Knoppix 6

KNOPPIX is a bootable Live system on CD or DVD, consisting of a representative collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a productive Linux system for the desktop, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk. Due to on-the-fly decompression, the CD can have up to 2 GB of executable software installed on it (over 8GB on the DVD "Maxi" edition).
A.D.R.I.A.N.E. (Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment) is a talking menu system, which is supposed to make work and internet access easier for computer beginners, even if they have no sight contact to the computers monitor. A graphical environment with also talking programs and arbitrary magnification using compiz-fusion, is another option. In the current release of KNOPPIX 6.0 CD (ADRIANE 1.1), starting with speech support in text menu mode is set as default.

Microknoppix is a complete rewrite of the KNOPPIX boot system with the following features:

• 1. High compatibility with its Debian base: Aside from configuration files, nothing gets changed in Debians standard installation.
• 2. Accellerated boot procedure: Independently from the usual SysV bootscripts, multiple tasks of system initialization are run in parallel, so that interactive desktops are reached very fast. The slowest factor is still udev, start time is reduced to about half compared to versions 5.x.
• 3. LXDE is used as graphical environment, which is a very slim and fast desktop with extremely short starttime and low resource requirements. Because of its GTK2 base, LXDE works together nicely with screenreader Orca.
• 4. Amount of installed software has been greatly reduced in this first CD-version, so that custom remasters based on CD are possible again. In general, there are much fewer dependencies for the KNOPPIX-specific components, so that even small remasters, 256MB and less, can be created (hence the "Micro" part). [Picture of a SD-flashdisk]
• 5. Network configuration is being handled by NetworkManager with nm-applet in graphics mode, and textual GUIs in textmode (compatible to Debians /etc/network/interfaces specification, but without ifup/ifdown).
• 6. A persistent image for saving personal settings and additionally installed programs, KNOPPIX/knoppix-data.img, is supported on the boot device. That way, even the boot system and startup scripts can be changed in the persistent image.

Changes in Knoppix 6.0.0-2009-01-27/ADRIANE V1.1:
- Complete rebuild from scratch, based on Debian/lenny (draft)
- New boot procedure with highly parallelized hardware detection and configuration
- LXDE (http://www.lxde.org/) as default desktop
- OpenOffice 3.0.1
- Firefox/Iceweasel 3.0.5
- Starts blind-friendly, talking ADRIANE menu by default (use boot option "knoppix" for directly starting into graphical desktop)
- Very reduced software collection in order to easily fit on CD
- NetworkManager (support for Debian /etc/network/interfaces enabled)
- "flash-knoppix": Create bootable Memorystick from CD
- Begin of porting Knoppix 5.x boot options and features to the new system (not complete yet)

Can't boot it! I get dropped into the debug shell with a "sh: can't access tty: job control turned" error. :(

title KNOPPIX_V6.0.1CD-2009-02-08-EN

kernel /knoppix/linux ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix

initrd /knoppix/minirt.gz

boot

all knoppix files located int usb_drive/knoppix

anyone try booting the .iso for knoppix? if yes plz show menu.lst. thanks

@lizsac
I don't have the knoppix iso, but I suspect that something like the following will work:
[codebox]title KNOPPIX_V6.0.1CD-2009-02-08-EN find --set-root /KNX.iso map /KNX.iso (hd32) map --hook root (hd32) kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.iso initrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gz[/codebox] It is based on the post of Tacio, so I am not completely sure that this is the right syntax. If you can post the whole [b]isolinux.cfg[/b] file of the KNOPPIX iso, I can give you the right syntax. It is possible that you need to adapt the path: [b]bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.iso[/b] to let it point to the right device and partition (changing hda1 to sda1 or hda2 or sda2, ...). @ Tacio The kernel line you posted is not correct. [list] [*][b]initrd=minirt.gz[/b] is ISOLINUX syntax (and is pointing to the wrong location anyway) ==> grub4dos uses [b]initrd /knoppix/minirt.gz[/b] [*][unsure modus]: [b]BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix[/b] isn't needed [/list] [code]title KNOPPIX_V6.0.1CD-2009-02-08-EN kernel /knoppix/linux ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet initrd /knoppix/minirt.gz[/code]

