[mythtv-users] Mythfrontend on Damn Small Linux (DSL)

[R. G. Newbury]

Bob wrote:
> Jeremy Silber wrote:
>   
>> Hi all.
>>
>> I'd really like to have a bootable USB key containing a lightweight
>> linux distro like Damn Small Linux (DSL) and mythfrontend 0.19.  This
>> would let me boot a laptop and use it as a frontend without messing
>> with the laptop's OS.  I briefly tried booting ubuntu from CD on one
>> old laptop, and the boot time was horrific... so I'm trying to find a
>> distro to fit on my 512MB USB key.
>>
>> Has anyone built mythfrontend for DSL, or found a way to pare down
>> another distro like KnoppMyth so it would run off a 512MB usb key?
>>     
>
> I've been thinking about this but DSL uses kernel 2.4 as it's a bit 
> smaller than 2.6, however in my very small personal survey of trying to 
> boot it on my VIA system with a CLE266 chipset, it didn't auto configure 
> the LAN (Smoothwall uses 2.4 too and I know a lot of people run it on 
> similar systems so it's not an insurmountable problem I just didn't have 
> time), I think the drivers in 2.6 are better (as long as you don't have 
> a phillips webcam or a 'hardware" RAID card of the software type) so 
> would prefer to use a newer kernel.
>
> I think Puppy linux uses 2.6.

You might want to look at Recovery is Possible which is a small complete 
live system CD ISO.

It is hosted at tux.org                   
http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/

Latest version uses the 2.6.15 kernel. There are add-ons to allow use 
with PXE boot or USB key booting.

I have a copy on a business-card style CDR and keep it in my briefcase 
for emergencies. It boots quickly to a command line... The only 
suggestion I would make is that you should add a text file to your CD, 
with a listing of the partitions (or the fstab) of the machines you may 
want to rescue, as you will have to make some mount points and manually 
mount the hard drive of the 'to-be-rescued' machine. (Really messy when 
the dead machine has a bunch of extra partitions for Win98 and OS/2 on 
it.... Lots of guessing going on!)

It takes only about 30M of file space so you would have lots of room for 
myth... In fact, I suspect you could fit all of mythtv onto a 256M USB 
key together with RIP.... Hmmmmm....


Geoff




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       R. Geoffrey Newbury			
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