Hi all,

I am working on a configuration system that uses "diff" for saving the differences in configuration files. Essentially, you start a script, make your modifications to knoppix files as you want, you re-run the script, and the differences are saved to diff files.

Upon boot, the diffs are applied to the corresponding (configuration) files.

Currently, I have it working well but only when burned to CD-ROM or used from HD with "poor man's install".

The script is as follows. It works for my purposes but is far from perfect. (Where are the script wizzzards?)

Code:
#!/bin/sh

# folderconfigurator 1.0
# Creates a folderconfig directory
# by probono
# GPL

############################################
# currently /cdrom hardcoded -> how to change?
############################################

#
# define some variables
#

# temporary folderconfig directory
export FOLDERCONFIG="/tmp/folderconfig/"

# where the knoppix.sh script is created
export TMPKNOPPIXSH="/tmp/knoppix.sh"

#
# if there is no folderconfig directory yet
#

# create one
if [ ! -e $FOLDERCONFIG ]
then
kdialog --msgbox "Please start changing your configuration now. \n Only (diffs of) configuration files that are changed between now and the time when you will re-run this script will be saved in the $FOLDERCONFIG directory. Please re-run this script as soon as you are done with configuring the system." && mkdir $FOLDERCONFIG
exit 0

#
# if there is alredy a folderconfig directory
#

else
kdialog --yesnocancel "Now copying the (diffs of) files that were changed since the creation of $FOLDERCONFIG to that directory." || exit 0

##################################################################

#
# create the folderconfig knoppix.sh script
#

cat > $TMPKNOPPIXSH << \EOF
#!/bin/sh

# folderconfig 1.0
# Copies the contents of a folderconfig directory into the running system
# by probono
# GPL

[ "`id -u`" = "0" ] || { echo "You need root privileges to apply folderconfig settings!" >&2 ; exit 1; }

echo " [1mApplying folderconfig settings... [0m"

# copy normal files, follow symlinks in target
cp -rfH $1/folderconfig/* /

# fix bug(?) that I cannot create a folder named X11 (it always gets x11)
if [ -e "/etc/x11/" ]; then
cp -rfH /etc/x11/* /etc/X11
fi

# patch file if there is a .diff for the file
find /cdrom/knoppix/folderconfig/* -type f -name "*.diff" | while read i; do target="${i#/cdrom/knoppix/folderconfig}"; target="${target%.diff}"; patch $target $i; done

# set access rights of home directory
chown -R $USER.$USER $HOME
EOF

##################################################################

# find files and symlinks that have been changed after the folderconfig folder was created
# ignore these self-changing files
FILES=`find /etc /home /root -follow \
! -path *ld.so.cache \
! -path *pnm2ppa.conf* \
! -path *gnome-desktop* \
! -path *ld.so.cache* \
! -path *.xsession-errors* \
! -path *.fonts-cache-1* \
-newer $FOLDERCONFIG -type f \
2> /dev/null`

# if there are no files that have changed
if [ "$FILES" = "" ]
then
 kdialog --msgbox "No files found that have changed."
 exit 1
fi

#
# create parent folders
#

#for FILE in $FILES; do echo $FILE; done; echo "\n\n"
for FILE in $FILES; do DIR=`find $FILE -printf "%h\n"`; mkdir -p $FOLDERCONFIG$DIR; done

#
# make a diff (for the changed files) or copy the file (for new files)
#

# works # for FILE in $FILES; do diff -u /KNOPPIX$FILE $FILE > $FOLDERCONFIG$FILE.diff ; done
for FILE in $FILES
do
	if [ -e /KNOPPIX$FILE ]; then
	diff -u /KNOPPIX$FILE $FILE > $FOLDERCONFIG$FILE.diff
	else
	cp $FILE $FOLDERCONFIG$FILE
	fi
done

# make it executable
chmod 777 $TMPKNOPPIXSH

kdialog --msgbox "The (diffs of) files that have changed since the initial creation of $FOLDERCONFIG have now been saved to $FOLDERCONFIG. \n You can use the script $TMPKNOPPIXSH to copy them to your Live-CD system automatically at each start of the system. Please refer to the Knoppix documentation on how to use a knoppix.sh script. Essentially, you must copy $TMPKNOPPIXSH and $FOLDERCONFIG to a floppy and use floppyconfig or burn them to the knoppix/ directory on your CD-ROM."


# all is ok
exit 0

fi