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| DynebolicFaq : [http://dynebolic.org/ dyne:bolic homepage] ---- |
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| From the dynebolic [http://dynebolic.org/manual-in-development/ manual-in-development]: ''"The concept is simple: you don't need to install the whole operating system and applications on your harddisk anymore; the tools you use are reside on the CD and are accessed from it. What you really need to be able to modify and save is just your home directory and your configuration settings! With dyne:bolic, you can simply store them in a nest and find them back at every boot."'' | From the dynebolic [http://dyne.org/~jaromil/dynebolic-man/html/dynebolic-x137.en.html manual]: ''"The concept is simple: you cannot modify the operating system, you use it as it comes and you update it all in once with new versions, it is a whole compressed file, which is only readable. The writable part, where you store your data and settings, is stored in a separated way, inside another file of variable size which you can store on a usb key or an harddisk. This is a nest. If the nest you stored is found by dyne:bolic while booting, then you use its space for your /home and settings, which are then no longer lost in volatile RAM at the next boot."'' ==== Alternatives to nesting ==== Neither of these alternatives require a dyne:bolic CD to run: * ["Docking"] - Copying the entirety of dyne to your harddrive * ["DyneOnUsb"] - Installing dyne to a USB drive |
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| You can create a nest for dyne:bolic into hard disks or USB keys, retrieving the information from the nest each time a dynebolic CD runs on a compatible computer with a nest on hard disk or a USB key. | You can create a nest for dyne:bolic on either hard disks or USB keys. dyne:bolic will retrieve the information from the nest on subsequent boots, i.e. each time a dynebolic CD runs on a compatible computer with a nest. ''Note: Nesting bug fixed as of dyne:bolic version 1.3. Enjoy!'' ==== Can I nest on a floppy? ==== '' "Floppy? What's a floppy?" '' The minimum nest size is 32Mb; unfortunately, a 1.44Mb floppy DISK isn't big enough. |
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| You can nest dyne:bolic through the initial splash screen (which can be brought up by left clicking on the desktop, then rightclicking on the first button on the menu), by selecting "Have More", then selecting "Nesting" and following the on-screen intructions. | You can nest dyne:bolic through the initial splash screen (which can be brought up by left-clicking on the desktop, then right-clicking on the first button on the menu), by selecting "Have More", then selecting "Nesting" and following the on-screen instructions. |
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| Nest files and their configuration should always be stored in the root of the filesystem where the nest is placed. That is the only place where dyne:bolic looks at boot. This behaviour may change in future versions. |
Nest files and their configuration should always be stored in the root of the filesystem where the nest is placed. That is the only place where dyne:bolic looks at boot. This behaviour may change in future versions. |
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| Although nesting doesn't present problems on either a FAT32 or (of course) on linux partitions, as long as they're IDE devices or USB keys, currently NTFS nesting is not supported, due to the unsafety or possible danger in writing to an NTFS filesystem with a gnu/linux OS; there seems to be capability in latest linux kernel versions to support NTFS, but there's always the "(EXPERIMENTAL)" or "(MAY BE DANGEROUS)" tag besides the "NTFS filesystem write" in the kernel's configuration, thus the decision to not support NTFS for the time beeing. Maybe in future versions of dyne:bolic? | Although nesting doesn't present problems on either a FAT32 or (of course) on linux partitions, as long as they're IDE devices (the more usual hard disk devices, if it's not SCSI, it's IDE!) or USB keys. Currently NTFS nesting is not supported, due to the unsafety or possible danger in writing to an NTFS filesystem with a GNU/linux OS; there seems to be capability in latest linux kernel versions to support NTFS, but there's always the "(EXPERIMENTAL)" or "(MAY BE DANGEROUS)" tag besides the "NTFS filesystem write" in the kernel's configuration, thus the decision to not support NTFS for the time being. Maybe in future versions of dyne:bolic..? ==== how do i nest into a folder in existing partition? ==== (See 'Where can I place the nest files?' comments, above.) |
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| Secondly, you must choose in what device will the filesystem reside; the hard disk device could be one of the following ones: | Secondly, you must choose on what device the filesystem will reside; the hard disk device could be one of the following ones: |
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| *''hda'' is the first device on the first IDE chain, called Primary Master device | *''hda'' is the first device on the first IDE chain, called Primary Master device |
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| *''hdc'' is the first device on the second IDE chain, called Secondary Master device | *''hdc'' is the first device on the second IDE chain, called Secondary Master device |
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| How this devices are setup, depends on how they are connected to the IDE chains, but don't worry to open up your pc yet, since you can do two things to identify them: | How these devices are setup depends on how they are connected to the IDE chains, but don't worry about opening up your pc yet, since you can do either of two things to identify them: |
