KLV-Airedale-sr13 with the Void Linux Kernel 6.9.1_1

[rockedge]

KLV-Airedale-sr13
Kennel Linux Void Airedale Stable Release 13 895 MiB download size ↓
KLV-Airedale-sr13
SHA1-MD5.txt
Download from SOURCEFORGE

This is Stable Release version 13

• Added the Void Linux multilib repository to the xbps configuration

• Complete system update/upgrade from upstream Void Linux repos.

• Added 3 styles available via Settings->Display with the files in /root/.themes

• Updated filemnt and filemnt-thunar for correct syntax with the mount command

From sr12 ->

• Installed using the latest FirstRib skeleton initrd.gz version="7.0.3"; revision="-rc1" Date: 05Apr2024

• Removed xz-5.6.0 and replaced with rollback to safe version xz-5.4.6

• Added a script to launch regeneration of the xLunch menu when selected from the xLunch menu.

• Added Cortile 2.3.3 for a dynamic tiling wm layered on top of XFCE4.

From sr8 ->
Added Grub2config adapted for KLV usage borrowed from Puppy Linux to be able to install a grub2 boot loader on a drive partition easily.
With both Grub4Dos and Grub2config together, setting up a boot-able virtual machine frugal installation can be done in the RAM0 mode.
with a complete system update/upgrade and outfitted with a Void Linux kernel 6.9.1_1 on 28May2024
cpupower has been added. Audio is now using pipewire.

The wd_utils are updated to the latest versions supplied by @wiak, and @fredx181 has fixed a bug in the save2flash script.

Has Firefox 126.0 built in for a web browser.

Features full SAMBA support and managed by a modified for KLV Samba Simple Management GUI script, borrowed from F96-CE_4.

This version is equipped with 01firmware-6.6.0.sfs created with the woof-CE Kernel-Kit during the kernel build.

The team fine tuned login/logout with a long term solution utilizing the Void Linux service manager runit to fix a conflict after upgrades to the runit-void package added a service directory agetty-tty1 that conflicts with KLV's custom agetty-autologin-tty1 during logout/login causing difficulty in changing user. Adding a file called : /etc/sv/agetty-tty1/down instructs runit to disable the service which is persistent across reboots.

The initrd.gz and w_init are upgraded to version 7.0.1-rc1 which are constructed from the latest FirstRib skeleton-initrd.

Added the symlink gtk2dialog that targets the binary gtkdialog-8.5 which is compiled against GTK2 which gives access to either gtk2 or gtk3.

@fredx181 has repaired a bug in save2flash and modified swapper.sh to adapt for the /mnt/home device showing directly in Thunar and on the desktop. swapper.sh activates any swap partitions available to KLV-Airedale during system start.

From a suggestion by @wiak added in a modification to w_init that will display icons for /mnt/home partition in Thunar and on the desktop.

New and improved tuning of the /boot directory boot stanza's. improving the reliability of booting in QEMU, Ventoy and S2SG.

Improved and rebuilt initrd.qz including expanded support for SD cards.

Routine system update/upgrade. And wallpapers from @Sofiya are included, replacing some of the stock xfce4 backgrounds.

@wiak has again done more work improving the boot system menus and further improvement to the initrd.gz boot mechanisms :

The iso config file boot/grub/menu.lst is used to boot from cdrom using that internal to ISO provided menu.lst (i.e. he currently uses grub4dos for that purpose).
The ISO config file boot/grub/loopback.cfg is used (per usual) to provide the boot menu for SG2D
The ISO config file boot/grub/grub.cfg is used by Ventoy (but included no Ventoy compatible entries until my alterations below)

I have made some modifications to all of the above (though have left previous entries in place for later experimentation and possible modification or deletion).
In particular I have provided the ability when booting via SG2D or Ventoy of using the FR modes:

a. RAM0 for session changes in RAM only (i.e. no save persistence)
b. RAM2 save on demand mode back to upper_changes folder (or ucimg savefile) in same directory iso is stored (or in subdirectory if symlink manually made to iso).
c. RAM2 save on demand mode back to upper_changes folder in, Clarity suggested, partition with LABEL 'Persistence' and directory 'Sessions'
d. Direct save (not in RAM) back to upper_changes folder (or ucimg savefile) in same directory iso is stored (or in subdirectory if symlink manually made to iso).
e. Direct save (not in RAM) back to upper_changes folder in, Clarity suggested, partition with LABEL 'Persistence' and directory 'Sessions'

