Introduction to Knoppix
Kyle Rankin
Quinstreet Inc.
What is Knoppix?
What is Knoppix?
A complete Linux distribution that runs directly from a bootable CD-ROM or DVD, Knoppix has many uses:
- Demonstrate Linux to newcomers
- Portable Linux Distribution
- Make Linux easier to install
- Tools for system administration
- Rescue disc (for Linux and Windows)
- Make your own live CD
- Many other uses
Demonstrate Linux
Demonstrate Linux
Why Knoppix is great for demos:
- No need to install
- Fast
- Great hardware autodetection
- Includes lots of software
- Non-intrusive
Portable Linux Distribution
Portable Linux Distribution
Take your distro with you:
- Cheat Codes (run anywhere)
- Persistent Settings
- saveconfig
- mkpersistenthome
Cheat Codes
Cheat Codes
Cheat codes let you tweak boot behavior
- Change screen resolution settings
- Change desktops
- Change kernels
- Bypass mistakes in hardware detection
- Free up the CD/DVD-ROM
- Expert and others
Persistent Settings
Persistent Settings
/usr/sbin/saveconfig
- saveconfig can save a number of settings
- Desktop
- home directory "dotfiles"
- network and display settings
- printers and other settings in /etc
- Doesn't auto-update
- "myconf=scan" restores settings
- Tweak without remastering
Persistent Settings
mkpersistenthome
- Creates a filesystem image of UnionFS ramdisk
- Usb key/floppy drive
- Hard drive partition
- Always current settings
- Prompts to restore settings at boot
- Optional encryption
Knoppix the Linux installer
- Copies full CD/DVD to disk (requires 2GB-4GB)
- GUI and text-based
- Knoppix 3.4 and greater has 3 installation types:
- Not exactly pure Debian
Knoppix the Admin Toolbox
- Backup filesystems
- Image disks
- Emergency services
- Apache
- Samba
- NFS, FTP, MySQL, BIND, etc
- Forensics
Knoppix the Rescue Disk
- Excellent hardware detection
- Safe for the underlying system
- Comes with useful rescue tools: lilo, grub, dd, gpart, dpkg, rpm, etc.
- Full Internet access for troubleshooting
Games!Productivity Applications
The Windows "Recovery" Disk
The Windows "Recovery" Disk
| What it can do | |
|---|
- View text files
- Check the disk for errors
- Fix the MBR and boot.ini with defaults
- Partition drives and format them
- Restore system files from CD
|
|
The Windows "Recovery" Disk
| What it can do | What it can't do |
|---|
- View text files
- Check the disk for errors
- Fix the MBR and boot.ini with defaults
- Partition drives and format them
- Restore system files from CD
|
- Edit text files
- Browse outside of %SYSTEMROOT% and the root folder
- Copy to floppies or CD
- Edit registry
- Much, much more
|
Knoppix the Windows Recovery Disk
What Knoppix can do
- Write to the full disk (even NTFS)
- Fix boot.ini
- Scan for viruses
- Install files from .cabs
- Blank passwords
- Edit the registry
Make Your Own Live CD
- Check other Knoppix derivatives
- Copy Knoppix structure to a hard drive
- chroot
- Make changes
- Recreate compressed filesystem
- Recreate .iso
- Test with bootfrom
- Burn to CD/DVD
What's New in Knoppix (4.0+)
What's New in Knoppix (4.0+)
- Dual release: CD and DVD
- Programs
- UnionFS
- Knoppix 5.0 with native NTFS write support
What's New in Knoppix (4.0+)
- Dual release: CD and DVD
- Programs
- UnionFS!!!
- Knoppix 5.0 with native NTFS write support
Dual Release: CD and DVD
- Knoppix always has been CD-based
- DVDs made, but unofficial up to 4.0
- CD out of space
- CD/DVD dual release announced winter 2004
- 3.9 -- last CD-only release
UnionFS
Knoppix with UnionFS
- Starting with Knoppix 3.8
- Ramdisk on top of /
- Write anywhere (UnionFS figures it out)
- Install packages with apt-get, aptitude, synaptic
- Limited by ramdisk