cbagger01
Group: Members
Posts: 4264
Joined: Oct. 2003 |
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Posted: Jan. 25 2005,17:52 |
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There are a few ways to modify the configuration of the system and retain them.
First, there is the backup/restore system that is explained in the documentation. This system uses a file called "filetool.lst" that contains a list of the files that you want to backup and restore again upon bootup. If you have a file or directory that changes often (like web browser settings and bookmarks, for example) then you can add it to the filetool.lst Usually these types of files are located in your /home/dsl, /opt or /etc directories.
For files that don't change very often, you can create a gzipped tar file (*.tar.gz) that contains the files or programs. If you place this file in the root of your boot filesystem (IE: C:\ or /) on the flash device where your /KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX file is stored then it will be automatically loaded back as part of the myDSL boot process.
For example, you might have something like MyNetworkSettings.tar.gz that contains your TC/PIP settings, or MyPrinterSettings.tar.gz that contains your printer configuration. This will also work for installed programs, provided that they are installed to a writable portion of the file system like /home/dsl or /opt
If you need to install the program where parts of it reside somewhere in the file system that is normally Read-Only for a Frugal install (like /lib or /usr), you can still do it. First, you need to install a *.dsl extension like dsl-dpkg.dsl
This will run the mkwritable script and create a writable file system in your ramdisk. Then you can install your program. Please keep track of all of the files that are created by your new program and then wrap them up in a *.tar.gz file, but rename it to the *.dsl extension and place it is the root directory of your Frugal storage device and it will be extracted upon bootup.
You can include just about anything inside a *.dsl file, such as boot scripts and kernel driver modules or whatever you need. The boot scripts will appear in your runlevel subdirectory and can get automatically executed. It is a very flexible way to modify your Frugal install.
Of course you can also download and try out any of the dozens of myDSL extensions that exist inside the DSL repository. Someone may have already done your work for you.
Like for example, there is a samba.dsl extension that gives you the ability to mount a remote smbfs filesystem. In addition to the command-line ability to mount a Windows network share, it also includes the LinNeighborhood graphical utility.
Once you get a feel for how the *.tar.gz and *.dsl extensions work and also the backup/restore process, you could try to create a *.uci extension, which is a unified compressed ISO extension. This extension allows you to install a program in a location like /opt and it takes the bundle of files and stores them inside a small compressed ISO filesystem, similar to the 50MB KNOPPIX file that the DSL livecd uses. The advantage to the *.uci files is that they use very little of your Ramdisk, which frees up your RAM for other uses like applications.
Finally, you can do a full-blown remaster of DSL using the methods that are described here in the forums. This will result in a custom KNOPPIX file to suit your personal tastes.
I wouldn't bother trying to use your Desktop Linux distro to do the remastering.
Instead, use DSL itself to do the job. Boot up with the DSL livecd and use the included tools (included cloop and the create compressed filesystem script) to customize it as needed.
Hope this helps.
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