Is it possible to update an UPupBB live CD-R by delta files?

Discuss anything specific to using Puppy on a multi-session disk
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tallboy
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Is it possible to update an UPupBB live CD-R by delta files?

#1 Post by tallboy »

I think I'll update from my lovely, but ageing Lucid, to UPupBB-18.05.
I have been playing with saves to a live multisession CD-R, and I am very satisfied with the UPupBB, peebee and others has done a great job. :D
With a support time spanning the next ten years, to 2028, I think the Bionic Beaver could be my main Puppy for a long time. But, I have a problem. The initial .iso that I burned to the multisession CD-R earlier this year, was a UPupBB-18.05+1.iso, and I have saved 4 sessions to the CD-R after that. I don't use a savefile.
The Bionic Beaver puppy is updated by adding a delta-file to the original .iso version, the latest delta as of now being +21. Previous delta versions are removed from an updated .iso, by using a reverse_update file, before adding the latest delta version, see the two first posts here: UPup Bionic Beaver (UPupBB) 18.05 (May 2018). The method describes use of a savefle, which I don't use.

Is it possible to update a live multisession CD-R to the latest edition, using the delta reverse_updates and updates, and still keep the multisession saves? The saved session directories are named according to creation time, and they cannot just be moved into a new .iso. The multisession system is made to copy only the latest version of a file from the saved sessions into RAM, so saved sessions containing files created earlier than those in a new .iso, will be read (slowing down the boot process!), but none will be copied. I tried to edit an .iso on the HDD, but it wouldn't accept any additonal directories containing the session saves. Maybe if I cp -r the saved sessions into one set of files, and update the creation time on all, they may in theory be added to a remastered .iso, and be burnt to a new version, with only the latest saves intact? That would break with the intention that one can open previous saved sessions to find earlier versions of a file, but some sacrifices can be made...
Any comments and suggestions?

An afterthought: This also raises the question about possible problems with adding delta files to a remastered BB. Will the remastered version be recognized as the original, if one keep the .iso name intact? Will files only be replaced with new versions by adding a delta file - as in multisessions, or will a remastered version be filled up with unnecessary files?
Last edited by tallboy on Tue 11 Dec 2018, 02:20, edited 1 time in total.
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.

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tallboy
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#2 Post by tallboy »

I answer myself.
I would strongly suggest that another method is created to handle upgrades.
The xdelta utility compares two files by expecting the correct md5sum from the original .iso. So it means that a modified .iso, by remastering or by an added delta file will not be accepted for updates. Which means that the same original BB will be added to over and over and over and over again for the next 10 years, no mods allowed. With a lifespan of 10 years, and 21 updates already since april this year: No thanks!
:(
I think I'll start searching for another Lucid upgrade again.
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.

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tallboy
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#3 Post by tallboy »

Oh, I'm not finished yet! In UPupBB, the old /archive dirctory is present. Which is another problem when it comes to multisession disks.
From the /archive/README-archive.txt
For the multisession CD/DVD, any files in /archive/
will get saved to CD/DVD at end of session, but they will
not "come back".

That is, they will not be back in /archive/ at the next session.
But they are still on the CD/DVD.

This is a handy way to conserve space in the ramdisk.

The same goes for this file!

MULTISESSION CD/DVD NOTE:
At shutdown, the shutdown script, /etc/rc.d/rc.shutdown, moves
some files to /archive automatically, to try and save space in the
ramdisk. These are tar and compressed files, for example all
.tar.gz files. Also any files over 99M in size.
/archive is loaded as an empty dir on bootup, so finding a compressed file, or one larger than 99Mb, means that the saved sessions will have to be opened, and the offending file copied from previously saved /archive dir, to wherever you want it. That makes sense if you have very little RAM, like in my old PCs, but not with modern machines.
The same goes for this file!
Well, sorry mac, you're still there after 4 multisession saves, so maybe the rest of you don't work either?
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.

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perdido
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#4 Post by perdido »

Hi tallboy,

I just did a little experiment turning the delta file changed files into a pet.
Depending what you are looking for - a pet with the changed files could be installed and then saved to your save file on the CD.
See here http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 83#1013283

If you know which version of upupbb you have installed to CD you could make a pet with the latest changes and install / save on CD and be updated.

I can explain in more detail if needed. :)

.

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perdido
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#5 Post by perdido »

tallboy wrote:I answer myself.
I would strongly suggest that another method is created to handle upgrades.
See this post for a solution to the issue of applying delta updates to a Multi-session live CD/DVD
Make a .pet equivalent to a .delta for system updates

.

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tallboy
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#6 Post by tallboy »

perdido, I have already made a well deserved comment in that thread:
peebee, you and perdido are so close to being angels that you should watch out for itching in your shoulderblades!
:D
Excellent work, perdido!
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.

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