EasyOS Dunfell-series version 4.2.2 released

[BarryK]

Read all about it here:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/easyos-d ... eased.html

Latest scripts, required to update any version prior to 4.2.2, attached.

Read the "Important" section in the blog post, if you want to do an update.

There are difference-files 4.1-to-4.2.2, 4.2-to-4.2.2 and 4.2.1-to-4.2.2, but to take advantage of these smaller downloads, you must have /mnt/wkg/easy-<current-version>-amd64.img
And it must have the correct checksum.

You can lookup checksums online, in md5sum.txt files:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64 ... fell/2022/

The update script will check that easy-<current-version>-amd64.img has the correct checksum, and if it doesn't, will proceed to download the full-size easy-4.2.2-amd64.img, which is 825MiB.

If you are curious to see these online difference-files, here they are:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64 ... .2/deltas/

[Flash]

Attempted to update 4.1 by clicking the Update icon on the desktop:

Welcome. this script will download the latest release of EasyOS and
automatically update the current installation.
The script will place the new vmlinuz and initrd files into the boot-partition
and automatically fix initrd, and easy.sfs into the working-partition, then all
you will need to do is reboot and you have updated.
If you have an Internet connection and want to test if there is a new release
and download it, continue with the script...

Press ENTER to continue (any other character then ENTER to quit):

Probing ibiblio.org to see if there is a later release...
--2022-06-28 10:41:56-- http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/ ... nfell/2022
Resolving distro.ibiblio.org... 152.19.134.43
Connecting to distro.ibiblio.org|152.19.134.43|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 301 Moved Permanently
Location: http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/ ... fell/2022/ [following]
--2022-06-28 10:41:56-- http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/ ... fell/2022/
Reusing existing connection to distro.ibiblio.org:80.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 8324 (8.1K) [text/html]
Saving to: ‘/tmp/easy_version/2022’

2022 100%[===================>] 8.13K --.-KB/s in 0.001s

2022-06-28 10:41:56 (11.2 MB/s) - ‘/tmp/easy_version/2022’ saved [8324/8324]

The latest online version is: 4.2.2
The current installed version is: 4.1
Newer online version, so can update...

Good. Required free space in /mnt/wkg is 2GB, you have: 2816MB

When ready, press ENTER key:

Downloading easy-4.2.2-amd64.img ...
Terminated
This file has been downloaded:
/mnt/sdb2/easyos/easy-4.2.2-amd64.img
You may do a manual update, by clicking on the file to open it up, drag vmlinuz
and initrd to the boot-partition, and easy.sfs to the working-partition, then
click on initrd to fix the BOOT_SPECS file. These steps are documented online.
However, this script can do it automatically. Make your choice...

Press ENTER for automatic update (any other key to quit):

Extracting files vmlinuz, initrd and easy.sfs...
Extracting BOOT_SPECS file from initrd, current installation...
9018 blocks
Copying new vmlinuz and initrd to boot-partition, and easy.sfs to working-partition...
vmlinuzcp: cannot stat '/tmp/mount-img-1-vfat-loop2/vmlinuz': No such file or directory

This file did not copy correctly: vmlinuz
Press the ENTER key to try again, or any other key then ENTER to give up:
Copying new vmlinuz and initrd to boot-partition, and easy.sfs to working-partition...
vmlinuzcp: cannot stat '/tmp/mount-img-1-vfat-loop2/vmlinuz': No such file or directory

This file did not copy correctly: vmlinuz
Press the ENTER key to try again, or any other key then ENTER to give up:
Copying new vmlinuz and initrd to boot-partition, and easy.sfs to working-partition...
vmlinuzcp: cannot stat '/tmp/mount-img-1-vfat-loop2/vmlinuz': No such file or directory

This file did not copy correctly: vmlinuz
Press the ENTER key to try again, or any other key then ENTER to give up:g

Copy failed. Aborting.
This is bad, you may not be able to reboot. Recommend try immediate manual update.
Downloaded file still there, you can try manual update (remember to click on initrd to fix it).
Or, you can abort the update by copying vmlinuz, initrd and easy.sfs of the current version, from /mnt/wkg/releases

Script terminated, close the window

[BarryK]

Flash,
I see from the snapshot that you did not use the latest 'easy-update' script. Probably didn't use the latest 'mount-img' either?

