MultiPup CD/DVD/USB Creator

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gcmartin

#331 Post by gcmartin »

This is a question to the MultiPUP devs: I was just observing the layout of latest lx PUP series distro ISOs from @PeeBee. It has zdrv, adrv, fdrv, ydrv, ...

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  • Is MultiPUP designed to accomodate all of these and others, currently?
    Does it properly order the assembly such all are included for boot?
Thanks in advance for your comment

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puppyluvr
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#332 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
The layering of files takes place long after MultiPups work is over.
Once the kernel and initrd take over, its all on them.
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#333 Post by smokey01 »

MultiPup once again has been upgraded. Recently I tried to use it on Fatdog64-710 and it didn't work so the investigation began. It turned out to be a missing symlink. Because MultiPup6 uses legacy grub it requires libncurses. The grub binary is actually looking for libncurses.so.5 which doesn't exists in Fatdog64-710. The fix was simply make a symlink called libncurses.so.5 and point it at /lib/libncursesw.so.5.9.

Most pups won't have this issue as they have the libncurses.so.5 lib file or symlink. One exception is tahrpup64. It has libncurses.so.5 but it's 64bit not 32bit which legacy grub requires. Tahrpup64 has lib and lib64 directories but lib64 is symlinked to lib. They really need to be separate.

Anyway while we had the hood up we thought we would have a tinker. In MultiPup6-r22 we introduced the ability to create a MultiPup on USB flash drives. In MultiPup6-r24 we have taken this one step further. Now there is a choice of formatting the USB as Fat32 or Ext2. Adding Ext2 provides a few nice benefits over Fat32. First it's a more robust file system. It allows for much faster write speeds. Writing to a save file on a USB with Fat32 is actually quite slow especially if it's USB2. The other benefit is being able to save to a folder instead of a savefile.

We chose Ext2 rather than Ext3/4 because it doesn't do any journaling. Journaling makes the file system more reliable but it does cause a lot more writes to the USB thus reducing it's life, so the theory goes anyway. Apparently it's possible to use to use Ext4 with journaling turned off. This way you get the speed improvements and the ability to use larger files.
This was an interesting read: http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2011/05/ext2-ext3-ext4

The new MultiPup6-r24 can be downloaded here: http://smokey01.com/software/multipup/M ... r24.tar.gz

A quick overview so you don't have to look back through the forum.

It's a tool to create a collection of Puppy Linux distributions. It will give you a choice to make the collection as an ISO so you can burn it to a CD/DVD or create a bootable USB Flash Drive. It automatically creates a menu and provides a choice of pretty graphics behind the menu system.

It's a stand alone tar.gz file and can be extracted anywhere. I suggest you extract it to a location where you have quite a bit of free disk space. The first time you run it, by clicking on the discs icon, a menu entry will be created under menu item Utility. This menu entry is updated each time you run MultiPup. So keep in mind, if you install it to a drive that's not mounted it won't run.

Symlinking is used rather than copying the distro's to save space on the drive. There's no point having two copies of each distro on a flash drive that may have limited space.

If you are on a 64bit computer a message will pop up advising you may need 32bit libs. The GRUB bootloader needs them. 32bit users should not see the message.

If you are a first time user, click on the help button and follow the steps.

If you choose the USB option the exiting partition/s will be destroyed and a new one created. It will then be formated to either Fat32 or Ext2.

Once the USB drive has been reformatted everything will be gone forever. It's very important to select the correct drive when asked. It would be a terrible thing to delete your main hard drive, so be very careful. Flexibility provides Power and Risks.