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| '''First method''' (easier, but needs the pc to be rebooted): | '''First method''' (easier, but requires the pc to be rebooted): |
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| You'll just have to go to the bios setup menu, which can usually be accessed by pressing ''Delete'' or ''F1'' (PLEASE UPDATE) during the early stages of power-on of the pc, and then looking in "Standard CMOS Setup", "Standard CMOS features" or similar (PLEASE UPDATE) for how the bios recognizes the various devices; or you could be very concentrated and try to read how your devices are displayed by the bios, in that few milliseconds that they fly by your screen in the bios-boot-up sequence. | You'll just have to go to the bios setup menu, which can usually be accessed by pressing ''Delete'' or ''F1'' (PLEASE UPDATE) during the early stages of power-on of the pc, and then looking in "Standard CMOS Setup", "Standard CMOS features" or similar (PLEASE UPDATE) for how the bios recognizes the various devices; or you could be very concentrated and try to read how your devices are displayed by the bios, in that few milliseconds when they fly by your screen in the bios-boot-up sequence. |
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| For example, if your Primary Master device in the bios setup is your main hard disk, it will be named ''/dev/hda'', if your Primary Slave device is your cd-rom it will be named ''/dev/hdc'' and so on. | For example, if your Primary Master device in the bios setup is your main hard disk, it will be named ''/dev/hda'', if your Secondary Master device is your cd-rom it will be named ''/dev/hdc'' and so on. |
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| Type, in your terminal line (which can be brought up with Alt+Ctrl+Enter on dynebolic systems) the following: | In your terminal line (which can be brought up with Alt+Ctrl+Enter on dynebolic systems), type in the following: |
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| Your hard disk should light up for some time, depending on how large the device or partition is; then, the device is ready to receive a dynebolic nest! | Your hard disk led should light up for some time, depending on how large the device or partition is; then, the device is ready to receive a dynebolic nest! |
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| '''IMPORTANT!!! Please type ''man mkdosfs'' and ''man mke2fs'' on the command line and READ the manuals before doing this operation, especially if you never had experience of linux before'''. This could save you from a lot of frustration, errors and time badly-spent, for the mere cost of 20 minutes of reading. | '''IMPORTANT!!! Please type ''man mkdosfs'' and ''man mke2fs'' on the command line and READ the manuals before doing this operation, especially if you never had experience of linux before'''. This could save you from a lot of frustration, errors and time badly-spent, for the mere cost of 20 minutes of reading. |
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| ==== How to check your nest and troubleshoot it ==== | ==== How to check your nest and troubleshoot it: ==== |
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| There are several reports of people with trouble saving their configurations on a nest. The most common is when they try to save it on a NTFS partition (frequently found on WinXP, Win2k and WinNT, can't tell about Win2003 but I'm almost sure it uses NTFS as the default filesystem). Remember: nesting only works on ext2 or fat partitions. | There are several reports of people with trouble saving their configurations on a nest. The most common is when they try to save it on a NTFS partition (frequently found on WinXP, Win2k and WinNT, can't tell about Win2003 but I'm almost sure it uses NTFS as the default filesystem). Remember: nesting only works on ext2 or fat partitions. |
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| 1) If the dynebol.cfg and dynebol.nst files are present in your hard disk partition or USB key. If not, the nest has been never created. | *If the dynebol.cfg and dynebol.nst files are present in your hard disk partition or USB key. If not, the nest has been never created. |
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| 2) By looking inside /boot/dynebolic.log after booting, to find out if anything happened during the autodetection phase. | *By looking inside /boot/dynebolic.log after booting, to find out if anything happened during the autodetection phase. If the problem comes while doing the nesting, you should have a look in /var/log/setup/nidifica.log which is the log of "taschino", the software doing the nesting. |
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== Remove and replace the nest == I changed my mind about the nest. So I removed it by deleting the file. I can't do a new nest. Any idea to get back on the road?? == Instructions for the Mentally (Windows) Challenged == '''Okay I'm lame, but here is what I did.''' * Boot from win98SE CD. * Fdisk * Reboot * Boot from w98se CD. * Format * Reboot with [http://dynebolic.org dyne:bolic] * Create Nest the size of entire disk. '''Not elegant, but effective.''' ;) DanH ---- == How to resize the nest == Idea: create a larger nest on another partition, and copy the contents, but how do you mount a second nest, and how to copy (preserving links, permissions etc.) ??? |
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| How do I stop Dynebolic asking at boot if the found nest is to be used? | |
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| Back to DynebolicFaq ---- dyne:bolic [http://dynebolic.org homepage]. |
DynebolicFaq : [http://dynebolic.org/ dyne:bolic homepage] |
DynebolicFaq : [http://dynebolic.org/ dyne:bolic homepage]
What is "nesting"?
