Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

STUART · 2010-08-20 03:40:07

Has anybody created a metabuild/setup designed around booting from flash drives / loading the entire OS into RAM?

For instance, using these objectives / features:

Boot with some measure of the OS loaded into RAM, with robustness against the boot media disappearing and reappearing
All caches disabled and other optimizations described on http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Solid_State_Drives to minimize writes
If boot media is present, write changes back, and if not, keep track of changes to write when device is re-inserted

Last edited by STUART (2010-08-20 04:08:58)

karol · 2010-08-20 13:29:41

http://larch.berlios.de/

72linus · 2010-08-20 13:51:39

even easier than Larch is my conglomeration of kernel kits for arch 686/x86_64 which I make the live nFluxOS distro's from
http://multidistro.com/NFLUXNEW/SQ4/kkits/kkits.html

with this kit; the live media will run just like Slax does, i.e. boot to ram, persistence, etc
make sure you read the readme and if any questions just ask...
remember you have to reboot after making "slxsave.xfs" for persistent settings to take effect
and also, edit the livecd.cfg in /root/linux-live-6.3.0_x86/cd-root/boot folder for whatever you want,etc

lilsirecho · 2010-08-20 15:34:34

Perhaps CTKArchLive is what you seek. It has cp2ram, english version, persistent, pacmanfm and ~550MB of archlinux packages.

It is expandable via pacman.

CD or flash drive.

Download and install via DD.

karol · 2010-09-16 15:10:54

lilsirecho wrote:

Perhaps CTKArchLive is what you seek. It has cp2ram, english version
<snip>
.

A little OT:
Are you sure it has English version? Any pointers? Do you mean that although the webpage is in French, the software is in English?
According to http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arc … TKarchLive "It's entirely in french for the time beeing" - should I correct that?

lilsirecho · 2010-09-16 16:18:27

There is an addon which enables english. It is labelled as an sqfs which is the fs used to run the system.

file:///root/Downloads/addon-noask-locale-en-x86_64(2).sqfs

This is the format of the download.

It is loaded into the "home partition" and is read during boot to enable english .

The normal boot-up is into user mode "arch". An su command and passwd toor enables root.

Boot time is ~13 seconds to openbox.
Alt-f1 displays console in user "arch" mode.

Wicd is the internet access device.

Arora and midori are browsers provided.

Cp2ram is provided and addons can be made using mkaddon program.

The addons make the system persistent.

As is true with all systems there is a "learning curve" before mastering all of the provisions.

English enable makes the system respond like normal archlinux.

As with all "live" systems the kernel is fixed until a new release is generated.

This doesn't prevent upgrading by a user if he has the desire to redefine the system.

At this time, upgrades get sticky with the newer xorg changes.
For starters, experiencing cp2ram with CTK , will be an eye opener.

Dunno what else may be of interest......................

lilsirecho · 2010-09-16 22:30:59

http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/

The url above provides the english addon which can be copied to the "home" partition for the CTKArchLive x86_64 version.

karol · 2010-09-16 22:42:44

lilsirecho wrote:

http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/

The url above provides the english addon which can be copied to the "home" partition for the CTKArchLive x86_64 version.

Thanks a lot, I've added the link and info about the English locale to the wiki.

lilsirecho · 2010-09-17 01:36:05

For whatever reason, the post I made listing the url for CTKArchLive english addon, does not playback the entire url address on my machine.

I am posting again but with a typed version below the incomplete url...

http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/

Perhaps this will again post an incomplete url but the typed version should provide it in full.

EDIT: I guess I don't have a clue as to why it does not show the entire url in the post!!!!

EDIT2: The missing elements : /ctkarchlive/0.5/addons/officiels/locale-en/

Last edited by lilsirecho (2010-09-17 01:44:01)

karol · 2010-09-17 09:54:32

lilsirecho wrote:

For whatever reason, the post I made listing the url for CTKArchLive english addon, does not playback the entire url address on my machine.
I am posting again but with a typed version below the incomplete url...
http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/
http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/
Perhaps this will again post an incomplete url but the typed version should provide it in full.
EDIT: I guess I don't have a clue as to why it does not show the entire url in the post!!!!
EDIT2: The missing elements : /ctkarchlive/0.5/addons/officiels/locale-en/

Relax, long urls are always shortened on the forums, but if you mouse over or look at the code of the post in question (e.g. by quoting said post as I'm doing now) you will see the whole url. And if you click it, it works fine.
The only thing you have to remember is not to copy-paste it: http://calimeroteknik.free.fr/ctkarchli … locale-en/ <- this wont work indeed.
You have to copy link location (that's how it's called in firefox).

Your urls are working fine, thanks.

banshee28 · 2010-09-17 22:05:48

72linus wrote:

even easier than Larch is my conglomeration of kernel kits for arch 686/x86_64 which I make the live nFluxOS distro's from
http://multidistro.com/NFLUXNEW/SQ4/kkits/kkits.html
with this kit; the live media will run just like Slax does, i.e. boot to ram, persistence, etc
make sure you read the readme and if any questions just ask...
remember you have to reboot after making "slxsave.xfs" for persistent settings to take effect
and also, edit the livecd.cfg in /root/linux-live-6.3.0_x86/cd-root/boot folder for whatever you want,etc

72linus...So with your kit, it will take my currently installed image, make it bootable, still be able to maintain it via pacman updates, and save changes back to HD on reboot or as needed, correct? So basically my same OS\Image just in RAM once booted? If this is correct, this is EXACTLY what i was looking for also!

Thanks

72linus · 2010-09-17 22:17:51

hey
the new ARCH build is from testing repos
and has kernel26-pf (6)
for some reason pf7 wouldn't work,etc
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions … ost4096003

anyway theres other kernels you can use too if you want

theres actually a few ways to make a remaster using the kit or a livecd slax derivative with appropriate kernel

you can run the lls scripts from a booted hdd install
or
you can boot off a livecd/usb with good kernel, transfer the kernel, modules, and firmware from livecd and then run the lls
scripts pointed at the new kernel/modules,etc

well, you mean as a livecd/usb running persistent can you save all changes back etc?
yes, but you would have to stay with the same kernel unless you again upgraded to a newer aufs/squashfs-lzma patched kernel

or do you mean if you install it to hdd?
if you install it to hdd it becomes like any other arch installation

the four new iso's I just put out were all chroot-made
I have four folders (arch,debian,slackware,ubuntu), on my Ubuntu partition
inside each folder is the decompressed fs, just like a hdd install, but its in /CHROOTS/arch/ instead of /
you know

so, i simply chroot into each one, get upgrades,etc, then make them into live media
I usually just use the four I have installed, but wanted to see if I could make a livecd,etc from just a folder

anyway, if any questions just ask
I need to update the kernel build kits too

Arch Linux

#1 2010-08-20 03:40:07

Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#2 2010-08-20 13:29:41

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#3 2010-08-20 13:51:39

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#4 2010-08-20 15:34:34

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#5 2010-09-16 15:10:54

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#6 2010-09-16 16:18:27

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#7 2010-09-16 22:30:59

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#8 2010-09-16 22:42:44

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#9 2010-09-17 01:36:05

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#10 2010-09-17 09:54:32

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#11 2010-09-17 22:05:48

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

#12 2010-09-17 22:17:51

Re: Flash drive + Ramdisk configuration

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