EasyOS version 2.3.2, June 22, 2020

[TiredPup]

blgs wrote:

Very soon easyos 2.1 will be released. The pedget issue and other issues are solved then.

Thank you.

[blgs]

blgs wrote:

Very soon easyos 2.1 will be released. The pedget issue and other issues are solved then.

Thank you.

No issue.

The next release has several nice improvement such as operating totally in ram (security improvement).

You can re-install Easy OS 2.0 and use pedget to install applications. But DON'T use the update button that will break petget.

[lp-dolittle]

@ Barry


just a question. When refind remembers the last boot menu selection, where is this information stored? In the UEFI-firmware?
Might that (theoretically) include a security risk?

kind regards

lp-dolittle

edit:
at second thought:
If the information gets stored at boot-up, no security risk might arise. If it is stored during shutdown, the situation might be different.

[scsijon]

Little problem with playing video's.
I can play pal standard ones without problems, but trying ntsc format ones all fail. This should not happen nowadays on a computer, maybe there is a driver or configuration setting missing. Unlike a tv a computer can play both if set correctly.

[BarryK]

blgs wrote:

Very soon easyos 2.1 will be released. The pedget issue and other issues are solved then.

Thank you.

No issue.

The next release has several nice improvement such as operating totally in ram (security improvement).

You can re-install Easy OS 2.0 and use pedget to install applications. But DON'T use the update button that will break petget.

There was more than that broken. The download URLs were also sometimes wrong.

[BarryK]

@ Barry


just a question. When refind remembers the last boot menu selection, where is this information stored? In the UEFI-firmware?
Might that (theoretically) include a security risk?

kind regards

lp-dolittle

edit:
at second thought:
If the information gets stored at boot-up, no security risk might arise. If it is stored during shutdown, the situation might be different.

Yes, my understanding is that it is written to the uefi firmware.

[TiredPup]

Barry K wrote:

blgs wrote:
TiredPup wrote:
blgs wrote:

Quote:
Very soon easyos 2.1 will be released. The pedget issue and other issues are solved then.


Thank you.


No issue.

The next release has several nice improvement such as operating totally in ram (security improvement).

You can re-install Easy OS 2.0 and use pedget to install applications. But DON'T use the update button that will break petget.


There was more than that broken. The download URLs were also sometimes wrong.

Thank you for that post. I am looking forward to testing the next release.

[ejazjv]

hello berryK
i am using your easyos 2 but its problem in booting some time boot correctly but some time stuck on this stage
"making the filesystem usable...."

[tigs]

I have been posting to my blog, many fixes and improvements not reported to this forum.

The latest improvement:

http://bkhome.org/news/201908/easyos-bo ... n-ram.html

Has this already been implemented. In the current releases? Will it be availlable in the Pyro?

This is simillar to the TENS, formerly lightweight portable by the US military.

[scsijon]

@BarryK

For your udev problem you might like to revisit LFS at http://linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/de ... links.html. Maybe a refresher of 7.3 and then onto 7.4. Especially the last few sentances of 7.4.2. It took some time to sink in to me what they meant and since that is how we do things (are similar) as I have a system with a similar problem. I wonder if we should be running udevadm or something like it each time we start up (,?or are we already doing that) since we can use our usb sticks on many different devices.

[BarryK]

@BarryK

For your udev problem you might like to revisit LFS at http://linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/de ... links.html. Maybe a refresher of 7.3 and then onto 7.4. Especially the last few sentances of 7.4.2. It took some time to sink in to me what they meant and since that is how we do things (are similar) as I have a system with a similar problem. I wonder if we should be running udevadm or something like it each time we start up (,?or are we already doing that) since we can use our usb sticks on many different devices.

Yes, /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit runs udevadm

[BarryK]

EasyOS Pyro series is back from the dead, version 1.2 released:

http://bkhome.org/news/201908/easy-pyro ... eased.html

Buster 2.1 will be announced very soon. I have to write the release notes for it first.

[BarryK]

Here is Easy Buster 2.1:

http://bkhome.org/news/201908/easy-bust ... eased.html

Feedback welcome!