From the dynebolic [http://dyne.org/~jaromil/dynebolic-man/html/dynebolic-x137.en.html manual]: "The concept is simple: you cannot modify the operating system, you use it as it comes and you update it all in once with new versions, it is a whole compressed file, which is only readable. The writable part, where you store your data and settings, is stored in a separated way, inside another file of variable size which you can store on a usb key or an harddisk. This is a nest. If the nest you stored is found by dyne:bolic while booting, then you use its space for your /home and settings, which are then no longer lost in volatile RAM at the next boot."
Alternatives to nesting
Neither of these alternatives require a dyne:bolic CD to run:
- ["Docking"] - Copying the entirety of dyne to your harddrive
["DyneOnUsb"] - Installing dyne to a USB drive
Where can I nest dyne:bolic?
You can create a nest for dyne:bolic on either hard disks or USB keys. dyne:bolic will retrieve the information from the nest on subsequent boots, i.e. each time a dynebolic CD runs on a compatible computer with a nest.
Note: Nesting bug fixed as of dyne:bolic version 1.3. Enjoy!
Can I nest on a floppy?
"Floppy? What's a floppy?"
The minimum nest size is 32Mb; unfortunately, a 1.44Mb floppy DISK isn't big enough.
How can I "nest" dyne:bolic?
You can nest dyne:bolic through the initial splash screen (which can be brought up by left-clicking on the desktop, then right-clicking on the first button on the menu), by selecting "Have More", then selecting "Nesting" and following the on-screen instructions.
Where can I place the nest files?
Nest files and their configuration should always be stored in the root of the filesystem where the nest is placed. That is the only place where dyne:bolic looks at boot. This behaviour may change in future versions.
Can I nest on xxx filesystem?
Although nesting doesn't present problems on either a FAT32 or (of course) on linux partitions, as long as they're IDE devices (the more usual hard disk devices, if it's not SCSI, it's IDE!) or USB keys. Currently NTFS nesting is not supported, due to the unsafety or possible danger in writing to an NTFS filesystem with a GNU/linux OS; there seems to be capability in latest linux kernel versions to support NTFS, but there's always the "(EXPERIMENTAL)" or "(MAY BE DANGEROUS)" tag besides the "NTFS filesystem write" in the kernel's configuration, thus the decision to not support NTFS for the time being. Maybe in future versions of dyne:bolic..?
how do i nest into a folder in existing partition?
(See 'Where can I place the nest files?' comments, above.)
Ok, so how do I make a filesystem on hard disk that can receive a dynebolic nest?
Great! So you have a hard disk, or partition to dedicate to dyne:bolic? You must first create a filesystem on it:
Be SURE to NOT have important, not backed-up data on the device you want to create the filesystem, because the filesystem and all the data of the device you choose WILL BE OVERWRITTEN! It's the same thing as doing "format" in DOS machines or Windoze.
First of all, you should choose your filesystem; to my knowledge, two filesystems are surely compatible with dyne:bolic (PLEASE UPDATE THIS):
FAT32 or DOSFS and ext2. The first ones are dos-windows filesystems, while the third one is a linux filesystem, and is highly recommended.
