Understanding how DebianDog works Re: RAM

[techmon]

Good day,
Do I understand correctly that with puppylinux, that the OS and changes file(s) are all loaded into RAM?
If so, are DebianDog builds the same?
or does it only work this way if copy2ram feature is used?

(I used the Bookworm build script to create a custom ISO, and I am booting using the Porteus-boot method. There's the "Always Fresh", "save changed to folder", and "save changes to file" options on boot in Grub2.)

Thank you for your time,
Shawn

[rockedge]

Do I understand correctly that with puppylinux, that the OS and changes file(s) are all loaded into RAM?

Yes.

[fredx181]

Do I understand correctly that with puppylinux, that the OS and changes file(s) are all loaded into RAM?

Yes.

If so, are DebianDog builds the same?
or does it only work this way if copy2ram feature is used?

Well, yes, copy2ram will load the .squashfs modules in RAM and the changes will run in RAM if you specify EXIT: e.g. changes=EXIT:/debdog (which is save on demand or at shutdown, similar to pupmode 13 from puppy)
How are you booting ? With a manual setup using grub2 or perhaps with Ventoy direct ISO boot ?
Important to know more details before giving sufficient help.

[techmon]

Thanks for your replies

I am using grub2, a manual config like:

menuentry "DebianDog Always Fresh" {
linux /live/vmlinuz1 noauto from=/ nomagic base_only norootcopy
initrd /live/initrd1.xz
}

menuentry "DebianDog changes=/deb_dog , save to folder" {
linux /live/vmlinuz1 from=/ noauto changes=/deb_dog
initrd /live/initrd1.xz
}

menuentry "DebianDog changes=/deb_dog save to file" {
linux /live/vmlinuz1 from=/ noauto changes=/deb_dog/changes.dat
initrd /live/initrd1.xz
}

Well, yes, copy2ram will load the .squashfs modules in RAM and the changes will run in RAM if you specify EXIT: e.g. changes=EXIT:/debdog (which is save on demand or at shutdown, similar to pupmode 13 from puppy)

Fred, if I do *not* use copy2ram cheat code, does it then not copy squash files to RAM (OS etc)... but that it *does* copy the changes file(s) to RAM?

[fredx181]

Let's take your second menuentry as example, as it is:
- .squashfs modules are not loaded in RAM (no copy2ram),
- changes are directly saved to disk, not in RAM (not used changes=EXIT:/...)

If you change to (with EXIT:):

menuentry "DebianDog changes to deb_dog , save to folder on demand" {
linux /live/vmlinuz1 from=/ noauto changes=EXIT:/deb_dog
initrd /live/initrd1.xz
}

Then the changes are running in RAM (also with "Always Fresh btw) and you'll be prompted to Save or NotSave the changes at shutdown and squashfs modules NOT copied to RAM.
The folder specified, in this case deb_dog must exist on a Linux (e.g. ext3) partition, create it if not (or better perhaps a more unique name (e.g. changes=EXIT:/deb_dog202404 and create same folder name)