Live Installation to External Device (Optical Disc Drive): PuppyLinux

Revision [27453]

This is an old revision of LiveDVD made by coolpup on 2013-05-18 12:12:25.

How to install GNU/Linux to optical disc

acquire access to an optical disc drive that has writing capability (with the logos DVD, RW and ReWritable on the drive tray)

acquire a DVD+RW optical disc (read Appendix 1 below)

acquire the ISO image file of the desired GNU/Linux distribution, such as a recent Puppy version (read Appendix 2 below)

write (burn) the ISO file to the optical disc

How to write (burn) an ISO image file to optical disc

Within GNU/Linux

install a recent version of the libburn software package

write (burn) the ISO file to the optical disc, via the command-line interface:
burniso <file.iso>

Within Microsoft Windows

use either one of these free software writer programs:

BurnCDCC (simple)

InfraRecorder (advanced)

always select a maximum write speed of 4x to ensure that data is written properly

How to run GNU/Linux from optical disc

ensure the optical disc is located inside its drive

ensure that the B.I.O.S. is configured to follow the correct boot sequence (read Appendix 3 below)

shutdown the computer and ensure that the computer is switched off

switch on the computer

When shutting down Puppy GNU/Linux one will be given one or more of the following options:

create a personal storage save file with the option of selecting its preferred location.

any additional software or data may be written to one's personal save file located on any partition

such data is desired to be stored on the same optical disc from which one is running the operating system

Appendix 1 - Using high-quality media is essential

use high-quality DVD+RW optical discs, such as the Verbatim brand

D.V.D. has a superior specification relative to C.D.

DVD+RW optical discs do not require blanking

DVD+RW optical discs are rewritable

optical disc archiving:

http://www.cd-info.com/archiving/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_media_preservation

http://www.lne.eu/en/r_and_d/digital-optical-research/archiving-digital-gis-don.asp

http://www.osta.org/technology/pdf/whitepapers/OSFA-12-05-04.pdf

Appendix 2 - Verifying the integrity of the ISO file

The downloaded container file must have the extension .iso. It is an exact copy, or image, of an existing file system. To ensure that the file is downloaded completely and without corruption use the wget command, e.g.:

wget -c /puppy-version-location/puppy-version.iso

(If wget is not used then one should verify its integrity by verifying its MD5 or SHA checksum). This ISO file may then be written to a optical disc using a particular software program. It is by booting up with this disc in the optical disc drive that one can run and use Puppy Linux.

Appendix 3 - Setting the correct boot sequence

For a computer to boot from a device such as an optical disc or a flash memory drive the device must be read/accessed before any other connected device such as a H.D.D.; therefore when, for example, an optical disc is in the optical disc drive at boot up it will load Puppy Linux from that drive only, and no where else, if the computer has been configured specifically to do that. If the computer does not start/boot from the live D.V.D. it will be necessary to either access a boot menu or the B.I.O.S. so that the computer is instructed to boot from the optical disc drive and not any other drive; re-starting will be necessary in conjunction with using the correct key(s) (see Appendix from here).

Being able to boot from a live D.V.D. also means that it itself may be used to boot the computer when it is not possible to do so with a flash memory drive or hard disk drive: the computer boots from the bootloader on the optical disc but loads the frugal save file (or operating system) from either the flash memory drive or hard disk drive.

Appendix 4 - Boot parameters

"Posted on 22 Dec 2010, 8:30 by BarryK
Correction
Booting with pmedia=cd, Puppy only searches optical drives for vmlinuz and the main sfs (and zdrv).

...correction, the above is true if boot with 'pfix=ram'.

Otherwise, searches optical for vmlinuz, but hd and optical for main .sfs (and zdrv)."
http://bkhome.org/blog/?viewDetailed=02034

Appendix 5 - Creating a graphical boot menu

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=61132

Appendix 6 - Creating a LiveDVD containing Multiple Puppies

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=63572

PuppyLinux : LiveDVD