Build scripts for small debian live images (similar to woof)

[saintless]

Hi, Joe

I think for now this puppy deb packages from Fred will work without problems on standard debian wheezy and squeeze for multiuser:
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... wheezy.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... -0.8.3.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... utdown.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx181/pfind.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... %29.tar.gz
Sorry, the url tags make this post invisible
Fixed.
Toni

[emil]

Hey Joe,

i think I didn't found it, I am still searching. Anyway it feels that a light system is possible and with the build scripts you have a blueprint to transform it easily, customize it and also build for different arches.

Yes - doing it the light way is not so easy, and here one can learn a lot from puppy. Transforming apps will include - but is not limited to replace /root with /$HOME. I am still looking for the right policy - should one keep the pet format or should one convert it into deb and use apt-get to install?

It seems logical that apt should be configured with
reccommends=false, suggests=false, indices=false
Concerning which packages to include in the base distro and how to combine apps and dependencies to keep it small and light one could learn also much from puppy...

Currently the filesystem is purged from docs, manuals, locals etc..
header files are kept. Maybe a split inte dev / doc / nls packages like in puppy would make sense (when combining thos files to seperate to squashfs).

For the puppy feeling it is possible to replace in /etc/default/nodm

Code: Select all

NODM_USER=user with NODM_USER=root

(the nodm.hook could be modified to have this the default behaviour)

Right here in the forum there are many people with more experience and skill than me, so I can not achieve much alone.
cheers
emil

[RSH]

Hi, Joe

I think for now this puppy deb packages from Fred will work without problems on standard debian wheezy and squeeze for multiuser:
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... wheezy.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... -0.8.3.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... utdown.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... (5).tar.gz
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx181/pfind.deb

Sorry, the url tags make this post invisible

Toni

http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... wheezy.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... -0.8.3.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... utdown.deb
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx181/pfind.deb

It is the url http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... (5).tar.gz that makes the post invisible because of its included (5).

Just replace ( by %28 and ) by %29 and it works.
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... %29.tar.gz

[saintless]

Thank you, RSH.
I will keep this in mind while uploading files.

[anikin]

For the puppy feeling it is possible to replace in /etc/default/nodm
Code:
NODM_USER=user with NODM_USER=root

(the nodm.hook could be modified to have this the default behaviour)

I downloaded nodm from Debian packages, undebbed it to have a look at the file structure, which looks as follows:

/etc/pam.d/nodm
/etc/insserv.conf.d/nodm
/etc/init.d/nodm

and replaced user with root. Works like a charm.
Now, it would be great to get COW working ... if saintless is willing to help

[saintless]

Hi, Anikin.

Now, it would be great to get COW working ... if saintless is willing to help

Extract initrd1.img from Light-Wheezy2, use it with Cat-0.2 and it is done
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Light ... eezy-2.iso

Toni

[saintless]

Hi, Emil.

About IceWM-Control-Center:

I can make a module but you can add it to install packages list:
1. Install icecc debian package:
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/icec ... b?download
2. Install this libqt3-mt package:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/libqt3-mt
I just use from the last one copy of libqt3-mt with two symlinks in /opt/lib instead installing ubuntu package.
3. Create symlink from any text editor to /opt/bin/gvim
In my choice /opt/bin/gvim is link to geany

There are also 3 options in icecc that does not work without python. I don't think they are important but if you need them install python as well.
If you prefer separate module I can make one.

Edit: Hi, Emil.Here is separate squashfs module if you decide it is better to add it this way. If something does not work write here.
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Fredx ... c.squashfs


Toni

[anikin]

Hi, Anikin.

Now, it would be great to get COW working ... if saintless is willing to help

Extract initrd1.img from Light-Wheezy2, use it with Cat-0.2 and it is done
http://www.smokey01.com/saintless/Light ... eezy-2.iso

Toni

Hi saintless,

Does it look OK, nothing wrong in the picture?

[saintless]

Does it look OK, nothing wrong in the picture?

The only unusual thing is this empty folder /live/cow/live
It should not be there but this seems doesn't make problems. Maybe it is created because of something was left from the mounting /lib/live/mount/medium in /home but I'm not sure.
In general do not touch (delete, rename, move) anything inside /live/cow
You will end up with broken system.
The wh. hidden files and folders are created for deleted items to be marked as deleted in the main module. They will appear in xfe as well if you mark show hidden files.
Install squashfs-tools and use mksquashfs /live/cow to save changes or live-rw save file.
From quick test all seems to work as it should with the downgraded initrd.img from Light-Wheezy2.

[anikin]

Hi saintless,

Thank you, for all your help.
All is going well so far, except, that I'm experinencing a little issue.
This netbook has 2 SSD drives - sda1, sdb1 (both vfat) and an SD card - sdc1 (ext4).
Out of those 3, only sda1 and sdc1 can be mounted - either via the provided script, or manually.
sdb1 refuses to mount - with a message like, it's not found in fstab, or mtab.
Any ideas?

[saintless]

sdb1 refuses to mount - with a message like, it's not found in fstab, or mtab.

Hi, Anikin.
I guess it is Cat-0.2 you are using? Emil wrote there was a problem with the mount script in the first version but he already removed this version from the site.
The message for fstab and mtab missing is usual output if you try to mount/unmount drives from xfe or rox direct. They need fstab menu entry to do it.
I would try this:

Code: Select all

fdisk -l

Find the exact name of the drive and if it is /dev/sdb1 try:

Code: Select all

mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt

If this also does not work try the script /opt/bin/mnt-all from Light-Wheezy.