The scripts are in first post in this thread, and the blog post has an "Important" notice:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/easyos-d ... eased.html

You will need to rollback to 4.1, and also delete the downloaded easy-4.2.2-amd64.img, and start again.

If you have difficulty updating from 4.1, I suggest do a fresh install of 4.2.2. Updating after that should be fine, I will leave the "goal posts" where they are for, hopefully, a long time.

[Flash]

Thanks, Barry. All I did was click the Update icon on the desktop and it did the rest.

[kinoe]

Thanks for your extraordinary work Barry and all developers!

Updating as instructed above didn't work for me. Unfortunetly I don't remember the error. So I did a fresh frugal install onto a USB-flash. Everything fine except settings with JWM (wallpapers and color themes) don't survive a reboot. Setting icon and cursor themes does. Any clue?

[BarryK]

Samba needs a fix:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/fix-for- ... y-422.html

Samba was supposed to be fixed, except for a tiny little oversight when I was typing in the fix.

[BarryK]

This is how to fix the desktop icons after doing an update.

If you update from an earlier version, some icons may be in the wrong place. The "update" icon for example.

Go to /mnt/wkg/.session/root/Choices/ROX-Filer/

And delete files PuppyPin and PuppyPinBACKUP

Then reboot immediately, without saving the session.

[Tenoch]

Greetings,

I have managed to install EasyOS 4.2.2 in a usb dongle, in an ext4 partition. As a long time puppy linux user but with no experience in programming, and barely understanding what containers are supposed to do, I would like to raise an issue which I don't understand if it is a bug or a feature.

PudAdvert Blocker only works if you are running the regular browser, when you initiate the compartmentalized browser it does not work.

[kinoe]

Deleting the files PuppyPin and PuppyPinBACKUP worked, thanks.
But 4.2.2 is running here on an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and seemingly shows a bunch of issues in general such as slow, freezing processes, save the session does work only from time to time and it's displaying 'missing firmware rtw_8821ce'. No booting on an other, older Intel Pc: stuck on boot.

So I installed 4.2. instead and that seems to run smoothly on both AMD an Intel

[BarryK]

Greetings,

I have managed to install EasyOS 4.2.2 in a usb dongle, in an ext4 partition. As a long time puppy linux user but with no experience in programming, and barely understanding what containers are supposed to do, I would like to raise an issue which I don't understand if it is a bug or a feature.

PudAdvert Blocker only works if you are running the regular browser, when you initiate the compartmentalized browser it does not work.

Thanks for reporting that.
A container is a completely isolated environment, with its own directory hierarchy, /etc, /bin, /usr, etc. Anything that happens in the container will not happen on the main desktop.

The ad-blocker app puts lots of entries into file /etc/hosts
If you run the "dunfell" container, you have a complete isolated desktop, and in it you will find menu "Internet -> Pup-Advert-Blocker". If you run the browser in the "dunfell" desktop, then ad-blocking should work.

But for the "www" container icon on the desktop, ad-blocking won't work. It is just the browser on its own, in its own isolated environment.

I can fix that, by copying /etc/hosts into the "www" container when it starts. OK, I will implement that, for the next release.

I have just discovered something: in Pup-Advert-Blocker, the checkbox "Mvps.org" does not work.
It is supposed to populate /etc/hosts, but nothing there.

[TerryH]

Just tried to do an update from 4.2.1 to 4.2.2. I received the following result that the delta file couldn't be downloaded. It appears that it maybe doesn't exist where expected. The information shows that the whole file can be downloaded. This is being reported in case there is a problem at ibiblio.

