Hello, thanks to Peter for pointing this thread...I did the port of the knoppix mib variant on ppc. This project is still living even if it goes slowly. The Knoppix-MiB is a privacy édition (crypted home on usb key, tls smtp, gpg compatible mailer). The k-mib-ppc iso is (was) used too to install debian in Apple's G5, with debootstrap. The new d-i was not G5 proof (now it is).
Here is my opinion about livecd in debian:1) use squashfs, or make the scripts flexible enough to choose the compression system on the fly (one line in initrd, one line on the script).
2) aim of livecd is to have a live cd, but it can be used to install a clone in a computer. Fabian Franz is the autor of such clone script.
Make that possible implies makes livecd system a real debian system. 3) The packages to install into the chroot livesystem:- autodétection: hwsetup/ddxinfo is good, i run it on ppc (patched), but it's not flexible enough. I had to modify it to check additionnal LINE for xf86config. My opinion is to change to discover2 ASAP. That needs port of the hwdata... - initscripts: can and could be run from another directory. My opinion is not modify the debian initscript setup. That can be done setting up an alternate inittab in initrd. If you use an alternate init it can read initab in another place. I think the knoppix sysvinit package is the bad way. that does not run with apt-get upgrade. - packages in conflicts: mount-aes could use dpkg-divert to not conflict with mount (i have done that for my iso). The best way is to have the debian mount with the needed loop-aes patch. Is there another conflicts? - config specific for normal debian program: should go in another directory than original one's. I thing for config for program postfix-tls, wich is used in knoppix-mib variant. and for X. If you use specific init scripts to run them, the initscript can call them with good config parameters...
this packages can be in debian package archive, or into the create script. I am not sure wat is the best (debian policy correct) solution.
4) the kernel. I use vanilla with squashfs and evms patchsets. For ppc box i need 2.6, and i need 2 kernels in the iso (one is for G5). And external modules (compiled in debian way) loop-aes and cipher (not in debian) eagle-usb (in debian soon), mol (in debian)...
If you use squashfs, i thnik the minimal is vanilla kernel patched for that.5) alioth debian-knoppix is a good place. I have a cvs access in savannah (k-mib), but i don't use it for a long time (it was closed).
6) device-mapper. I don't understand what you do: you put all the livecd system in ram (like toram knoppix option?). that needs 2G ram?
Regards, -- yves
Attachment:
signature.asc
Description: OpenPGP digital signature