larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

the_mesopotamian · 2011-03-08 06:31:45

Hi there everybody,

I have constructed a Live Arch system recently with LXDE desktop manager and I am experiencing a weird behavior when putting files in the "rootoverlay" folder since I need to modify/add features according to my personal flavor. The problem is happening with files inside the "/user/share/" folders. I am trying to modify LXDE's desktop settings at startup, like icons, themes, cursor themes, and so on. Now the weird part is that when I create a new user using the "larch" kit, the modified files in the "rootoverlay" folder seem not to work at all, except for "root". I mean when I log in as root, my modifications will all perfectly work. While logging in as the new user I added won't seem to work.

Secondly, I have modified "rc.conf" in "/etc/" folder to add the daemons I want. The thing is that when I modify the daemons and recreate the "larch" system again, the new daemon configuration doesn't seem to work. It seems like if it is stuck to the previous daemon configuration I built the system with. For an instance, I removed "acpid" and replaced it with "hal" daemon, but after building the system, "acpid" still gets loaded as I can see during the system startup.

I don't really know how to deal with this problem, it's completely weird. Because when I go and check the system files that I have replaced with the ones in the "overlay" folder, I can see that they're the same I put!! For an instance, "rc.conf" is modified in the same way I did, but I still don't understand why "acpid" is being loaded at startup!! (it's not there in "rc.conf", it's already replaced with "hal", just like how I modified it!!!) :mad

Please help!!! Larch kit was working fine previously, I haven't experienced these problems till just recently

firecat53 · 2011-03-08 17:04:52

I've found the best way to get things in my user's home directory (for customizing your layout/window manager) is to add them to /etc/skel (I put things here like .vimrc, .bashrc, ssh keys, sources for things I will locally compile, etc.). Then when larch creates the user, it adds everything there into the home directory. Took awhile to figure that out! Not sure about your rc.conf issue though...

Scott

Last edited by firecat53 (2011-03-08 17:07:02)

kyle_white · 2011-03-09 18:00:34

TM - firecat is right that you can use the skel directory, but with larch-8 you can also put a skel_{username} directory in the profile directory (where the rootoverlay is). Create the user with the larch kit and it will copy the skel_{username} files into {username}'s home directory at creation time.

As for files in /usr/share or other directories in the rootoverlay, especially icons and such, check their permissions. I had problems with icons working at one point, and found that they required a chmod +x in the rootoverlay. In the live system, try a
# sudo chmod -R +rx {directory}/*
and restart X to see if the changes will show up. If so, I'd run the same command on the directory in the rootoverlay.

With the daemons and the rc.conf, have you checked whether the rc.conf file in the running larch system reflects the changes? If you're not formatting the drive every time you install a new larch system, then it's possible an overlayed rc.conf from your previous system is still there and takes priority in the aufs layers.

wantilles · 2011-06-16 21:52:45

The question of the thread's title.

Can larch be built and used without aufs2?

gradgrind · 2011-06-17 10:56:12

I'm afraid I don't have time to handle things like this. It will also be a problem for archiso. Neither the Arch developers nor the kernel developers seem to have much interest in union mounts.

The aufs developer hasn't had time to work on it recently, and I wonder how long it will remain a viable option. It must be very frustrating to work on something that the kernel people will never accept and that requires constant updating just to handle the interface changes in the new kernel versions which seem to appear every few minutes.

The best solution would probably be an officially supported union mount, but who knows when that will appear.

litemotiv · 2011-06-17 11:21:58

Merged with existing larch thread.

Calimero · 2011-06-18 01:09:55

Cheer up! AUFS2 is now working again.
I've made AUR packages.

You need a kernel exporting the needed symbols: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=49927
(which is just kernel26 from core with these patches, http://sprunge.us/EaWg http://sprunge.us/jMiW )

And aufs2. http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=49766

Arch Linux

#26 2011-03-08 06:31:45

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#27 2011-03-08 17:04:52

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#28 2011-03-09 18:00:34

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#29 2011-06-16 21:52:45

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#30 2011-06-17 10:56:12

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#31 2011-06-17 11:21:58

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

#32 2011-06-18 01:09:55

Re: larch-8 - live medium construction kit, new version

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