torios team mailing list archive

[Nio Wiklund <nio.wiklund@xxxxxxxxx>]

Den 2015-03-28 00:50, Israel skrev:
> On 03/27/2015 06:22 PM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>> ...
> 
>> Hi again,
>>
>> I made a new tarball, where I added the kernels and made it boot to the
>> grub menu. This new system works well, when installed by ToriOS live
>> (but not by 'my OBI'). It is uploaded to phillw.net, and can be
>> downloaded and selected in ToriOS live. The link should be one line,
>>
>> http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/OBI/precise/tarballs/ToriOS_3-kernels_01_use-by-ToriOS-live.tar.xz
>>
>> $ ls -l ToriOS_3-kernels_01_use-by-ToriOS-live.tar.xz
>> -rw-r--r-- 1 nio nio 430014032 mar 27 19:37
>> ToriOS_3-kernels_01_use-by-ToriOS-live.tar.xz
>>
>> $ md5sum ToriOS_3-kernels_01_use-by-ToriOS-live.tar.xz
>> 81b841b0612f4298b3652437bfa85757
>> ToriOS_3-kernels_01_use-by-ToriOS-live.tar.xz
>>
>>
>> I have also changed 'dltbl', so that it will not confuse end users. It
>> should come with the next version of the ToriOS live system (the iso
>> file). As it is now, an error output after a failed attempt to move the
>> tarball should be interpreted like this:
>>
>> "Could not write to /tarballs, which is normal in a live session.
>> 'Select tarball' can still find the tarball automatically."
>>
>> See the following screenshots
>>
>> http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/torios/pictures/19-download-tarball.png
>>
>> http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/torios/pictures/20-select-tarball.png
>>
>> http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/torios/pictures/21-partition-drives-and-install-Torios_3-kernels.png
>>
>>
>> Best regards
>> Nio
>>
> Hi Nio,
> is this the dltbl you already sent me?  Or do I need another one?
> If so please send it my way :)
> Is there a way to choose to save it elsewhere (i.e. usb drive) and link
> that to /tarballs automatically??
> Or is there some other way we can make this extremely easy to do for our
> users?
> 
> It would be nice to implement zsync in this equation, as a failed md5sum
> could be remedied by simply running zsync again to finish the download
> (I have done this a few times), rather than downloading the entire file
> again.
> Or, at least offering the option of using zsync if it is installed.
> 

Hi Israel and Paul,


In a mail dated 2015-03-27 23:39, I attached dltbl and also showed the
diff to the previous version. That mail should have reached you too.
___________________________________________________________

zsync would work for tarballs like it does for iso files
___________________________________________________________


The system for tarballs was made for installed systems in USB drives.
There are several problems with ToriOS,


1 - the file system, ISO-9660, is read-only

This is a problem in CDs and DVDs, and in pendrives, if installed with
mkusb. If it works with ToriOS to set up the live system with
persistence, then data will survive reboots, and the amount that can be
stored depends on the size of the storage.


2 - the size of the CD

This is a well known and severe limit for what can come with the iso
file. One alternative is to have a small CD sized iso file like it is
now with a non-pae kernel, and a bigger DVD sized iso file with more
than one tarball.

Examples: 3 tarballs targeting different kinds of computers, or a big
tarball with a lot of installed program packages. Some distros provide
solutions with big DVD sized installation media.


3 - the target computers have low RAM

As it works now, it is possible to download a tarball into RAM, but
there might not be enough RAM to store it.

*. So it would be a solution to use a third drive:

a. the installer (the live drive)
b. the target drive (where to install ToriOS)
c. a storage drive (could be a flash drive or HDD, external or internal,
any writable mass storage device).

We could to add an option for dltbl to specify the path to where the
tarball should be downloaded. It would be possible with a dialog screen
for it.
___________________________

Persistent live system
___________________________

I think a persistent live system provides the simplest and also the most
flexible solution. It will automatically increase the drive space, which
is limited by low RAM, and at the same time make the stored data (in
this case tarballs) survive rebooting and poweroff.


A. Create a 'live-rw' partition in a storage drive

1. Use gparted and create a linux partition, for example with the ext2
file system, which is simple and does not wear a pendrive with journaling.

2. Set the label 'live-rw' for the partition. (This is debian style and
different from Ubuntu systems, where the label should be 'casper-rw'.)

3. Apply the changes by clicking the green tick.


B. Boot with the option 'persistent'

1. At boot, press the TAB key to get to the boot command line

2. Add a space and the word 'persistent'

> /live/vmlinuz initrd=/live/initrd.lz boot=live persistent

3. Press the Enter key

and the ToriOS live system boots into a persistent live system.


C. Keep the persistence healthy

It is very important to wait while buffered data are written to the
storage drive, particularly if it is a slow USB pendrive. Do not unplug
the the storage drive before you are sure that the system is completely
shut down!

You can force writing the data with the command

sync

in a terminal window. Wait until the prompt returns!
_______________

Best regards
Nio