Build scripts for small debian live images (similar to woof)

[saintless]

sdb1 refuses to mount - with a message like, it's not found in fstab, or mtab.

Hi, Anikin.
I guess it is Cat-0.2 you are using? Emil wrote there was a problem with the mount script in the first version but he already removed this version from the site.
The message for fstab and mtab missing is usual output if you try to mount/unmount drives from xfe or rox direct. They need fstab menu entry to do it.
I would try this:

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fdisk -l

Find the exact name of the drive and if it is /dev/sdb1 try:

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mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt

If this also does not work try the script /opt/bin/mnt-all from Light-Wheezy.

Toni

[konaexpress]

Hi,

This looks like a cool project! Glad to see it and good luck with it.

1. Would love to see apt-get.

2. Might want to give new versions/ projects cat names to show a distinction between it and legacy Puppy projects. This will give way to all new names too....

Lot of good people here at the Puppy forums.

Best regards,
John

[emil]

Hi thank you all,
anikin

replaced user with root. Works like a charm.

makes life easier on a private computer.

Extract initrd1.img from Light-Wheezy2, use it with Cat-0.2 and it is done

it is fine to modify everything with backported live-build, different initrd etc.
For my personal builds with the CAT I try to stay close to official debian build, so I use original initrd

About IceWM-Control-Center:

Toni, thank you for packagin Ice wm control center. I tested it, python would be no problem, python minimal is already here, but it needs qt3 libs, whereas qt4 is used in wheezy.

The only unusual thing is this empty folder /live/cow/live

For my personal CAT builds I will use live-build 3.0 to stay with the current version (reason see above). So in my CAT builds there will be no folder /live/cow.

sdb1 refuses to mount

I only included my very old mount-all script. I hope one of Tonis solutions worked for you. I work on an extended CAT version with lots of filesystem drivers, maybe I can also include the drive icons, this will make mounting more puppy like.

This looks like a cool project!

Thanks! It is ultra-cool...
1) apt-get is working
2) at the moment I will just use CAT with some version number, if anybody else uses the scripts name it as you like (maybe not pussy linux, that is something slightly different)

cheers
emil

[saintless]

The only unusual thing is this empty folder /live/cow/live

For my personal CAT builds I will use live-build 3.0 to stay with the current version (reason see above). So in the my CAT builds there will be no folder /live/cow.

Hi, Emil
I know. I just answered Anikin's questions. He wants to use /live/cow with Cat.
BTW I also keep the original initrd.img on the site. The downgraded initrd.img is build with downgraded live-boot but I also use it with squashfs with latest live-boot in Light-Wheezy.

Toni

[konaexpress]

Icewm and Xfe?

Wow that should be a fast little distro for sure. Ever think about flux box too?

I will continue to watch this thread, have fun.

John

[emil]

Hi Toni,

I just answered Anikin's questions. He wants to use /live/cow with Cat.

yep I know, thanks for answering , I am not regulary on. It would be interesting to build CAT with config/CAT

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DISTRO='squeeze'

I think squeeze uses live-tools 2.x, so this would be a /live/cow distro
cheers
emil

[emil]

I am in the process to build a new CAT, which should have some more software. I want to include some of the debs from Debian-Wheezy-light. I tried to create a local apt repository on my computer and use this to host the debs. I tried to create a sign key, but *LOL* system won't let me, it says:

Not enough random bytes available. Please do some other work to give
the OS a chance to collect more entropy! (Need 281 more bytes)
...+++++
+++++
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.

So I decided I post a short HowTo to gain this necessary entropy...
HowTo set up a local signed apt repository and use it with the Debian-light-Builder scripts


1. apt-get install dpkg-dev
2. create a directory and copy your homemade deb files in
3. cd to that directory and run dpkg-scanpackages . /dev/null | gzip -9c > Packages.gz
4. to have this repo used from your local machine:

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echo "deb file:${LOCAL_REPO} ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

5. apt-get update
6. follow instructions to create your RSA key (gpg --gen-key):
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1090731
7. To use the key on your local machine you need to:

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apt-key add public-key

with this step you can happily install and uninstall from your own repo of debs. However I didn|t manage to make this work during live build in the chroot environment, Maybe another time...

[emil]

I updated the first post

Download build scripts: CAT-scripts-0.41.tar.gz (6,7 MB)
Download ISO: CAT-0.41.iso (412 MB)
md5sum

hope you like it...

[saintless]

Thank you, Emil.
I really like to see some of the extra stuff in Cat-O.41
Unfortunately I test most on old hardware and the RAM is not enough for some wheezy apps like iceweasel for example.

Just a thought from me:
If the build script is the project maybe it will be better to post only the build scripts without the new iso result. it might sounds bad but I think many of the readers in this thread will prefer just to test the new iso without testing the script. Nothing wrong in that of course...
But having the script only with explanation what it builds may make them curious to see the result and to give more constructive comments about the script it self. And to experiment more with the script.
Otherwise you will get comments only about the resulted iso. I don't know if this is what you really need as help for this project.
It is only my point of view.

Toni

[emil]

Hi Toni,
I thought I post the iso too, because to run the scripts is best from a debian system. The iso and the scripts together with working internet and debian repositories constitute a self bootstrapping system. Anyhow I do not plan to post any new isos in the near future, I will use CAT-0.41 which is very close to pure debian and gain experience with it. I do not wan't to compete for size, functionality or user base and it is of course possible to run the scripts from Debian-light-Wheezy.

