Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:34 pm**

mikewalsh wrote: ↑Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:56 pm All that is way over the top of my head

Was a relatively easy thing to implement, running a crude version now. In effect the main puppy.sfs is (sort of) all moved over into the savefile, so there is no main read only sfs. rsync (backup) is used to accommodate not saving, where that backup is also in the 'savefile', using hard links, so takes up very little space (relatively speaking) and is very quick. So at bootup, three choices are presented during the boot process, make the prior session the stable copy (save changes), restore the stable version (no save), or just boot into where you left off at the last shutdown. Again each/any of those is relatively quick (again just rsync of hard links).

What are hard links? Well they're just different file (or folder) names that point to the same data, so just inodes (pointers). You can for instance have a file containing the text 'this is my file', saved with a filename of my-file.txt, and also create a hard link with a filename of 'mikes-file', that also points to the same content. Delete my-file.txt and the data content will still remain flagged as "used" as filename 'mikes-file' hasn't been deleted, you have to delete both filenames for the data content to be released (flagged as being available as part of free-space). So rsync to duplicate the entire system is quick, as its just setting up filename pointers, not actually copying any data.

Working really well. Like a full install, but also like a frugal install. Just three files, initrd, vmlinuz and main 'savefile'. I've also just loaded a sfs into that (chrome). I didn't, but had I created another rsync of hardlinks, then that could be 'unloaded' simply by rsync'ing back to the copy prior to having loaded the chrome sfs.

The downside for me is that this laptop has a slow HDD, more usually I run with the main system all loaded into ram, so its quicker in that respect. However once a program has been run once, more often it remains in memory/ram (cached), so subsequent runs are little different in startup speed.

Posted: **Sun Nov 15, 2020 8:18 pm**

A method not mentioned here, is of course one of the original methods from the first Puppys, which is my preferred way of doing things. It is ideal for a PC with a R/W disc station, and you don't even need to have a harddisk in the PC! Nowadays, the latest PCs unfortunately don't have a disc bay at all, but if your PC has one, this is definitely a method to be considered. I am running EasyPup 2.3.3, based on Debian Buster, from a live, multisession CD-R (or DVD). At bootup, it loads everything into RAM, and then run from RAM. The CD/DVD can then be ejected, and the disk station can be loaded with a CD/DVD with music, pics, or whatever. Multisession means that the CD-R or DVD-R can be written to at the end of the session, even if it is a read-only disc. If the CD/DVD is kept inserted, it can saved to at any time during a session. The latest version of a saved file is always loaded at bootup, but saved sessions are kept as folders with the date and time as names, and allow an old version of a file to be accessed at any time. You may of course use a DVD-RW too, which will allow you to overwrite old saves, if you want to.
There is also a possibility to store large, and perhaps not frequently used, programs on the CD/DVD, separate from the bootup section, but available when you need them. They install in seconds. If needed, I usually mount my harddisk, or a USB stick. They are used for storage only, and does not contain any bootable sections.
The main advantage is that the disc is portable, if you have PCs at several locations, you just run the disc. You can do that in any Windows PC too, if it is set to boot from a CD/DVD. Windows will not know that you are there at all, and because you are running as root -or admin, you can use the Puppy to mount the Windows HDD, it is ideal to repair faulty Windows files.
Other advantages are that you can test programs, and just reboot to the installation on the disc, if you don't like them. That is similar to a frugal installation. The same goes for corrupted material, just reboot! The disc is read only, unless you use the multisession option to write to the disc, and not many hackers/crackers can enter your RAM.
A disadvantage is that you may loose docs in work in RAM, if you forget to save. You will, however, always be asked if you want to save, at shutdown. This way of running a Puppy, may be the safest of all.
Similar functions exist in Puppy derivates that you boot from a flash memory stick.

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