DEFAULT adriane
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=0x311 initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer
TIMEOUT 30
# TOTALTIMEOUT 20
# KBDMAP german.kbd
PROMPT 1
F1 boot.msg
F2 f2
F3 f3
DISPLAY boot.msg
LABEL adriane
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=0x311 initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer adriane
LABEL knoppix
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer
LABEL fb1024x768
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=791 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer
LABEL fb1280x1024
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=794 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer
LABEL fb800x600
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=788 xmodule=fbdev initrd=minirt.gz nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer
LABEL memtest
KERNEL memtest
APPEND foo
LABEL dos
KERNEL memdisk
APPEND initrd=balder.img
LABEL failsafe
KERNEL linux
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 vga=normal atapicd nosound noapic nolapic noacpi pnpbios=off acpi=off nofstab noscsi nodma noapm nousb nopcmcia nofirewire noagp nomce nonetwork nodhcp xmodule=vesa initrd=minirt.gz

Call knoppix.lst from you main menu.lst by:

find --set-root /KNX.isomap /KNX.iso (hd32)map --hookroot (hd32)clearcat /boot/isolinux/boot.msgpausecleartitle KNOPPIX v6 (adriane)kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=0x311 nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle KNOPPIX v6 (knoppix)kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle KNOPPIX v6 (fb1024x768)kernel /boot/isolinux//linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=791 xmodule=fbdev nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle KNOPPIX v6 (fb1280x1024)kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=794 xmodule=fbdev nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle KNOPPIX v6 (fb800x600)kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off vga=788 xmodule=fbdev nomce quiet loglevel=0 nolapic_timer bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle KNOPPIX v6 (failsafe)kernel /boot/isolinux/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en vt.default_utf8=0 vga=normal atapicd nosound noapic nolapic noacpi pnpbios=off acpi=off nofstab noscsi nodma noapm nousb nopcmcia nofirewire noagp nomce nonetwork nodhcp xmodule=vesa bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.isoinitrd /boot/isolinux/minirt.gztitle MEMTESTkernel /boot/isolinux/memtest footitle DOSkernel /boot/isolinux/memdiskinitrd /boot/isolinux/balder.img

It has all options (as far as I can tell without the actual knoppix files as the original isolinux config.Adapt the bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.iso to the correct device for you USB stick, if necessary.

Let me know, if it works.

that actually works when booting from a hard disk formatted to fat32 ... which is cool, but:
i'd like it to be from usb flash drive (which hangs with this config around initrd).
also, i'd like the usb flash drive to be ntfs.

I've been going at this for a few days. I feel like i'm close, maybe not

You need to adapt the bootfrom=/dev/hda1/KNX.iso command.
If you only have one HDD in your PC, it will probably be bootfrom=/dev/hdb1/KNX.iso

When you navigate to the knoppix.lst config file with grub4dos, go to one of the KNOPPIX entries and press 'e'.
Remove the word quiet (just for testing the following, not needed afterwards).
Now when you boot this entry you can see which drives are detected by KNOPPIX.
Your internal HDD will probably be hda.
Look for hdb, hdc, ..., sda, sdb, ... and adapt the bootfrom line to the correct value for your USB stick.
If you put the iso on the second partition of your USB thumb drive, you need to change the 1 to 2: bootfrom=/dev/hdb2/KNX.iso

Yeah, it's usually sda1 and that's what i've been trying in the configs.
When i turned quiet off it reported:

Starting cmain()
(hd0,0)
Probing EDD .... <--- this is where it hangs

I added edd=off and it got a little further
it can't mount to /mnt-system
wondering if i should disable udev

Can you write down what that you actually see (a little further doesn't give a lot of info )
Try all devices as parameter for bootfrom (/dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1). Because you could boot it from your hard drive, try that again and put the usb stick in your pc at boot time and see which /dev/sd* entry the USB thumb drive gets. Also check which partition number it gets.
Run mount in a terminal to see this (look which entry in /dev corresponds with the directory to which your USB stick is mounted).

$ mount
...
/dev/sda1 on /media/usbstick type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,default_permissions,blksize=4096)
...

Try also to put it on a fat32 partition instead of ntfs.

It's /dev/sda1 formatted to fat32.
During the boot process when it comes time
to mount the iso from usb it fails getting
hung up with usb it flashes usb with different
/dev/hdb1 sda1/2 etc and then fails
saying that it can't mount the filesystem...

kinda hard to get a screenshot at this point
i'll keep working with it.

This code works for me, either with USB key or USB HDD :

title Knoppix 6.0.1 fb1024x768

find --set-root /KNOPPIX/linux

kernel /KNOPPIX/linux ramdisk_size=100000 lang=us init=/etc/init noacpi apm=power-off vga=791 xmodule=fbdev nomce highres=off libata.atapi_enabled=1 SELINUX_INIT=NO nmi_watchdog=0 loglevel=0 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix  dma noeject knoppix_dir=KNOPPIX

initrd /KNOPPIX/minirt.gz

funny thing happens when you plug the usb into a computer
that has sata or scsi drives already taking up sd* and your flashdrive
device can become something other than expected