[scsijon]

@BarryK

For your udev problem you might like to revisit LFS at http://linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/de ... links.html. Maybe a refresher of 7.3 and then onto 7.4. Especially the last few sentances of 7.4.2. It took some time to sink in to me what they meant and since that is how we do things (are similar) as I have a system with a similar problem. I wonder if we should be running udevadm or something like it each time we start up (,?or are we already doing that) since we can use our usb sticks on many different devices.

Yes, /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit runs udevadm

OK, found that,thanks. It makes me think then that it's not checking something relating to the ?usb devices when using the EasyOS programmed usb stick in a different system after setting it up on a first one as the internal usb cdrom didn't work until I manually told it to with:

Code: Select all

udevadm hwdb --update

and then rebooted.

Since this is happening, I shall see if I can trace what's up, i'm sure there is a log somewhere I can compare a good vs faulty. I'll let you know what I find out.

Or maybe there needs to be something that tests for it now being plugged into different hardware and rerun the basic udevadm setup database commands rather than try to use the already created one?

And nice to see your new versions out, I will play with Pyro 1.2 and see if I can build a few extra packages for you that I use.

[BarryK]

@scsijon
That's interesting, I always assumed the "udevadm hwdb --update" was something that only had to be done once. Didn't know it depended on what hardware is in the system.

@Argolance
I have thanked you for your theme contribution in the Buster 2.1 release notes. Regarding the new usb-stick that you bought, that appeared to be faulty, I intend to investigate.

Yesterday. one of my usb sticks decided to misbehave, and bootup failed. Something needs to be done to detect this situation...

First step, I propose that EasyDD will write the inverse of the image file to the usb-stick, that is, all bits flipped, then verify, then write the actual image and again verify.

Second step, checksums at bootup of vmlinuz, initrd and easy.sfs, failure to verify any of these and it will post a report and drop to the commandline in the initrd, then you can poweroff.

[BarryK]

Both Pyro 1.2 and Buster 2.1 use the 'nmtui' GUI for network management, a primitive text-mode GUI. This is a frontend for NetworkManager.

There is a very sophisticated tray applet in Buster 2.1, that you might like to play with. Quoting from the release notes:

You can install 'network-manager-applet' yourself, to play with -- click on "petget" at top of screen, then click on the "pet-buster" radiobutton, then type "network-manager-applet" into the search-box and hit the "Go" button.

All dependencies are already builtin.

[scsijon]

@scsijon
That's interesting, I always assumed the "udevadm hwdb --update" was something that only had to be done once. Didn't know it depended on what hardware is in the system.

/cut/

Yesterday. one of my usb sticks decided to misbehave, and bootup failed. Something needs to be done to detect this situation...

First step, I propose that EasyDD will write the inverse of the image file to the usb-stick, that is, all bits flipped, then verify, then write the actual image and again verify.

Second step, checksums at bootup of vmlinuz, initrd and easy.sfs, failure to verify any of these and it will post a report and drop to the commandline in the initrd, then you can poweroff.

@BarryK
Re udev.
I think I can now confirm the need for checking and possably the necessity (somehow) for updating on a hardware change as I looked at one in the origonal system I installed on with a fresh dd installation, and one after moving and creating a new db file and they wern't even the same size let alone hash value. And looking at the doc's they don't seem to expect our mobility between systems either.
EDIT 20190830: I did some further testing and it seems with chipset changes It may or may not need rebuilding the database, of eight extra bases tested 3 with different chipsets created different database files and one failed entirely when trying to rebuild (i've had problems with this one before as it's a one chip chipset system). I also wonder what happens if we upgrade the kernel, would that also need a rebuild?

Re bad usb,
After some investigation on this problem a month or so ago, I found that most of the ones i've had go faulty (even good brands) seem to have the Partition Tables themselves corrupted, not the userspace, and even if told to create a new partition table they error afterwards. I've even tried locking the area out and have it create a fresh primary partition table after this (as we could with dos). Unfortunately they are still failing when trying to boot from the stick. It can be used for storage still without problems, just not booting. Even tried with the old drdos tool, and that bit-writes to individual hex addresses, but still no luck. In all cases it says it's writing the image (and does), just won't boot afterwards. I sort of gave up, after that as other things of more importance took my time.