Edit: Confirmed checksum is correct

[measter]

I have just discovered something: in Pup-Advert-Blocker, the checkbox "Mvps.org" does not work.
It is supposed to populate /etc/hosts, but nothing there.

There is still a mvps.org hosts file. It was last updated 2021 Mar.

It is at https://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt

[scsijon]

I have just discovered something: in Pup-Advert-Blocker, the checkbox "Mvps.org" does not work.
It is supposed to populate /etc/hosts, but nothing there.

There is still a mvps.org hosts file. It was last updated 2021 Mar.

It is at https://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt

My understanding is that the generic mvps.org system has been shut down permanently from use and what we see is 'left-overs'. It was suppose to be a microsoft windows site and for microsoft apps users. There are now specific sites for individual apps such as word.

I don't know of a usefull replacement at this time, if anyone does could they give it's url please, there are some supposedly replacements, but they are not anywhere near as good or are linked to somewhat 'dubious' sites. I sugest at least for now just hash out or remove it.

[Tenoch]

Use this as hosts file source,

https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts

[williams2]

I use https://github.com/EnergizedProtection/block
It does block some ads. I haven't looked at reviews.
You could search for Energized Protection Alternative

[BarryK]

Just tried to do an update from 4.2.1 to 4.2.2. I received the following result that the delta file couldn't be downloaded. It appears that it maybe doesn't exist where expected. The information shows that the whole file can be downloaded. This is being reported in case there is a problem at ibiblio.

Edit: Confirmed checksum is correct

It looks like you don't have the latest 'easy-update' posted at the beginning of this thread.

[BarryK]

Regarding Pup-Advert-Blocker, "Technobeta.com" doesn't work either.

I have sent a message to sc0ttman, who create Pup-Advert-Blocker PET.

I just checked, sc0ttman's last post on the forum was May 9, 2021. He still does visit the forum, but infrequently. There is a choice of sending him an email, will do that.

[TerryH]

Just tried to do an update from 4.2.1 to 4.2.2. I received the following result that the delta file couldn't be downloaded. It appears that it maybe doesn't exist where expected. The information shows that the whole file can be downloaded. This is being reported in case there is a problem at ibiblio.

Edit: Confirmed checksum is correct

It looks like you don't have the latest 'easy-update' posted at the beginning of this thread.

OK, downloaded both scripts. System update to EasyOS 4.2.2, now completed successfully using easy-update.

Thank you.

[tom22251]

Dear Barry!!!!

Million thanks for your decades of brilliant work!
EasyOS, great work, very stable, my favorit
distro in the last 5-6 years.
Booting EasyOS for me was always easy. Changing
only 1 or 2 lines in BOOT_SPECS. Like:

BOOT_LABEL='DUNFELL'
BOOT_DIR='E-4.0/'
WKG_LABEL='EASYOSZRAM'
WKG_DIR=''

on the same flash-drive EasyOS-4.2
would be in folder E-4.2, so practically only
one letter needs to be edited: 0 to 2 in the
BOOT_DIR='E-4.0' line. That was was indeed easy.
Although I sometimes wondered whether
BOOT_SPECS couldn't be outside of initrd, thus no need
to open it up, editing and closing it again.
So when you came up with the simplyfied Limine
bootloader and no more internal BOOT_SPECS file
I was happy that ok, now I can use the same lines but
at the limine.cfg file, and that's it.
But since in the init script BOOT_* variables are gone,
init can't find easy.sfs, so boot fails.
What to do?
Since limine looks good and Dunfell-4.2.2 looks good,
tstill some of us old folks just want everything in RAM, no
savefile, just remaster time to time. If you don't want those
variables back that's fine just let us know how to
change the script in order for init to find easy.sfs
Right now just using the init script
from Easy-4.0, it works but I'm not sure
wheather that's a good idea.
Thank you for your great work, as always!!!

Tom

[anilraj]

Hello Barry and team, first let me thank you for the wonderful work that you are doing.
With release of 4.2.2, I tried to install it and ran into errors.

