*** Pseudo Full Install ***
Discussed earlier in the Kennel Linux section and also I believe that @gyrog experimented with a similar setup for Puppy.
Here's my take for 'Dog' systems (using porteus-boot method, that I've now modified with additional option "pfull=..." (if used, it's a replacement for "changes=....")) see more info below.
Can be called as you like, e.g. "Frugal Full install" or "Hybrid install" or FFI (Funny Full Install )
Different from a regular full install is that no dedicated partition is needed, just a folder on some Linux filesystem (e.g. ext3) and of course it will take more space (than frugal install), as the filesystem is not compressed.
The setup in this case is that the main .squashfs (01-filesystem.squashfs) will be unsquashed to a directory (pfull/filesystem), see pic below, and after reboot (with pfull=..), the changes you make are being merged there (and deletions are directly deleted). Therefore no 'whiteout' or 'mask' files will be in use.
The "01-filesystem.squashfs" module will be disabled automatically when booted with pfull= cheatcode .
Still it has the benefits of a frugal install (is still a "layered" system, using overlayfs), e.g. possible to add extra .squashfs module(s) and pfull=EXIT:... cheatcode works too (save only on demand or at shutdown).
When making a new build with mklive (bullseye, bookworm, daedalus, sid (NOT Buster)) this new pfull= option will be enabled (created initrd1.xz is modified for that), and the booted system includes a new menu entry:
Menu > DDog Special > "Pseudo Full Install Setup"
After having setup the "pfull' directory, you can reboot with pfull=.... (see also grub.cfg example below)For on an existing build (bullseye, bookworm, daedalus, sid (NOT Buster)) or the "Starter Kit" by @rcrsn51) it's a bit more complex, you can make it work by re-creating initrd1.xz, required is:
-- Install latest "upgrade-kernel" package (v1.15) (it includes separate script for only re-generate initrd)apt update; apt install upgrade-kernel
.
-- Run from terminal :mk-initrd
, type or paste the kernel version and when done, a new initrd1.xz will be in /tmp, then copy it to your frugal install "live" folder (replace existing).-- Booting with this new initrd1.xz should have the pfull= cheatcode enabled, first, boot "normally" (with or without changes=)
-- Then run below attached script to create the "pfull" directory in your frugal install folder (live)(note that running this will work only when already booted with the modified initrd1.xz (with pfull= option included)
Example entry in grub.cfg:
(this assuming that the "pfull" directory exists already in /bworm/live, do NOT specify the pfull directory pfull=/bworm/live/pfull just pfull=/bworm/live
(parent folder of "pfull" dir):
Code: Select all
menuentry "Bookworm Pseudo Full" {
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 34b10665-11c5-493c-9bff-f4f1e7db86f2
linux /bworm/live/vmlinuz1 noauto from=/bworm pfull=/bworm/live net.ifnames=0
initrd /bworm/live/initrd1.xz
}