No editing of the presented SG2D or Ventoy boot menus will be required to achieve these most useful FR initrd modes. User just needs to put the KLV iso in BOOTISOS (or wherever it is put usually) and boot...

starting of the pulseaudio system for any user that is logged in has been fixed and improved. Thanks wiak, Sofiya and fredx181 for the exact steps.

Upgraded to a new version of @fredx181's save2flash, and set LANG=en_US.UTF-8 in /etc/environment as default localization.

Thanks to @Sofiya for the poorercputemp and Display Control packages that also have been added to desktop.

• Grub2config is now included in the System menu. For setting up a boot-able device using gparted and grub2config.

• Grub4Dos is also in the menu. Making KLV-Airedale also capable of setting up a boot-able device using gparted and grub4dosconfig.

• CUPS starting as a service has been added and is working thanks to @rcrsn51 spotting missing components!

KLV-Airedale-sr13 is just as at home on FAT32, NTFS partitions as it is running from ext2/3/4 formatted partitions.

Also included is wiak's generate a set of boot stanzas script. fredx181's mksplash has a menu entry and the remaster script is installed.

With the addition of a xfce4 desktop tiling configuration. A tip from wiak for configuring Tiling windows done with the Super (Windows) key and an up, down, left, right, home, pgup, pgdown or end key.

gxmessage in the default rootfs.

save2flash has been expanded to handle persistence on FAT32 and NTFS partitions.
The mksplash GUI utility to create splash notification banners.

The latest initrd.gz brings vFat and NTFS formatted partition support to KLV, allowing persistence on NTFS/vFat systems as well as the usual /ext2/ext3/ext4/swap support.

• included htop, Grub2config, Grub4Dos, CUPS

• created a symlink /root/spot with the target /home/spot

• Auto login cleaned up.

• includes also the logout logic provided by fredx181 gives true mulit-user support.

• replaced loop.cfg to the most recent modifications.

• Debian kernel 6.0.0-3-KLV SMP PREEMPT DYNAMIC is used.

• added gtkhash

Plus the other important improvements contributed by the KLV team.

Added @fredx181's save2flash utility that can be used when KLV is started in RAM2 mode to perform session saves on demand for persistence.
This is similar to PUPMODE13 in Puppy Linux.

fredx181's swap partition enable script includes the latest revisions, and also added are the packages

• mime-add-1.0_0.noarch.xbps

• edit-sfs-1.0_0.noarch.xbps

KLV-Airedale-sr13 is able to load squash SFS packages on the fly or during the boot sequence.
Squash files and ISO images can be opened from the file manager and the read the contents.

• can run with rootfs, 01fimware and 00module SFS files as uncompressed directories.

• Also able to load compressed and/or decompressed directories,
  once a 2 digit prefix is added to the file name.

• It is possible to mix using compressed squash files and uncompressed directories.

Also can be downloaded from https://rockedge.org/kernels in ISO->Kennel_Linux->Airedale

[rockedge]

I forgot to mention that I added the Void Linux multilib repository URL to the xbps configuration. Now the addition is included in the first post text.

First used this repo to install Wine-GUI on top of Wine which needs the wine-32bit package which exists in the multilib repository.

[Clarity]

Screenshot_2024-06-07_02-31-03.png (93.98 KiB) Viewed 1937 times

[Sofiya]

Screenshot_2024-06-07_02-31-03.png

Write a letter to Void linux why their mirrors don't work

remove the mirror.clarkson
https://mirror.clarkson.edu/voidlinux/current/nonfree

install mirrors:
https://repo-default.voidlinux.org/current
https://repo-default.voidlinux.org/current/nonfree
https://repo-default.voidlinux.org/current/multilib

[Clarity]

Thanks @Sofiya
Questions

• Does OctoXBPS/XBPS provide a utility for Repo updates?

