file located at /boot to use it on another linux installation.
5. Run make menuconfig with that config file
6. Enable as a built-in, the xfs kernel option
7. Run make to compile the new kernel
8. copy the file located on arch/i386/boot/bzImage to your USB Stick, replacing the original one located on /media/usbstick/boot/isolinux/linux
9. on the live dvd media, copy the /boot/grub directory on the /media/usbstick/boot
10. execute # grub --no-floppy and install grub to that mbr [ie. root (hd0,0) -- setup (hd0) -- and quit]
11. Modify your menu.lst using the isolinux.cfg as kernel arguments.
12. And done

You must reboot your computer and boot knoppix with xfs formatted Usb stick

i hope to share this thread as a contribution to knoppix community

I think you may be able to achieve this without recompiling the kernel, and it is not hard to add support for extra file systems in minirt init. One of the last additions from Klaus K in this respect was ext4 support, which we implemented with pathced init scripts and extra modules before he added it in.

[utu]

Hi again, Capricorny.

Strange you should choose to comment on this old post just now.
I was wondering how to ask you have you done anything with btrfs?
I'm thinking of doing the following:
1. reformat one of my reiserfs 7.2 LiveUSBs with btrfs;
2. see if that works just as well as reiserfs; then
3. try some btrfs snapshot experiments as a replacement for cloop overlays.

Have you already been down this road?

[Capricorny]

Actually this comment is from August 2012..
I haven't looked into the minirt for a while - maybe btrfs is there already? Otherwise, it's "just" to get the right kernel module, add it in and modify init.
1 and 2 should be quite straightforward - 3 I have no knowledge about, but if it amounts to substitution of compression methods, it might be OK. A bit unsure about unionfs problems though.

For my own use, I think I will stick to squashfs.

[utu]

I haven't looked into the minirt for a while - maybe btrfs is there already?
Otherwise, it's "just" to get the right kernel module, add it in and modify init.

I note that cat /prod/filesystems says the 32-bit 7.2 kernel recognizes btrfs,
and that 7.2's Synaptic lists btrfs tools & snapper.

I expect btrfs might work ok just re-formatting the reiserfs persistence file,
after saving its current contents into a cloop overlay, of course.

I wonder if unionfs has to be converted to btrfs or not.
As you say, likely need to delve into init and see where things get sticky.