Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : Knoppix as a real distro ... on the hard drive


ian soutar
06-28-2004, 02:58 PM
I have tried a number of distributions including Suse 9.1. However my favourite one that is now on all my computers is Knoppix 3.4 version from May 17 2004.

It boots from a CD and by logging onto a root shell and typing "knoppix-installer" a really well designed installation shell runs. If it is already running on CD you can be sure that the installed system will run just as well ... except faster.

You can configure a distribution by answering a few questions. But before installing it go to save_configuration. Save it in your home directory.

Then copy this config file to make it owned by your home id or change its ownership so that you can edit it. You can change all the options including not formatting the drive and changing to have your own home partition.

Save the config file and run the installation. In 14 minutes everything will work and you have a Debian linux. My experience has been that the CUPs server works perfectly and so does everything I have tried. Printing worked even on the newest printers.

The key to sinfully easy maintenance
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Make your home directory on a separate partition. If you develop a problem just start the install script again from the CD. Go for a coffee. By the time you drink your coffee, everything in your home directory will be intact and the operating system will work perfectly again. It is a kind of throw away O/S. Easier to just toss it out and rebuild it.

Need some extra software ... run Kpackage and it will run apt-get. In only a few mintues you can install evolution mail ... whatever you want. And it is all automatic.

Now that's my kind of distro.
Ian.

IsaacKuo
06-28-2004, 03:23 PM
Yeah, I've had great success with Knoppix also. Personally, I'm more comfortable with just leaving everything on the default partition, and just keeping a backup of my home directory on the LAN.

There are a number of things which are NOT in /home which I need for when I reinstall--like my XF86Config-4, for my custom interlaced display, lilo.conf to get 640x480 resolution for the ttys, and a little hack I needed to get agpgart working with my VIA chipset motherboard.

Without those little hacks, a plain Knoppix install will work--just not with my finicky HDTV display and not with 3D hardware accelerated graphics.