My Goal is still to make a new small Sage live CD someday, but to achieve that I have to learn more about debian. And learning is best while using it. So I need a workable system for my daily stuff, office applications, email and such...

The scripts are cool. Until now I used just a small fraction of possible functionality and got good results. For someone with experience it will be possible to build much better (smaller?, 64bit, 686, oldstable, testing, different WM) systems.

kind regards
emil

[saintless]

Hi, Emil.

Still very light on resources on boot. Only the heavy applications make my system slow if I run them.
I like the keyboard.sh switcher. It doesn't have phonetic layouts but I guess it will be easy to add this as option. Unfortunately it need zenity packages and it adds too much for my needs
I don't know if you prefer a separate scripts for reboot and shutdown, but you can have them easy as start menu buttons from /usr/share/icewm/preferences:

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#  Command to shutdown the system
ShutdownCommand="/sbin/poweroff"

#  Command to reboot the system
RebootCommand="/sbin/reboot"

Haven't test to add sudo but I guess it will work for user account this way also if you like to give user permissions to use them.
Running the build-shell to build cat-0.41 my self now. I will try to edit it for Light-Wheezy similar build.
If build script is able to run from GUI with choice what architecture and packages to include to build your own iso image it will be great.

Toni

[saintless]

I will use CAT-0.41 which is very close to pure debian and gain experience with it. I do not wan't to compete for size, functionality or user base and it is of course possible to run the scripts from Debian-light-Wheezy

Hi, Emil.
I think you missuderstand my words. Nothing wrong to compete for anything.
I like to try to use this script to build something for my needs in the future.
I just think comments for resulted iso does not help improoving the script.
Do you think it is possible to have some kind of GUI with choices for the build script in general?

Toni

[emil]

I don't know if you prefer a separate scripts for reboot and shutdown

Tony, I am just ignorant and of course there will be much better possibilties to improve the system! The keyboard switcher is not from me, but from Tierry Monteil. I just went with the most simple solutions I could imagine.

I dont know about a GUI for the scripts, I think a Text editor is enough. The settings are defined in the config directory:

eg. from the /config/default file:

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ARCHITECTURE='i386'
DISTRO='wheezy'
..
LINUX_FLAVOURS='686-pae'

so DISTRO='squeeze'
LINUX_FLAVOUR='486'
should build something for your "low ram monster'
Others can use "amd64" for modern hardware.

If you want to build without the heavy applications then look at the /config/CAT file:

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IMAGE='iso-hybrid'
RECOMMENDS='false'
INDICES='false'
LINUX_FLAVOURS='486'

NON_FREE_WIRELESS='2'
MODULES='CAT wireless icewm medium-rw keep media office printing keyboard stripped'

You could ommit the media, office and printing modules to build a smaller iso ALso set NONFREE_WIRELESS to 0 (1 will install all non free drivers, 2 only the broadcom drivers which I need for my laptop).

I would also point you to the "stripped" module. Currently most of the stripping is done by an original hook from debian live author Daniel Baumann, which uses rm -r rather brutaly. You have the experience to define packages to remove in this step, and also maybe replace the rm by the "zerosize" method from FoxyRoxy.

thanks and have fun
emil

[emil]

Hi Toni, I shifted the order of the download links and removed "boldness" from the iso link, so focus should be clear now! I appreciate your comments.

[emil]

Now on git:

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git clone https://github.com/emilwidmann/Debian-light-builder.git

[saintless]

Thank you, Emil.
I will post when I have modified working build script.

Toni

[konaexpress]

I don't know if you prefer a separate scripts for reboot and shutdown, but you can have them easy as start menu buttons from /usr/share/icewm/preferences:

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#  Command to shutdown the system
ShutdownCommand="/sbin/poweroff"

#  Command to reboot the system
RebootCommand="/sbin/reboot"

Haven't test to add sudo but I guess it will work for user account this way also if you like to give user permissions to use them.
Running the build-shell to build cat-0.41 my self now. I will try to edit it for Light-Wheezy similar build.

Toni

Not sure how it works in Puppy as you start in root but I had to use other commands when I programmed a log off manager for another distro. It's the same commands that CrunchBang has to use with the OBmenu system.

Let me know if you want the scripts and I will go look in my code and see what they are again. You would be surprised at how long they are, stupid politics and the open desktop org.

John

[konaexpress]

Hi Toni, I shifted the order of the download links and removed "boldness" from the iso link, so focus should be clear now! I appreciate your comments.

Please do not stop making the iso, but maybe make a striped version for users to test and build off of.

Maybe just the file manager, wallpaper changer, panel, text editor, wifi manager, web browser and a few tools. If it has to much stuff in it, the focus could land on the iso and not the scripts.

This would give new builders that want to learn how to build a chance to learn in the shallow end of the pool.

Just my 2 cents,
John

[emil]

konaexpress, good point.
The CAT-0.2.iso is still on, it is reduced to the basics.
Download

for puppy user it might be a hassle that X is startet as user, but starting a root shell and 1 or two root Rox filers will be enough for puppy root feeling...
The scripts have the KITTY module, which should be similar to CAT-0.2
Edit:(it has modified nodm hook, so it should build with auto login to root)

sudo su
emil

[saintless]

Let me know if you want the scripts and I will go look in my code and see what they are again.

Thanks, John.
I like to see this scripts.
We still look for proper solution to make option for user account to reboot and shutdown and this is involved with using separate script for the start menu buttons.
Maybe your example will give me the right idea to use in Light-Wheezy.
I guess it will be best to post it here when you have time:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=90660

Toni