1. Downloaded image file.
2. Created two partitions on usb.
3. Partition 1 - fat 12/16/32. Set boot and EFI flags for the partition.
4. Copied EFI, limine.cfg and limine.sys to it.
5. Modified limine..cfg with correct wkg_uuid and wkg_dir. Double checked and no errors for this. Complete limine.cfg is as follows.
QUIET=yes
TIMEOUT=0
GRAPHICS=no
DEFAULT_ENTRY=1
EDITOR_ENABLED=no
INTERFACE_BRANDING=EasyOS Limine Boot Manager

:EasyOS dunfell
COMMENT=EasyOS Dunfell bootup
PROTOCOL=linux
TEXTMODE=yes
KERNEL_PATH=boot://2/easyos/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot://2/easyos/initrd
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd rw wkg_uuid=84834738-0eb6-4382-8455-f4fcc7c2fd05 wkg_dir=easyos/

6. Partition 2. ext4. created easyos directory on it.
7. Copied easy.sfs, initrd and vmlinuz to easyos directory.
8. Tried booting and get attached errors.

Please help.

[williwaw]

2. Created two partitions on usb.
3. Partition 1 - fat 12/16/32. Set boot and EFI flags for the partition.
4. Copied EFI, limine.cfg and limine.sys to it.

Hi Anilraj
Is the machine trying to boot with mbr/ BIOS?
did you see https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=6250

[BarryK]

Dear Barry!!!!

Million thanks for your decades of brilliant work!
EasyOS, great work, very stable, my favorit
distro in the last 5-6 years.
Booting EasyOS for me was always easy. Changing
only 1 or 2 lines in BOOT_SPECS. Like:

BOOT_LABEL='DUNFELL'
BOOT_DIR='E-4.0/'
WKG_LABEL='EASYOSZRAM'
WKG_DIR=''

on the same flash-drive EasyOS-4.2
would be in folder E-4.2, so practically only
one letter needs to be edited: 0 to 2 in the
BOOT_DIR='E-4.0' line. That was was indeed easy.
Although I sometimes wondered whether
BOOT_SPECS couldn't be outside of initrd, thus no need
to open it up, editing and closing it again.
So when you came up with the simplyfied Limine
bootloader and no more internal BOOT_SPECS file
I was happy that ok, now I can use the same lines but
at the limine.cfg file, and that's it.
But since in the init script BOOT_* variables are gone,
init can't find easy.sfs, so boot fails.
What to do?
Since limine looks good and Dunfell-4.2.2 looks good,
tstill some of us old folks just want everything in RAM, no
savefile, just remaster time to time. If you don't want those
variables back that's fine just let us know how to
change the script in order for init to find easy.sfs
Right now just using the init script
from Easy-4.0, it works but I'm not sure
wheather that's a good idea.
Thank you for your great work, as always!!!

Tom

The boot manager, whatever one is used, needs to have "wkg_uuid" or "wkg_label" or "wkg_dev" pointing to the actual partition where 'easy.sfs' is located.
And, "wkg_dir" to the folder or sub-folder where EasyOS (and easy.sfs) is installed.

In a frugal install, 'vmlinuz' and 'initrd' can be anywhere, but 'easy.sfs' has to be where those parameters specify. If you have a separate boot-partition, different from the working-partition, 'easy.sfs' must be in the working-partition.

If for example, Easy is installed in /dev/sdb6 and in folder "easy-dunfell", then you can find the UUID, like this:

Code: Select all

# blkid /dev/sdb6
/dev/sdb6: LABEL="hdd48gb3" UUID="cef85caf-2d3f-4bbc-9a57-ac5b64fb2fdf" TYPE="ext4"

And then in the boot manager, grub or whatever, the kernel commandline will need:

Code: Select all

  wkg_uuid=cef85caf-2d3f-4bbc-9a57-ac5b64fb2fdf wkg_dir=easy-dunfell

Or:

Code: Select all

 wkg_label=hdd48gb3 wkg_dir=easy-dunfell

Or, if the sdb6 is an internal drive and the name won't change:

Code: Select all

 wkg_dev=sdb6 wkg_dir=easy-dunfell

[BarryK]

Hello Barry and team, first let me thank you for the wonderful work that you are doing.
With release of 4.2.2, I tried to install it and ran into errors.

