(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

A good (and technically accurate) description needed for SaveFile aka PupSave file

please update wiki or post here

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/SaveFile

funny to find the right words for it :

bin
tank
crib
caddy
bucket
bunker
reservoir
container
receptacle
repository
box [container]
case [container]

a size-fixed but resize able box i would call it ,
which is empty in the beginning and can be filled with [ nearly ? ] everything , that would be capable to copy , install or download that someone would be able to store on other linux distros or file systems also .

The commands to create a pupsave-file.[2-4]fs are used in the /etc/rc.d/rc.shutdown file : 313: dd if=/dev/zero of=${SMNTPT}$SAVEFILE bs=1k count=$SIZEPFILE
416: #v2.14 change msdos to vfat... v431 add ext4... 100917...
785: dd if=/dev/zero of=${localSMNTPT}/pupswap.swp bs=1048576 count=$SWPSIZE

Hi Karl, thanks for the response. ; -)

Sorry I haven't updated Wiki yet - been working on other pages....

What it is: A Puppy Linux savefile is one of the initial files loaded at boot time in a Puppy frugal installation. It is not used in a Puppy full installation. It is a single file, but acts as a virtual hard drive. As a single large file, it can be saved within another "foreign" operating system, such as Windows.

What's in it: A Puppy savefile usually contains user software additions to the original core puppy operating system programs (example: additional word processing, or graphics software loaded as pets).

It also contains OS user settings (for example, monitor and wireless settings for your particular computer).

A savefile also may contain user data (eg. a document or spreadsheet) that is saved within the Puppy system. Most application programs will default to saving data inside the Puppy system (in the Root directory), and therefore inside the savefile.

Alternatives: However users have the choice to also save data outside of the savefile, on any mounted drive or other storage media. Since the size of a savefile is usually limited to a few gigabytes, users often opt to save large media files outside of the Puppy savefile.

Likewise, Puppy Linux has the option to load large pieces of software that reside outside of the savefile. These large external programs are called SFS files. They allow users to economize on savefile usage and size.

How it's created: A savefile may be created the first time a user shuts down from a Puppy session. A wizard is run during this shutdown procedure asking for your savefile preferences. If desired, the savefile can be located, named, and sized at that time.

A user can opt not to create a savefile on first shutdown, as well. In that case, you will be offered the opportunity to create a savefile during shutdown in subsequent sessions..