• Is there a site with valid Void repos that is used?

• Does the package managers updater do repo changes/fixes or is this only available as an option for rolling releases?

• Or is this always done manually by local changes? If so, where does XBPS keep its local file for updating the repos?

Curious

[Sofiya]

Thanks @Sofiya
Questions

• Does OctoXBPS/XBPS provide a utility for Repo updates?

• Is there a site with valid Void repos that is used?

• Does the package managers updater do repo changes/fixes or is this only available as an option for rolling releases?

• Or is this always done manually by local changes? If so, where does XBPS keep its local file for updating the repos?

Curious

manually

Code: Select all

/usr/share/xbps.d/00-repository-main.conf
/usr/share/xbps.d/10-repository-nonfree.conf
/usr/share/xbps.d/10-repository-multilib.conf

Study the materiel https://voidlinux.org/

[Clarity]

... Study the materiel https://voidlinux.org/

I did research this before posting. Its the reason I asked the questions as I did.

Thanks, sincerely, for your guidance. OctoXBPS update works without issue with the non-free change.

[Clarity]

This distro boots to desktop when launched from Ventoy USB and from SG2D.
ALSO ISO file boots without issue in a VM, as well.

@rockedge
SAMBA is a very important component in these test PCs sharing content from their local drives. The SSM implementation in KLVA-sr13 is flawless
Is there any chance, findsmb and @norgo's "qemu_ready" could be built in for future versions OOTB? They are tiny benefits.

[Clarity]

Since the repo change, I am seeing 32bit packages show up unexpectedly. I tried audacious, audacity and deadbeef. Instead of the expected 64bit versions, I am offered 32bit versions.

Is there something I should know about OctoXBPS or XBPS that is pushing 32bit version packages on this 64bit KL system? Is there someway to the tell the package manager that I dont want 32bit offerings? I dont run 32bit apps and I dont use WINE (drank too much of this in the dating years).

Screenshot_2024-06-08_03-07-54.png (25.99 KiB) Viewed 1836 times

[rockedge]

You can remove the repo!

Go to and delete /usr/share/xbps.d/10-repository-multilib.conf

Screenshot(59).jpg (25.02 KiB) Viewed 1806 times

Then with OctoXBPS or command line update the repo package lists

in a terminal:

Code: Select all

xbps-install -S

[Sofiya]

remove the package xbps-remove -R void-repo-multilib and " /usr/share/xbps.d/10-repository-multilib.conf " will be removed by itself

xbps-install -S

[dimkr]

@rockedge Is it possible to speed up snapmergepuppy by specifying --inplace --append? I also wonder if rsync can copy changed regions of the file instead of rewriting the entire file, in addition appending the added region when files grow.

(Is the same save2flash+snapmergepuppy used in all other FR builds?)

[rockedge]

Is the same save2flash+snapmergepuppy used in all other FR builds?

Yes, same set up across the board. And if updated this will be done also to each system. I will actually double check today that the KL's are using the latest version.

Is it possible to speed up snapmergepuppy by specifying --inplace --append?

Very interesting! I will have to test that. If not I'll make sure to update the save2flash+snapmergepuppy utility to make a test possible.

I also wonder if rsync can copy changed regions of the file instead of rewriting the entire file, in addition appending the added region when files grow.

This is something we should look closely at and learn more about. I just have touched on using rsync and have not yet fully used it to it's full potential.

[fredx181]

Is it possible to speed up snapmergepuppy by specifying --inplace --append?

Can you perhaps recommend a test case where it will be noticeably run faster with that ? Also I wonder if there could be any possible unwanted side-effects.

[dimkr]

Is it possible to speed up snapmergepuppy by specifying --inplace --append?

Can you perhaps recommend a test case where it will be noticeably run faster with that ?

Some files grow over time and the only changes are an extra block at the end of the file. Logs are a good example. If rsync only appends the missing part instead of rewriting the entire file, it writes less.

In addition, --inplace should save lots of writing: without it, rsync writes the entire file to a temporary location, then atomically replaces the old file with the new one. This means it needs to write x+y bytes if the file grew from x to x+y bytes, even when the first x bytes haven't changed.