And to give you an early heads-up in case they try to contact you. I had a request for a Psion 5MX Windemere PDA update the other day. ARM?, Pseudo-32bit (really 16bit), small ram, rom for OS, flash drive, horrible unstandard internal kernel configuration even for ARM (comment from a kernel person I know). Has a (rebuilt for ARM and much modified) version of your 2.1.5CE from somewhere unknown it seems(,no not me. I never baught the ARM 4G Terminal I wanted to buy back then, as the screen specs and build were derated from 4k to 2k when it went release so I never got into it). I've replied that i'll have a look around, but suspect it may be a 'no' as i'm not sure it's even in the kernel nowadays and i'm dam sure a lot of later packages won't build. There are some notes out there on kludged versions of debian 3.1 that I pointed them at, so hopefully one of the Debian ARM Teams can help them out as they have a few of them. EDIT: Definately a NO from me, required many kernel and apps patches galore for 4.x kernel and nothing visable for a 5.x.

[Sage]

Do we need to spell it out again?! Flash (USB) memory has been suspect ever since it arrived. Optical media can have limited lifetimes depending on use, environment, etc., but generally a more reliable option.
Spinning magnetic discs have well known limitations, cf. warranty terms! Hardly the perfect solution but I still have FDs in my desk functioning since DOS 5.0, but they only rotate at slow speed and then for short times with limited storage capacity. The infamous red 'Black Boxes' use wire storage! My ancient brain, on the other hand, seems generally more reliable over extended periods but needs a regular supply of food...
What will you choose?

...and these USB .img files are a damn nuisance. I was called to the the phone whilst waiting for a first boot. By the time I returned, it had passed the point where a k/b entry &/or P/W input was required. As a result the whole f****** image was corrupted requiring a re-burn. Seen this before- very annoying.

[belham2]

Do we need to spell it out again?! Flash (USB) memory has been suspect ever since it arrived. Optical media can have limited lifetimes depending on use, environment, etc., but generally a more reliable option.
Spinning magnetic discs have well known limitations, cf. warranty terms! Hardly the perfect solution but I still have FDs in my desk functioning since DOS 5.0, but they only rotate at slow speed and then for short times with limited storage capacity. The infamous red 'Black Boxes' use wire storage! My ancient brain, on the other hand, seems generally more reliable over extended periods but needs a regular supply of food...
What will you choose?

...and these USB .img files are a damn nuisance. I was called to the the phone whilst waiting for a first boot. By the time I returned, it had passed the point where a k/b entry &/or P/W input was required. As a result the whole f****** image was corrupted requiring a re-burn. Seen this before- very annoying.

Are you ever going to stop this senseless tirade, year after year?

This is Barry's project.

It is NOT yours.

Do you understand that?!

Whether you do or not, start acting like it.


If you don't like using USB .img files (I love them, and no one I know uses burned optical anymore---every person I am friends with uses USB/SSD---and I know I am older than you based on all the crap you've posted over the years)...if you don't like .img, then :SHOCKER: don't install them, period.




Sorry Barry and everyone, get tired of this same old trope being posted by this person year after year.

[wdt]

Personally, I much prefer isos,, but each to their own.
Not burned to a cd, too slow and bulky,and not using a WHOLE UFD (usb flash drive)
but instead with something like e2b or refind,, or rufus or....
All I can say is too bad boot.specs is buried inside a gzipped cpio,
hence impossible to hexedit, well there would have to be 10 or more spaces between the quotes.
So, Barry,, thanks so much for the iso

Cheap flash IS NOT worth buying, I could go on for a page about slc, mlc, tlc
and the various curiousities of flash, I'll spare you
Mostly, check the specs, especially the speed. Fast flash is usually better quality
Not the manufacture, 3rd party ratings OR yourself, iozone, especially 4k speeds
These are ALWAYS terrible, just how bad is what you look at
--edit--
FWIW, in my experience, it is hard to beat Samsung evo uSD, any version, 32G and up
Then you have to find a dongle, usb3 and U1, these seem to be reliable
Test it for speed (iozone again). I have half a dozen dead usb2 hubs
iozone -e -I -a -s 100M -r 4k -r 16k -r 512k -r 1024k -r 16384k -i 0 -i 1 -i 2