Remaster - Methods to recreate your running PUP

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gcmartin

Remaster - Methods to recreate your running PUP

#1 Post by gcmartin »

Puppy Linux has had MANY methods to recreate your running system over the years it has been around. Over the years the methods themselves, though different from each other, have mature into some very EASY TO USE method where clarity and understand of what it does and is doing has improved muchly.

Some of them have understandable "helps" or "hovers" to try to improve the user experience, but, each of the different methods are slightly different.

This thread intends to draw attention to both the different Remaster solution and in some cases, example of some use starting with a expectation of outcome and the steps to get there.

You are requested to contribute ANY knowledge you feel would be helpful to community members so that their experience in Remastering their PUPPY is as understandable and easy as one can make it thru description(s).

Contribute freely!

gcmartin

#2 Post by gcmartin »

Reserved #1

gcmartin

#3 Post by gcmartin »

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nic007
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#4 Post by nic007 »

I just edit the base sfs these days, it helps a bit when one knows where the things are located that needs to be changed. Not recommended for a total newby though.

gcmartin

Remastering approaches by @StemSee

#5 Post by gcmartin »

@StemSee offer us utilities to ease both understanding and creation of your Remaster needs. He posted this earlier:
Paraphrasing what StemSee wrote:There are several remastering methods and solutions. They do not necessarily result in an iso, more usually in a main sfs module which may or may not go into an initrd file.

I have written several remaster scripts: They are
  1. SFS-Direct-Remaster which remasters a running system immediately to a replacement main sfs module.
  2. SFS-Unattended-Remaster, which was further developed by others to remaster many linux distros.
  3. However my last effort was Simple-Remaster, which can also go all the way to iso, can in/ex-clude zdrv/other modules|wine prefix, can work on device or in ram, run from prompt with or without X, does not need an original iso, all questions occur at start and auto-runs to completion; now includes a handy drag'n'drop desktop widget for adding files or dirs to exclude from the remaster just by dragging them to the widget etc. The system is cleaned of 99% of sensitive data.

Sylvander
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#6 Post by Sylvander »

Banksy3 by greengeek may be of interest.

In particular, see THIS POST offering a special RC5 version that makes it possible to INCLUDE ALL PERSONALIZATIONS made during the 1st session [only].
A one-click-remaster is then extremely simple, by left-clicking the "impersonator" icon on the desktop.
If only all remasters were this easy.

This isn't a general remaster program.
It only applies when run within Banksy3.

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nic007
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#7 Post by nic007 »

Easiest way of doing things is to use SFS-addons instead of actually installing anything and then edit your base sfs for personal settings or just use a very small savefile (if you don't want to fiddle with the base sfs) just for your personal settings. Interesting thing is that I can't detect any advantage in performance when including your installs in the base sfs with a remaster, compared to loading addon sfs's with your original base sfs at boot time.

watchdog
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#8 Post by watchdog »

I casually discovered on this forum the adrv.sfs system which works for recent puppies. I prefer this method instead of remaster: I never had full success with remaster, I had always something wrong at the end of script with the new iso. Thanks to rufwoof who originally have open my mind:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 006#871006

I now use to mount my encrypted savefile when I finish installing and testing stuff and to copy all the content in a dir and then I execute dir2sfs to obtain the adrv.sfs. Before executing dir2sfs you can delete into the dir what is compromising for privacy if you know enough what to do. After that put the adrv.sfs in the dir of your frugal install and create a new minimal savefile reloading your usual sfs programs.

tlchost
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#9 Post by tlchost »

nic007 wrote:Easiest way of doing things is to use SFS-addons instead of actually installing anything and then edit your base sfs for personal settings or just use a very small savefile (if you don't want to fiddle with the base sfs) just for your personal settings.
That's how I do it....with the advantage that you can update your sfs files without having to remaster the entire puppy.

Another thing to consider is moving as much as possible out of the save file area....I use a bootable USB drive and have lots of goodies in /mnt/home

I remember doing remasters...and as luck would have it, soon after made one, something had to be updated.

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