Offsite config and /home storage

Forum: DSL Ideas and Suggestions
Topic: Offsite config and /home storage
started by: <--iNT13-->

Posted by <--iNT13--> on June 14 2004,08:52

What if it was possible to "save settings/config" and restore from offsite. Eg. save and restore your bookmarks and files from a webserver...
Would it be possible to boot DSL from CD-ROM, and (at a low-runlevel) log into a web/ftp server, read saved settings from file, and use the server as /home??
Perhaps it would require booting into a "default" DSL, clicking on a desktop icon to run a script that gets a URL, username and password, reads the settings, then re-starts the appropriate services and changes paths...
If this, or a process similar was possible... then the business card DSL would truly become the "portable PERSONAL computer"!

Posted by Error403 on June 14 2004,12:18

Hey, I was thinking the exact same thing! Having a spot to enter a ftp/http server name, a username and password (like, maybe your personal web space your isp gives you?) and load it up! heheh

Posted by cbagger01 on June 14 2004,16:39

It sounds like a cool idea that could work for many poeple, but there is one "gotcha" that I can think of:

If you are a dialup/PPoE user, or someone with a static IP address, then you cannot connect to the Internet until your "saved" networking configuration is restored.

This leaves you in a "Catch-22" situation where you need an Internet Connection to restore your settings, but you need your settings in order to create an Internet connection.

However, this idea can work for users that have "hands-free" DHCP Internet access like Cable Modems, Home-routers, schools and businesses.

Posted by roberts on June 14 2004,17:55

Do you guys read minds or do great minds think alike.
That is where I was headed next. With the myDSL concept and the factoring out parts of the filetool.lst such as network setup, Xsetup, and other base system stuff that would leave a much smaller "actual user files". Then those files can easily be stored remotely. I have been playing with ftp and wget for my mail, docs, and such. You can piece together this already after factoring your current filetool.lst then a smple script in /opt/bootlocal.sh to prompt and load and another script placed in /opt/powerdown.sh to save upon exit.

Posted by Godzill on June 14 2004,18:16

Really have to accept that Great minds think alike. Also it is good to know that there are so many great minds.

A long time back (may be around 6months ) I was using a distro named Flinix. This distro too had the option to restore settings from an ftp server.

Posted by <--iNT13--> on June 15 2004,03:08

Quote (cbagger01 @ June 14 2004,12:39)

I (kind of) thought of that (problem).
From the luxury of ignorance I think there's a couple of ways around that:-
Boot DSL from the CD and:-
;1. at the "stock" gui choose "reload config" from menu, enter details of "config" (ie. url, protocol, port, username, password, etc), and the appropriate services are "re-started", fstab re-written etc with the new values. So it should be possible to even mount NFS as /home, load "custom" desktop and menus, perhaps even .dsl extensions.
;2. before starting the Xserver - load custom settings from offsite, re-start services and re-write/read settings as necessary - then start the Xserver and Window Manager and other (now) customised settings.

Which ever method, or variation of, if taken it would require the ability to "re-start" services and "re-write/re-read" config settings after boot. My understanding (limited) is that this ability is the norm under Deb...
It should also be possible, and certainly desirable, to set some configs at boot time (either at the command line or from a local device as specified via the restore option at boot time) - and retain those (sic) settings when "restoring" "offsite" settings...
In short - "offsite" settings don't necessarily "over-write" boot time settings, unless implicit in the offsite settings.

One possible complication is the need to logon and authenticate remotely as one user, and run DSL as another - but that's probably another post