Selecting pup_2xx.sfs file at boot time

[realn]

Hello.
I read all kind of threads and I am still as confused as at the beginning.
Question1: how does one specify the puppy .sfs file to be used?
Question2: what is the algorithm used for finding/selecting the .sfs file? (from the answer to this question one should be able to get the answer to "what is the default value/behaviour when no parameters are specified?")

I saw that in version 1xx one could use PFILE and PHOME.
Now, in version 2xx there is only PMEDIA.
What about PUPXIDE and PUPXUSB ? What are they used for?

I admit that puppy linux is the most user friendly light weighted linux. I booted from CD, I installed it to a USB key, I booted from USB key, it worked. But that's a problem, too, if it's too user friendly. Because I wanted to do some changes, and then I ran into problems:
Problem1) use grub as bootloader (it took me hours to figure out the root=/dev/ram0 parameter)
Problem2) I wanted to have the sfs file some other place than in the root of the USB key partition. It didn't boot any more.
Problem3) I wanted to boot different versions of puppy. I don't know how to do it.
PLEASE, if someone can help me with Questions1&2 and with problems 2&3 I will be much grateful.Please note that I'm using grub as bootloader, so a menu.lst file would be most welcome.

I found "some" threads with "some" answers, but those were only some observations made by different users after so many trials.
Come on, some real-life examples gathered together in a text file would be more valuable than 100 threads all over the place. Maybe it's just me who doesn't know how to look around the forums, but it might be that it's not just me.

Thank you a lot!
a somehow frustrated puppy user

[PaulBx1]

For what it's worth (I'm no expert), this is the menu.lst I was using for a while:

Code: Select all

######################################################
# GvR Sept 30th 2004   
	color black/cyan yellow/cyan
	timeout=10
	default=5

title Windows Boot on HD 0
	rootnoverify (hd0,0)
	chainloader +1
	boot

title Knoppix 4.0.2 (CD version)
	kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.402/linux ramdisk_size=100000 fromhd=/dev/hda1 knoppix_dir=/boot/knoppix.402 knoppix_name=KNOPPIX init=/etc/init lang=us nomce dma
	initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.402/minirt.gz
	boot

title Knoppix 5.0 (DVD version)
	kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.500/linux ramdisk_size=100000 fromhd=scan knoppix_dir=/boot/knoppix.500 knoppix_name=KNOPPIX init=/etc/init lang=us nomce dma
	initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.500/minirt.gz
	boot

title Puppy Linux 2.0 (with Seamonkey)
      root (hd0,0)
      kernel (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.200/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init fromiso=/boot/puppy.200/puppy-2.00-seamonkey.iso noprompt noeject
      initrd (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.200/initrd.gz
	boot

title Puppy Linux 2.0.1 (with Seamonkey)
      root (hd0,0)
      kernel (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.201/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 noeject noswap
      initrd (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.201/initrd.gz
	boot

title Puppy Linux 2.1.0r1 (with Seamonkey)
      root (hd0,0)
      kernel (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.210r1/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 noeject noswap
      initrd (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.210r1/initrd.gz
	boot
	

Looks like I used both methods, booting from iso in 2.0 and the regular way with the rest. Of course, you have to manually fiddle with the pup_saves before switching otherwise you'd be doing upgrades and "downgrades" all the time. I think, anyway. Also I vaguely remember having to copy the appropriate sfs file to the top directory, but I'm not sure about that either. Actually I didn't jump around much, just used the latest.

I found this just by looking around the forum, and I think ICPUG has a site that tells how to do it too... ah, here it is:
http://www.icpug.org.uk/national/linnwi ... innwin.htm

Now I just boot from CD. Much easier...

[realn]

Hello,

Thank you so much for your answer. I will try something similar to what you have. Still, I have some questions related to your menu.lst:
1) Why do you use "fromiso" parameter for ver. 2.0 and not for the others.
2) How does puppy know the right .sfs file when booting ver. 2.0.1. versus 2.1.0. ? One simple way would be to have the kernel, the initrd AND the .sfs file in the same folder. Could you confirm that this is the case ? If not, could someone PLEASE PLEASE let us know how it really works ??

Thank you all,
Regards.

[joki]

Code: Select all

title Puppy Linux 2.0 (with Seamonkey)
      root (hd0,0)
      kernel (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.200/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init fromiso=/boot/puppy.200/puppy-2.00-seamonkey.iso noprompt noeject
      initrd (hd0,0)/boot/puppy.200/initrd.gz
	boot

that looks like solving problem 2.

I'm loadlin 'ing 2.11 from msdos on an old desktop, and grub 'ing 2.11 on a laptop. It's preferable to avoid extracting files from the iso into the root folder.

i was looking for a way to have the .sfs file away from the root of a vfat partition. Looks like you dont actually have to extract the .sfs file - just keep everything in the .iso.

Can the destination directory of pup_save.3fs and the .swp file be specified? That'd be even neater as all puppy's files could be in c:\pupp for example.

[realn]

OK, it looks like the the "fromiso" parameter is the answer. I'll try it and see if it works. That would solve my problem2&3. Anyway, I would really like to know what does the default implementation do? As far as I understood it checks the specified media (IDE, USB) for any puppy files. BUT .... how? All the files/folders? By name? By signature? What happens if it finds more than one? It will stop at the first one ? Answers that I'd like to know.
Anyway, I already have something that I can use and see if it works.
Thank you all for your quick and precise answers.
Best regards.