frugal, backup, mydsl home dir. and presistece

Forum: HD Install
Topic: frugal, backup, mydsl home dir. and presistece
started by: marc66thomas

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 08 2007,04:20

I have been relatively successful with this old laptop.
I'm posting from DSL on a frugal install Thanks to Roberts and the crew here. Thank you.

As I move to use DSL more (this will be primarily a surf station and for email) I need to understand the strategy for making changes to an Image or install? What is the strategy for making changes (persistent). Adding software that i will use (persistent) and keeping a system up and going.

I have a frugal install on this machine and now that I'm getting down to using it. I want to customized the desktop make it boot up the way I expect with only the icons I use on the desktop. I thought that I could just delete the .gif and .ink and that they would be gone from view. It seems that they come back at start up again. Additionally I though that MyDSL would keep the application that I loaded in using MyDSL on the next start up.
So i must have a setting that I need to override from the backup. and/or I must be missing a command that I need to add to Grub for myDSL.
Is there a good strategy or primer on these subjects that some one can direct me to? Can someone help sort me out? I do want to make a couple basic changes. Add a couple applications, and remove some icons that I won't use.

MyDSL - add programs.
backup retain settings
home is for ??
how do I make changes and keep them from being over written when I restart?

my current Grub is as follows:

title testing DSL fb800x600 for Dell Lattitue LM (DSL on hda5 myDSL on hdc)
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda5 quiet vga=788 mydsl=/dev/hdc1 desktop=jwm nousb nofirewire noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal
initrd /boot/minirt24.gz

Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 08 2007,04:59

You cannot keep deleted files deleted from /home/dsl unless you are using a persistent home. When a frugal system boots, all files are copied from /KNOPPIX/etc/skel into /home/dsl. After this, files that you have backed up will be restored, overwriting any files in /home/dsl that are included in the backup. This process only adds to or replaces existing files,and cannot remove them. In order to automatically remove icons, you will need to add a command to /opt/bootlocal.sh to do this.
example:
rm -f /home/dsl/.xtdesktop/{icon1,icon2,icon3}.{png,gif,lnk}

Backup/restore must be manually enabled before it will work. There is a tool available in the desktop menu to specify a backup location. Enter "hdc1" and you should be fine after that.

"mydsl=/dev/hdc1" should be "mydsl=hdc1". You might also need to put "dsl" in front of it.

Posted by roberts on Feb. 08 2007,05:53

Icontool allows for "deleting icons" must be used with backup or persistem home. No need to add rm to /opt/bootlocal

Dsektop -> Icontool Remove Tab

Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 08 2007,14:45

I wasn't aware of this. Does that mean that removal of arbitrary icons is somehow persistent? I'mma hafta look at that.

I don't use icons myself, but it's good to know and understand how things work so I don't continue giving bad info =o)

Posted by roberts on Feb. 08 2007,16:44

A little trick I use. Basically one does indeed need to have a "list" of those base core icons that they no longer want to display.

So, to make it as transparent as possible for the user, the icontool allows the user to select which icon to no longer display but really I rename the lnk file with an additional suffix of 'hide'. Then refresh the icon display manager. .xtdesk ignores them.

With persistence these 'hide' items return and .xinitrc handles the removal of the returning base items from /etc/skel.

Just having fun.

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 08 2007,21:43

Quote (roberts @ Feb. 08 2007,11:44)

Roberts that icon deal... super easy thanks. i'll add that to the Wiki

now I need to figure out how to start up fresh. (not use the backup,home etc.) When I edited those icons. A couple applications no longer worked.
Does a boot command exist or do I need to delete those backups & directories and start over?

mikshaw I'll change the grub entry once I have Dillo and Sylpheed working again

Posted by roberts on Feb. 08 2007,22:04

You can always boot up fresh with the options base and norestore

boot: dsl base norestore

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 08 2007,23:54

that worked swimmingly until reboot.