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puppyluvr
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#334 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
Will give it a test! Great to see MultiPup continue to grow!
8)
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#335 Post by Puppyt »

Thank you smokey01, for this great tool - it had totally been off my radar before today. I've jumped most of the thread in my attempts to test multiple pupplets on a CL900 tablet. Probably a rare situation - I can't use the BT keyboard or touchscreen to make selections - the only USB port is used for the drive, no usb keyboard possible. I wonder if there's a simple workaround I could include, if you have any ideas?
The other issue is that I didn't think to prepare either intended host hdd or the USB multipup constructed, with a swap partition. Or a swap file. Any plans perhaps to automate that optional extra as a Multipup feature?
And while I'm thinking about it - are other linux distro's able to be included in the generation of a multi-storied set of distros on CD or USB drive? I'm prolly stretching issues however...
I'm taking the opportunity to give feedback while my first attempt at testing MultiPup r24, with Lighthouse 5.0.3 G with a Mariner SFS (multipup sfs inclusion), without swap anything, sits percolating for an hour after the SFS has copied to the RAM. I don't know what is happening now as the screen is blank, but will wait it out before maybe retesting Multipup with a swap and a single pupplet,
Cheers :)
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#336 Post by smokey01 »

@Puppyt, if you only have one usb port why not plug in a small usb port so you have additional ports.
The other issue is that I didn't think to prepare either intended host hdd or the USB multipup constructed, with a swap partition. Or a swap file. Any plans perhaps to automate that optional extra as a Multipup feature?
I'm not sure what you mean?
And while I'm thinking about it - are other linux distro's able to be included in the generation of a multi-storied set of distros on CD or USB drive? I'm prolly stretching issues however...
If you mean like Ubuntu, RedHat etc, no.
I'm taking the opportunity to give feedback while my first attempt at testing MultiPup r24, with Lighthouse 5.0.3 G with a Mariner SFS (multipup sfs inclusion), without swap anything, sits percolating for an hour after the SFS has copied to the RAM. I don't know what is happening now as the screen is blank, but will wait it out before maybe retesting Multipup with a swap and a single pupplet
It shouldn't take that long but Lighthouse with Mariner is quite large.
If you are low on RAM then it will be slower.

How did you include the Mariner sfs with Lighthouse? Did you load the sfs then remaster or some other method?

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#337 Post by Puppyt »

Thanks smokey01 - I've been documenting my travails over on "Puppy Linux on Phone/Tablets: The definitive thread" and I missed your message. Yes, a USB hub was a godsend in this instance.
What I meant by the suggestion of including a swap partition (or file) option in MultiPup was probably over-engineering. In my haste I think I misinterpreted as Multipups' wiping of a target USB as also wiping the partition tables. So in my example (Motion CL900 tablet) I have a hdd with a single NTFS partition with Windows 7, no swap on board. My workaround was to use gparted after MultiPup had had its way with the USB, and manually included a swap partition in a system that didn't have that capacity previously.
I understand the caveat with non-Puppy distros being included in the mix, due to structural differences in their respective arrangements. I just wasn't sure how distro-flexible MultiPup might have been. A bonus is that you include ext2 etc compatibility - much better than what I understand unetbootin requires in its fat32-only support.
I included the Mariner SFS as part of the options in MultiPup (Step 4 from memory). I wasn't able to get that arrangement working properly due to issues with Series5-era Xorg, but when I used Xvesa my brief experiment with LightHouse503 wasn't promising. I suspect now that only the 64-bit versions of LH had touch sensitivity working OOTB, judging from gcmartins comments regarding Puppy on tablets. So not a great test. And, due to shortcomings with various bootoloaders and lack of touch sensitivity or BT keyboard support, the opportunity to actually make selections in my tablet are severely constrained - unless I plug in a usb keyboard, and then MultiPup works really well. I've been having problems with actually booting successfully but I feel that is more related to hardware issues at my end. Cheers :)
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#338 Post by Max Headroom »