1. Downloaded image file.
2. Created two partitions on usb.
3. Partition 1 - fat 12/16/32. Set boot and EFI flags for the partition.
4. Copied EFI, limine.cfg and limine.sys to it.
5. Modified limine..cfg with correct wkg_uuid and wkg_dir. Double checked and no errors for this. Complete limine.cfg is as follows.
QUIET=yes
TIMEOUT=0
GRAPHICS=no
DEFAULT_ENTRY=1
EDITOR_ENABLED=no
INTERFACE_BRANDING=EasyOS Limine Boot Manager

:EasyOS dunfell
COMMENT=EasyOS Dunfell bootup
PROTOCOL=linux
TEXTMODE=yes
KERNEL_PATH=boot://2/easyos/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot://2/easyos/initrd
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd rw wkg_uuid=84834738-0eb6-4382-8455-f4fcc7c2fd05 wkg_dir=easyos/

6. Partition 2. ext4. created easyos directory on it.
7. Copied easy.sfs, initrd and vmlinuz to easyos directory.
8. Tried booting and get attached errors.

Please help.

You are doing it all manually, that's fine for learning how it all works.

Yes, as williwaw posted, there is one step missing for BIOS booting. If the usb drive is /dev/sdc, then you need to do this:

# limine-deploy /dev/sdc

If that reports an error, do this:

# limine-deploy /dev/sdc --force-mbr

This requires the Limine package, which is in 4.2.2. Or you can get it from here:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64 ... -64.tar.xz

...download and click on it to install.

[tom22251]

Thanks Barry for your fast answer and suggestions.
Unfortunately I'm afraid I was rather confusing in my
description. Limine works ok, this is my config:

:EasyOS dunfell-4.2.2
COMMENT=wifi:rt2800usb
PROTOCOL=linux
TEXTMODE=no
KERNEL_PATH=boot:///E422/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot:///E422/initrd
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd
boot_label=USB18 \
boot_dir=E422/ \
wkg_label=EASYOSZRAM \
wkg_dir= / \
vga=792 net.ifnames=0

It boots until I get this:

shot25.png (192.87 KiB) Viewed 3712 times

So my goal is to have all 3 files in 1 folder
(boot_dir) and working directory in zram0, as
it always was. Is it still possible?
Thanks again,

Tom.

[BarryK]

So my goal is to have all 3 files in 1 folder
(boot_dir) and working directory in zram0, as
it always was. Is it still possible?
Thanks again,

Tom.

Yes, but not the way you have done it. wkg_label and wkg_dir must point to where you have easy.sfs, and it must be in a Linux filesystem. After bootup, Easy will be running in RAM, and you may choose not to save if you wish.

The boot-partition that you are using, what filesystem is it?

[tom22251]

Thank You Barry!!!

My drive is one partition only with ext2,
one boot folder with Limine bootloader,
and one folder for each EasyOS with
vmlinuz, initrd, and easy.sfs respectively:

boot
E345 (EasyOS-3.5.6)
E4 (EasyOS-4.0)
E422 (EasyOS-4.2.2)

usb18.png (22.44 KiB) Viewed 3622 times

So how about introducing one more line
in the limine.cfg file:

KERNEL_PATH=boot:///E422/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot:///E422/initrd
BASESFS_PATH=boot:///E422/easy.sfs
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd rw wkg_dev=zram0 wkg_dir=easyos/

from Limine:

pic24.png (69.19 KiB) Viewed 3572 times

This way init script needs just one more variable "BASESFS_PATH"
or something similar.

