a few questions on the Puppy files and booting

Message

moXXXXXX · #1 Post by **moXXXXXX** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 04:44

i wanted to see if i understand the Puppy file system properly.
from what i've read Puppy seems to be stored in two files one of which is the user_cram.fs file and the other the pup001 file. i'm working on a boot CD that will boot, partition and format the disks, and then, I hope, copy across the user_cram.fs file and the pup001 files to the partition, re-write the MBR record and then reboot in to a freshly built Puppy machine. i am putting this disk together like this as i need to build 10+ machines to be all the same.
i am getting the user_cram.fs file and the pup001 file from a computer I've previously built with Puppy (I ran the install to HD wizard on this machine) and i thought I'd rewrite the MBR with the CD so that it looks the same as the MBR record of the machine from which I took the user_cram.fs and the pup001 file.
do you think this work? what i expect to happen is that the CD will make the computers look and act exactly like the computer I built by using the Puppy Live CD, fdisk, and the install to HD wizard.
hope someone can help with my understanding of this.
cheers - woof woof,
adrian

#2 Post by **Flash** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 05:25

I think you're talking about what's called cloning. If the hardware of the cloned computers is close enough to the original computer, you ought to be able to make it work.

moXXXXXX · #3 Post by **moXXXXXX** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 05:45

thanks Flash.
am i right in thinking that it is only the two files and the MBR that i need to make the same?

klhrevolutionist · #4 Post by **klhrevolutionist** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 07:53

Well, that is one way to do it.
but I would recommend making your own custom puppy cd.
This will be easier in a couple of days, because of the new user friendlier script that
puppy will have. So if you have a couple of days wait for the new release.
Then you can create your easy puppy cd, and install the same suite of
applications and layouts and such with plopping in a cd and installing.
Yes it would be easier if you had a good lan tool to do this from
one central computer, but as of yet no a lot of puppies use that, I think???

moXXXXXX · #5 Post by **moXXXXXX** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 07:59

thanks for the info. i can wait a few days so this might be an option.
will the new script enable to me to automatically have the drives partitioned and formted by the CD?

p.s. if i have three partitions (one, swap, one for Puppy, and another) can I use the third partition for my Puppy data? how do i tell Puppy to keep, and read, my data from the third partition? will Puppy remember this and make all the computers I build using my custom made CD (with the new script) look and work the same?

#6 Post by **Pizzasgood** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 12:36

from what i've read Puppy seems to be stored in two files one of which is the user_cram.fs file and the other the pup001 file

Almost. You forgot image.gz.

usr_cram.fs has everything in /usr
pup001 has /root (/etc is a symlink to /root/.etc, so /etc is also saved in pup001)
image.gz has everything else

When you make a change to /usr, the change is stored in /root/.usr (thus in pup001), which gets combined with usr_cram.fs to form /usr.

moXXXXXX · #7 Post by **moXXXXXX** » Tue 27 Sep 2005, 13:52

i wonder if the new release of puppy will do partitioning etc all in one? does anyone know? if not i can keep working on my little disk. so there are three files now. hmmm. interesting. will they know about each if i set up one computer with everything working (partitioning etc) and then copy these three files and have my magic disk place them in the "same" partitions on different computers? i wonder if i am making sense?!?!? hmmm. hehe.

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

a few questions on the Puppy files and booting

a few questions on the Puppy files and booting

just two files and the MBR

suggestion

partitions with new script

will the new release of puppy do this partitioning