Toni

[konaexpress]

Hi,

This looks like a cool project! Glad to see it and good luck with it.

1. Would love to see apt-get.

2. Might want to give new versions/ projects cat names to show a distinction between it and legacy Puppy projects. This will give way to all new names too....

Lot of good people here at the Puppy forums.

Best regards,
John

[emil]

Hi thank you all,
anikin

replaced user with root. Works like a charm.

makes life easier on a private computer.

Extract initrd1.img from Light-Wheezy2, use it with Cat-0.2 and it is done

it is fine to modify everything with backported live-build, different initrd etc.
For my personal builds with the CAT I try to stay close to official debian build, so I use original initrd

About IceWM-Control-Center:

Toni, thank you for packagin Ice wm control center. I tested it, python would be no problem, python minimal is already here, but it needs qt3 libs, whereas qt4 is used in wheezy.

The only unusual thing is this empty folder /live/cow/live

For my personal CAT builds I will use live-build 3.0 to stay with the current version (reason see above). So in my CAT builds there will be no folder /live/cow.

sdb1 refuses to mount

I only included my very old mount-all script. I hope one of Tonis solutions worked for you. I work on an extended CAT version with lots of filesystem drivers, maybe I can also include the drive icons, this will make mounting more puppy like.

This looks like a cool project!

Thanks! It is ultra-cool...
1) apt-get is working
2) at the moment I will just use CAT with some version number, if anybody else uses the scripts name it as you like (maybe not pussy linux, that is something slightly different)

cheers
emil

[saintless]

The only unusual thing is this empty folder /live/cow/live

For my personal CAT builds I will use live-build 3.0 to stay with the current version (reason see above). So in the my CAT builds there will be no folder /live/cow.

Hi, Emil
I know. I just answered Anikin's questions. He wants to use /live/cow with Cat.
BTW I also keep the original initrd.img on the site. The downgraded initrd.img is build with downgraded live-boot but I also use it with squashfs with latest live-boot in Light-Wheezy.

Toni

[konaexpress]

Icewm and Xfe?

Wow that should be a fast little distro for sure. Ever think about flux box too?

I will continue to watch this thread, have fun.

John

[emil]

Hi Toni,

I just answered Anikin's questions. He wants to use /live/cow with Cat.

yep I know, thanks for answering , I am not regulary on. It would be interesting to build CAT with config/CAT

Code: Select all

DISTRO='squeeze'

I think squeeze uses live-tools 2.x, so this would be a /live/cow distro
cheers
emil

[emil]

I am in the process to build a new CAT, which should have some more software. I want to include some of the debs from Debian-Wheezy-light. I tried to create a local apt repository on my computer and use this to host the debs. I tried to create a sign key, but *LOL* system won't let me, it says:

Not enough random bytes available. Please do some other work to give
the OS a chance to collect more entropy! (Need 281 more bytes)
...+++++
+++++
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.

So I decided I post a short HowTo to gain this necessary entropy...
HowTo set up a local signed apt repository and use it with the Debian-light-Builder scripts


1. apt-get install dpkg-dev
2. create a directory and copy your homemade deb files in
3. cd to that directory and run dpkg-scanpackages . /dev/null | gzip -9c > Packages.gz
4. to have this repo used from your local machine:

Code: Select all

echo "deb file:${LOCAL_REPO} ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

5. apt-get update
6. follow instructions to create your RSA key (gpg --gen-key):
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1090731
7. To use the key on your local machine you need to:

Code: Select all

apt-key add public-key

with this step you can happily install and uninstall from your own repo of debs. However I didn|t manage to make this work during live build in the chroot environment, Maybe another time...

[emil]

I updated the first post

Download build scripts: CAT-scripts-0.41.tar.gz (6,7 MB)
Download ISO: CAT-0.41.iso (412 MB)
md5sum

hope you like it...

[saintless]

Thank you, Emil.
I really like to see some of the extra stuff in Cat-O.41
Unfortunately I test most on old hardware and the RAM is not enough for some wheezy apps like iceweasel for example.

Just a thought from me:
If the build script is the project maybe it will be better to post only the build scripts without the new iso result. it might sounds bad but I think many of the readers in this thread will prefer just to test the new iso without testing the script. Nothing wrong in that of course...
But having the script only with explanation what it builds may make them curious to see the result and to give more constructive comments about the script it self. And to experiment more with the script.
Otherwise you will get comments only about the resulted iso. I don't know if this is what you really need as help for this project.
It is only my point of view.

Toni

[emil]

Hi Toni,
I thought I post the iso too, because to run the scripts is best from a debian system. The iso and the scripts together with working internet and debian repositories constitute a self bootstrapping system. Anyhow I do not plan to post any new isos in the near future, I will use CAT-0.41 which is very close to pure debian and gain experience with it. I do not wan't to compete for size, functionality or user base and it is of course possible to run the scripts from Debian-light-Wheezy.

My Goal is still to make a new small Sage live CD someday, but to achieve that I have to learn more about debian. And learning is best while using it. So I need a workable system for my daily stuff, office applications, email and such...

The scripts are cool. Until now I used just a small fraction of possible functionality and got good results. For someone with experience it will be possible to build much better (smaller?, 64bit, 686, oldstable, testing, different WM) systems.

kind regards
emil