SO
I've assume that on reboot Grub had the entries "mydsl=hda8 home=hda8".
I'm gun shy now and looking at rebuilding again. Should I proceed by turning on backup or following the "Persistence" in the wiki to make a home directory? I'll do neither until I understand why I'm shutting down with a working Dillo and Sylpheed and rebooting to a non-functional Dillo and Sylpheed

Should I use Backup or should I choose "Persistence"

Posted by roberts on Feb. 09 2007,00:39

Using persistence is no longer frugal. It is a hybrid, part frugal part traditional. What you do in your home, persistence, stays. I would not have mydsl and persistent home on the same partition.

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 09 2007,02:04

Quote (roberts @ Feb. 08 2007,19:39)

Using persistence is no longer frugal. It is a hybrid, part frugal part traditional. What you do in your home, persistence, stays. I would not have mydsl and persistent home on the same partition.

Ok so I'll summarize this thread and paste together both ends of this

"persistence" is Hybrid of a frugal install and a traditional install.
{backup restore} works together with persistence.
MyDSL adds programs to the distro (Keep MyDSL on a separate partition from the home directory used for persistence.)

So for me
hda5 is a frugal install
hda8 is my backup/restore
hda8 is my home and opt directory for persistence
MyDSL apps will be on hdc1

To rebuild my frugal install and directories:
Quote Robets"You can always boot up fresh with the options base and norestore

boot: dsl base norestore"

I then went into home and opt directories of (persistence partition hda8) and deleted all folders and files. I then deleted all my backup files, then deleted the DSL files.
Start over: turned on the back up. Followed the wiki Persistent home and opt directory < http://damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Persistence. >
modified my desktop Ikons: Icontool allows for "deleting icons" must be used with backup or persistent home.

Desktop -> Icontool Remove Tab

the modified grub for me is (works):
title Rebuilding DSL fb800x600 for Dell Lattitue LM (DSL on hda5 MyDSL on hdc1) kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda5 quiet vga=788 mydsl=/hdc home=hda8 desktop=jwm nousb nofirewire noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal initrd /boot/minirt24.gz

This works. Big Thanks!

One last question on MyDSL and grub. Is there a cmd for mydsl to restore Opera on restart. Would "mydsl-load /dev/dhc1/opera_fileName.dsl" load opera?
I know how to manually execute this as an individual user action is there any other way except the traditional install.

Thanks again.

Posted by roberts on Feb. 09 2007,02:26

Just make a level 1 directory named mydsl on hdc1 then copy your extensions into this directory . All your extensions will autoload at boot time.

I would not have the backup on the same drive, let alone, the same partition of home. If you lose the drive, you lost both, home and backup!

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 09 2007,04:22

Ok: Time for the happy dance. Think of Snoopy...

Quote

I would not have the backup on the same drive, let alone, the same partition of home. If you lose the drive, you lost both, home and backup!

Taking this to heart I'll make the change with backup to hdc1 (the separate CF drive)
This is not a storage machine surf and email. That being said; I can't get more than one drive in this laptop rig. I understand your thought on loosing everything. So far, the most valuable data is the Grub menu.
mydsl=hda7 home=hda8

Thank you sirs!

Guess thats the best I can get.

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 11 2007,17:53

MyDSl is working now.
the strange thing is that with the Grub entry it didn't function. "mydsl=hda7"
now that that is gone it works and loads in the 3 MyDSL apps I loaded in from MyDSL.

Any idea why it would not work with the the mydsl=hda7 and work seamingly fine with out? I have backup, home dir and opt dir, and the mydsl directory at root on hda7.

Posted by roberts on Feb. 11 2007,20:07

It autoscans for a mydsl directory unless one is specified.
If you use mydsl=hda7/mydsl it will boot up slightly faster as it will not have to do the autoscan.

You were using the old syntax before the autoscan mydsl search path was implemented.

Posted by marc66thomas on Feb. 12 2007,01:18

Quote (roberts @ Feb. 11 2007,15:07)

That makes perfect sense.