Secondly, you must choose on what device the filesystem will reside; the hard disk device could be one of the following ones:
/dev/hda
/dev/hdb
/dev/hdc
/dev/hdd
In UNIX-like systems, each device is listed under the subdirectory /dev/, and each device of the IDE channels (which usually contain the cd-roms, dvd-roms, cd-rw drives and hard disks), is named after the scheme read from the bios-setup:
hda is the first device on the first IDE chain, called Primary Master device
hdb is the second device on the first IDE chain, called Primary Slave device
hdc is the first device on the second IDE chain, called Secondary Master device
hdd is the second device on the second IDE chain, called Secondary Slave device
How these devices are setup depends on how they are connected to the IDE chains, but don't worry about opening up your pc yet, since you can do either of two things to identify them:
First method (easier, but requires the pc to be rebooted):
You'll just have to go to the bios setup menu, which can usually be accessed by pressing Delete or F1 (PLEASE UPDATE) during the early stages of power-on of the pc, and then looking in "Standard CMOS Setup", "Standard CMOS features" or similar (PLEASE UPDATE) for how the bios recognizes the various devices; or you could be very concentrated and try to read how your devices are displayed by the bios, in that few milliseconds when they fly by your screen in the bios-boot-up sequence.
For example, if your Primary Master device in the bios setup is your main hard disk, it will be named /dev/hda, if your Secondary Master device is your cd-rom it will be named /dev/hdc and so on.
Second method (easier if you know fairly good the names of the devices):
- In your terminal line (which can be brought up with Alt+Ctrl+Enter on dynebolic systems), type in the following:
dmesg |grep hdX
where hdX is one of the four devices, either hda, hdb, hdc, or hdd. Among other things you should be able to recognize what ide channel is it on (ide0 for Primary, ide1 for Secondary), and what device is it. For example:
dmesg |grep hda
- ide0: BM-DMA at 0xd400-0xd407, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:DMA
The next step is to create the filesystem on the hard disk that you have chosen.
The command to use for creating a DOSFS filesystem is:
mkdosfs /dev/hdX
while the command to use for making an ext2 filesystem is:
mke2fs /dev/hdX
where /dev/hdX is the hard disk that you want to use for nesting. Your hard disk led should light up for some time, depending on how large the device or partition is; then, the device is ready to receive a dynebolic nest!
IMPORTANT!!! Please type man mkdosfs and man mke2fs on the command line and READ the manuals before doing this operation, especially if you never had experience of linux before. This could save you from a lot of frustration, errors and time badly-spent, for the mere cost of 20 minutes of reading.
If you want to read in-depth specification on filesystems in linux please read the following HOWTO: [http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Filesystems-HOWTO.html Here].
...or the HOWTO on creating partitions inside hard disks: [http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Partition/index.html Here].
How to check your nest and troubleshoot it:
There are several reports of people with trouble saving their configurations on a nest. The most common is when they try to save it on a NTFS partition (frequently found on WinXP, Win2k and WinNT, can't tell about Win2003 but I'm almost sure it uses NTFS as the default filesystem). Remember: nesting only works on ext2 or fat partitions.
If you're certain that your partition is ext2 or fat then check:
- If the dynebol.cfg and dynebol.nst files are present in your hard disk partition or USB key. If not, the nest has been never created.
- By looking inside /boot/dynebolic.log after booting, to find out if anything happened during the autodetection phase.
If the problem comes while doing the nesting, you should have a look in /var/log/setup/nidifica.log which is the log of "taschino", the software doing the nesting.
If you can't figure out what your problem is, [mailto:dynebolic-subscribe@dynebolic.org subscribe] to the mailing list and [mailto:dynebolic@dynebolic.org post] a question; hopefully somebody will chime in with the respective solution, or at least with some suggestions that can get you closer to the solution.
Remove and replace the nest
I changed my mind about the nest. So I removed it by deleting the file. I can't do a new nest. Any idea to get back on the road??
Instructions for the Mentally (Windows) Challenged
Okay I'm lame, but here is what I did.
- Boot from win98SE CD.
- Fdisk
- Reboot
- Boot from w98se CD.
- Format
Reboot with [http://dynebolic.org dyne:bolic]
- Create Nest the size of entire disk.
Not elegant, but effective. 
DanH
How to resize the nest
Idea: create a larger nest on another partition, and copy the contents, but how do you mount a second nest, and how to copy (preserving links, permissions etc.) ???
I know this FAQ isn't complete, it would be nice to have other things added to it, so please do.
- How do I stop Dynebolic asking at boot if the found nest is to be used?
DynebolicFaq : [http://dynebolic.org/ dyne:bolic homepage]
Nesting faq started on 28-10-2003 by Tommy Drum for the community, please update the info where needed!