DSL Ideas and Suggestions :: Script to permanently install UCI extensions



Yes. Take a look at the /etc/init.d/mountci script to see how Robert has it working now. You could probably use that as a base for a permanent-install script. The APP variable sets the directory name, although I'm not sure at the moment how you'd be able to properly unmount and free up the cloop device if the variable is changed.

The easiest thing I can think of, though, is just to use the existing mydsl-load command within a small script of your own to mount, copy, and unmount automatically

Code Sample
source /etc/init.d/dsl-functions
SOURCE_DIR=/opt/`getbasefile "$1"`
TMP_DIR="$SOURCE-temp"
mydsl-load "$1"
sudo cp -Rp "$SOURCE_DIR" "$TMP_DIR"
mydsl-load "$1"
sudo mv "$TMP_DIR" "$SOURCE_DIR"
mydsl-load "$SOURCE_DIR/user.tar.gz"

THIS IS NOT TESTED! I just spit it out as a pseudo-script.
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Is it possible to mount a UCI to a mount point other than the one that mydsl-load will use automatically?  That would help to make copying the files to HD install a 2-step process.

I don't understand the concern with streamlining any process since the goal is only to add the full package and make it persistent. By choosing hard drive install, you're already going against the grain. Why go even more against it? The more you muck it up with new mount points, the more room for error. Use what's already there -- it works the way it was designed to work (I don't think you can improve on Robert's design). The simplest way to skin this cat is to mydsl-load to mount, cp -Rp, mydsl-load to unmount, mv.
Hi lucky,

My main interest in asking this was to find a mechanism for discovering the contents of the UCI and to make the permanent installs easier for myself.  With trad hd installs, every new version to which I want to upgrade will necessitate this path for me.  I run P2-300 laptops with low RAM as thin-clients so I think this type of install is the best way to leverage my hardware.

I also think that DSL is the absolute best OS on the market right now.

Because my manual copy of python excluded the associated python.app launcher, I developed the feeling that there may be other elements that I might have missed.  What I`ve learned by bringing it to the forum is that there is a script I can read to understand how UCIs are loaded and find out how any automatically generated relatives are formed.  The discussion has also shown me that maybe all I need to do after I understand UCIs is a one-argument script with the four steps you mentioned last.

Thank you to every one who`s shared wisdom with me... it`s helping me be more comfortable with this product and increasing my productivity and enjoyment.

Regards,
John
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I run P2-300 laptops with low RAM as thin-clients so I think this type of install is the best way to leverage my hardware.

If you intend to upgrade frequently, I would strongly recommend frugal install. At some point you'll appreciate the difference between leveraging hardware and leveraging your time.

FWIW, I've run DSL in various configurations on various machines. I also run DSL from USB-HDD.

I presently have one computer (400mhz Celeron, 128MB RAM) with hard drive install. Barring a power outage in the next five hours, it will have 38 days uptime today. That machine ran for a very long time on DSL 2.1b and completely skipped DSL 3+ (edit: I would probably *still* run DSL 2.1b on it if I hadn't installed FreeBSD and used the whole drive). It's now running 4.0-release. It will not get an upgrade until I'm convinced that it's worth the hassle of backing up files and going through the process of reconfiguring everything on that drive. If you're going to the hassle of putting /home on a separate partition, go ahead and put /opt there as well so you needn't set up funky scripts to circumvent the way UCIs are supposed to work.

I also presently have DSL installed frugal on the following computers:
- 200 mhz Pentium Pro, 64 MB RAM
- 200 mhz Pentium MMX, 64 MB RAM (rescued this week)
- 266 mhz Pentium Pro, 32 MB RAM

I don't know what you consider low RAM, but frugal works very well on the above machines. I've mixed hard drives with different installs -- frugal, hard drive -- between these and faster computers for testing various things. The difference in performance between hard drive install and frugal is insignificant on the P2xx boxes above.

You might want to try it before you dismiss it and instead create a lot more work for yourself than DSL is intended to be.
Can you run GIMP on those 200MHz boxes?  I'm running with 128MB of RAM and need to edit graphics under those conditions.

I'd also prefer not to have the CDROM spin up every time I start the machine and have it available; and I'd rather not have to depend on a USB sticking out the side either... I guess that sets me up for a poorman's install.

Definitely willing to give it a try if I can run Firefox, GIMP, WINE and  my favorite editor at the same time.
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