However, I don't know if rsync is smart enough to overwrite changed blocks of a file without rewriting the entire file, if the first x bytes are identical, then y bytes are different, or if it's smart enough to truncate-in-place a file that shrinked from x+y bytes to x bytes.

The most frequently changing files on my system are the browser state - cache, history, bookmarks, etc'. Most of them are sqlite databases or WAL files, which change often only around the beginning of the file, and more data is appended to the end of the file. I made my save2flash smarter (only write changed blocks, truncate if possible, enlarge and append, etc') and now it's way faster, but I wonder if rsync can do these things.

Also I wonder if there could be any possible unwanted side-effects.

Reduced reliability and fault tolerance: sudden power loss during save2flash can corrupt files.

[wiak]

Using --inplace would definitely seem dangerous to me if power interrupted for example. Without --inplace all should be well since everything just stored in RAM and won't be synced across on power failure. --append assumes all well with stuff done earlier (same on destination as source for early partial chunk); if not absolutely the same then you will end up with corrupt file since --append just adds to where things left off.

I suppose using --apend-verify would help reliability but slow things down since early stuff would get included in checksum calculation and if 'not the same' then whole file gets resent using --inplace.

Overall I would avoid the potential speedup since reliability seems too important to me and also is existing rsync save2flash not already okay in terms of acceptable speed?

[dimkr]

is existing rsync save2flash not already okay in terms of acceptable speed?

Does it get slower over time like Puppy's one? If I modify files A and B, save2flash saves 2 files (after reading them/mtime to see if they've changed), and if I then edit C, now save2flash has 3 files to save?

[rockedge]

Does it get slower over time like Puppy's one?

most of the time I do not run in the RAM2 mode so most times I do use save2flash that often other than to test it if it's functioning. So I unable to accurately answer that. Testing it in several different scenarios looks like the way we'll know better. @fredx181 and @geo_c might have more insight, and perhaps @Sofiya might know more about it.

I would try a test and see how the save speed is after an A edit to B edit to C with a more substantial sized upper_changes

[wiak]

Does it get slower over time like Puppy's one?

most of the time I do not run in the RAM2 mode so most times I do use save2flash that often other than to test it if it's functioning. So I unable to accurately answer that. Testing it in several different scenarios looks like the way we'll know better. @fredx181 and @geo_c might have more insight, and perhaps @Sofiya might know more about it.

I would try a test and see how the save speed is after an A edit to B edit to C with a more substantial sized upper_changes

I don't find it terribly slow and not slow enough to risk reliability, but all speedup attempts are worth a try and tested

[wiak]

The following comment refers to -sr14 (not -sr13, which I haven't checked):

The save2flash/snapmergepuppy version doesn't seem to be the latest?? I'm assuming version 1.9 is the latest since in rockedge repository with highest version number. It's important also since the newer wd_initconfig relies on the changes: viewtopic.php?p=116544#p116544

[rockedge]

@wiak That's what it was! While I am working on KLV-Airedale-sr14 I know there is something I want to include in this version that is important....and despite making notes on what to do and then not finding the notes again to put in the newest version of save2flash/snapmergepuppy which I believe is v1.9, I of course have not yet and leaving me wondering what was that important thing I told Fred I was putting in "the next time".

Good you reminded me that's what was that important upgrade. Distracted by the Euro Cup and Copa action. USA is in a clinch....need a win against Uruguay and today Germany vs. Denmark knock out round of 16 game.

So I will repackage the sr14 with the latest save2flash/snapmergepuppy today......

[Clarity]

Hello @rockedge: Will it have the same ISO filename? Or SR15?

Reason I ask: I already have multiple SR14 versions with different behaviors. When I load the ISO file into the BOOTISOS folder, one replaces the other. And I get mixed up on which is which.

[rockedge]

Will it have the same ISO filename? Or SR15?

Same ISO name. I would delete all of the previous sr14's and start with this fresh one

[Clarity]

Current file-date I have is this one. Is it the SR14 I should be testing?

Curious

[rockedge]

Current file-date I have is this one. Is it the SR14 I should be testing?

Curious

Yes, that is the correct one.

Please post your results here -> viewtopic.php?t=12024