I like the experimental side of EasyOS, and I try to do
my part in it too. I understand that if there are no more
BOOT_* variables in initrd's init script, then my easy.sfs
can not be found.

You have these lines in the new easy-update script:

pic25.png (43.03 KiB) Viewed 3622 times

The confusion comes perhaps from the fact that
I'm not copying the img file to the drive, but manually
each component to respective folders.

And as I mentioned in the previous post, if I use an init script
from an older EasyOS wich still has a BOOT_SPECS file, with the
new parametres of course, than it boots perfectly.

Thank You again,
Tom.

[DenVit]

Thanks Barry for the wonderful work!

Menu->Utility->MoManager create non-English Easy OS
Does not open when clicked on.

Similarlys post - https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... 161#p22161

[kinoe]

After various tries with settings during installation process i finally got version 4.2.2 running.

Nevertheless I'm curious how to install missing firmware rtw_8821ce ???

[BarryK]

Hello Barry and team, first let me thank you for the wonderful work that you are doing.
With release of 4.2.2, I tried to install it and ran into errors.

1. Downloaded image file.
2. Created two partitions on usb.
3. Partition 1 - fat 12/16/32. Set boot and EFI flags for the partition.
4. Copied EFI, limine.cfg and limine.sys to it.
5. Modified limine..cfg with correct wkg_uuid and wkg_dir. Double checked and no errors for this. Complete limine.cfg is as follows.
QUIET=yes
TIMEOUT=0
GRAPHICS=no
DEFAULT_ENTRY=1
EDITOR_ENABLED=no
INTERFACE_BRANDING=EasyOS Limine Boot Manager

:EasyOS dunfell
COMMENT=EasyOS Dunfell bootup
PROTOCOL=linux
TEXTMODE=yes
KERNEL_PATH=boot://2/easyos/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot://2/easyos/initrd
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd rw wkg_uuid=84834738-0eb6-4382-8455-f4fcc7c2fd05 wkg_dir=easyos/

6. Partition 2. ext4. created easyos directory on it.
7. Copied easy.sfs, initrd and vmlinuz to easyos directory.
8. Tried booting and get attached errors.

Please help.

@anilraj
The lead developer of Limine, mintsuki, saw your snapshot, and informed me that he knew about that bug, and in conjunction with another Limine developer, they have fixed it. This is for Limine 3.9.2:

https://bkhome.org/news/202207/limine-3 ... edded.html

[BarryK]

Thank You Barry!!!

My drive is one partition only with ext2,
one boot folder with Limine bootloader,
and one folder for each EasyOS with
vmlinuz, initrd, and easy.sfs respectively:

boot
E345 (EasyOS-3.5.6)
E4 (EasyOS-4.0)
E422 (EasyOS-4.2.2)

usb18.png

So how about introducing one more line
in the limine.cfg file:

KERNEL_PATH=boot:///E422/vmlinuz
MODULE_PATH=boot:///E422/initrd
BASESFS_PATH=boot:///E422/easy.sfs
KERNEL_CMDLINE=initrd=initrd rw wkg_dev=zram0 wkg_dir=easyos/

from Limine:

pic24.png

This way init script needs just one more variable "BASESFS_PATH"
or something similar.

I like the experimental side of EasyOS, and I try to do
my part in it too. I understand that if there are no more
BOOT_* variables in initrd's init script, then my easy.sfs
can not be found.

You have these lines in the new easy-update script:

pic25.png

The confusion comes perhaps from the fact that
I'm not copying the img file to the drive, but manually
each component to respective folders.

And as I mentioned in the previous post, if I use an init script
from an older EasyOS wich still has a BOOT_SPECS file, with the
new parametres of course, than it boots perfectly.

Thank You again,
Tom.

I could probably introduce a new kernel commandline parameter to do what "EASYOSZRAM" did before.
Will put that onto the to-do list. You might have to remind me later, as the to-do list has grown rather large, and some things might get forgotten.