G'day PuppyLuvr & CatDude & Co, I'm a former MultiPup User about 5 years ago, But Actually Wtd 2 Boot from the iso, so when I discovered isobooter I thought I'd found the Holy Grail, But Alas I can't Boot Series 1 Puppies or Series 2 Puppies, which as I Recall Historically the Team on this Thread Conquered, Any Chance I / We can Summons your Scripting Skills & Puppy eXperience 2 Advize the Best Syntax? eg. puppy acpi=off ide=nodma pmedia=cd etc

As Discussed Over here @ http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 019#976019

:)K

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#339 Post by greengeek »

Hi Maxheadroom - i used to have problems booting series 2 pups and stumbled across a menu.lst entry somehwre (maybe in the ttuuxxx 2,14 thread??) that suggested a boot parameter something like:

Code: Select all

root=/dev/ram0
Series 2 puppies had a different init structure and had to build their ram init differently (or something...??)

Sorry I can't be more specific - but i think this is an area of crucial difference between series 2 pups and later. Hopefully some old puppian will still remember what syntax (grub or other...) is needed.

cheers!

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#340 Post by Max Headroom »

Thanx GreenGeek 4 your response, But Alas that wasn't the answer, yet according 2 My iNet Searches that's the Correct Boot Parameter & also I Mounted a Puppy 2.02 CD & opened the isolinux.cfg as Txt & Confirmed that root=/dev/ram0 is Correct, Yet it just won't boot!

I Sure Wish 4 sum Superior Wisdom 4 a way 4ward...

:)K

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#341 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
Had this covered in my original MultiPup.
Was it removed?
The user cram.fs has to be on the top level with 1 series Puppies and the pup.sfs for 2 series Pups.
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#342 Post by Max Headroom »

Please PuppyLuvr, How would that Look w/ Menu.lst Boot Parameters?

Thanx

:)K

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#343 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
IIRC it has nothing to do with the grub menu but rather that the init only searches the top level of the boot medium. That is why I cautioned only one series 1 and one series 2 per disc. At work now but when I get home later I'll check...
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#344 Post by Max Headroom »

Ps. PuppyLuvr & CatDude & Co, I've just found this thoroughly interesting, But Legacy, Obsolete & aRchaic How Puppy Works webpage for Puppy series 1 that is incomplete... I Sure do Wish there were similar Documentation for Series 2 Puppy, I Reckon it'd be a Treasure Trove 4 Progress w/ Booting isos

http://barryk.org/puppylinux/developmen ... works.html

:)K

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#345 Post by Max Headroom »

G'day PuppyLuvr & Team, any answers on this issue yet? Please & Thanx....

:)K
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#346 Post by smokey01 »

Max I'm not really sure what you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to boot series 1 or 2 pups then looking at the boot parameters in the iso may help. If you are trying to boot multiple series 1 pups thats not possible as all the filenames are the same and they must be at the top dir level.
If you can be very specific on what you are trying to achieve, I may be able to help.

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#347 Post by Max Headroom »

Thanx Smokey01 for your Timely Reply, Yes I sort of know about the Limitation of series 1 Puppy from this Thread about 5 or 6 years ago but haven't Booted a series 1 Puppy w/ isobooter ( Btw I'm Sorry about Discussing isobooter on this MultiPup Thread )! So wood Surely Wish 2 have that Lonely 1 series eg. Represented.

I'm SumWot More Frustrated about being Unable 2 Boot Any Series 2 Puppies, I Really wood Love 2 B Able 2 Sucksessfully Demo / Boot a handful of them among Me GumBoot Collection eg. Ttuuxxxes Classic Pup 2.14X Top 11, John Murgas Mean Puppy 2.02 Opera, Nathan Fs GrafPup, PuppyLuvrs BuddaPup, & SimplePup, etc

I'm pretty Content w/ the Variety of Series 3, Dingo & Series 5 & Newer isos Sucksessfully Booting from Me GumBoot, 50 Sumthing, so faa...

So Please Share Your Wisdom... Thanx!

:)K
PC is Not Political Correctness :P , it's a Personal Computer! Boycott the Evil M$ & Google!

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