ADIOS Project

-- Live Linux ADIOS CD home

ADIOS Linux Boot CD HOWTO

ADIOS boot CD version 6.0 August 2006 has support for UML (User Mode Linux) virtual machines which can run LIDS (Linux Intrusion Detection System) or SELinux (NSA Security Enhanced Linux).  The ADIOS live CD uses a compressed filesystem using "squashfs". It is a custom installation of Fedora Core 5.0 running kernel 2.6.17 and supports X11 windows desktop environments of KDE and IceWM.  The ADIOS Live Linux Boot CD ISO images are located at the download site iso. Previous versions of ADIOS, links to mirror sites and addendums are also available.  Before starting, read the ADIOS BootCD Installation Guide first.  Click here to see the ADIOS boot CD label.  

This Howto addresses the following issues:

• How to use at Home
• How to use in Laboratory
• How to build live CDs

How to use at Home

If your PC has limited memory consider using IceWM instead KDE.  Also consider using some disk space for either the ISO image or for the read-write files located in the folder /var.  If ADIOS does not work on your PC try using the i586 boot option.   When you boot from CD the first menu displays information about what can be selected.  Use the Function keys to display these menus.  If you choose the m or it is the first time you have used this CD the run option menu should appear next.   Here you have many options choose from.  Use option 1 the first time as this will run in RAM.   Read the online help but don't choose the advanced or guru options unless you know what your doing.  see How to decide which run option is best for you. Here is a short version of the menu options:

Example Boot Menu selections:

• a - start ADIOS using only the CD and RAM
• i - start ADIOS using ICE and running in RAM
• 11 - go directly into run menu option 11 described below
• 4 - go directly into option 4 also described below
• m - bypass autodetect of previous installed ADIOS files

Example Run Menu options:

• Option 1 allows you to run Linux entirely from RAM disk and CDROM. It uses a 8MB ramdisk and mounts the CDROM.  It then mounts compressed images for /adios and /usr. The directory /var is configured to use a large portion of RAM to support Virtual Machines using User Mode Linux.  The read-write files reside in directories /var/etc, /var/home, /var/root and /var/tmp.  This option works well if you only have an NTFS filesystem. 
• Option 2 allows you to save configuration files, create users and build executable files (in /usr/local/bin), but you can't install RPMs into /usr. It creates a single file "var.img" within the PC's FAT or EXT3 partition the first time and mounts it each subsequent time you boot the CD.  You can allocate from128MB to 2GB of disk space for the var loopback filesystem.
• Option 4 is similar to option 2 but stores all of /var to FAT loopback filesystem image "var.img" stored on a USB flash memory storage device.
• Option 7 runs the CD ISO image from disk instead of from CD drive and then runs /var from RAM.  If you copy the ISO onto your NTFS filesystem beforehand the CD boot process will look for C:\adios-6.0.iso
• Option 9 allows you to allocate swap space on a FAT or EXT3 filesystem, default size of 128MB for "swap.img".
• Option 10 is the same as option 2, 7 and 9, and creates a FAT filesystem if necessary
• Option 11 is the same as option 1 but only saves changes of /var to floppy diskette in file "var.tgz", also restores changes on next startup.
• Option r allows you to change the run-level (run-level 3 starts a command prompt, whereas run-level 5 starts X windows).
• Option v allows you to specify the size of the /var filesystem to be used
• Option x removes X11 and hardware configuration files (for users who want to use options 11 and 3 and 4 on multiple machines)
• Option m displays more menu options
• Option lock forces run-level 7 which runs file rc.lock from USB storage device 
• Option runonntfs is designed to run "ntfsresize" and install the ADIOS files into a new EXT3 filesystem. Only works for systems that have a single NTFS partition.  If you have more than one partition, then refer to the NTFS resizing notes.

• Note: If you don't have a USB storage device, or FAT or EXT filesystem space, then you can use the option 11 to save and restore your configuration files to floppy diskette.  ADIOS creates a single "var.tgz" file on the FAT formatted floppy diskette.  You can view this archive with winzip or other MS windows tools.
• Warning: Do not allocate swap space over a Solaris partition.
• Warning: Remember to change the administrator and user passwords, which are initially set to "12qwaszx".   The administrator account has been disabled in X windows in file /etc/X11/xdm/kdmrc.  Login via virtual console using Ctrl Alt F2 or use "su -" command.

How to decide which run option is best for you

A brief description of some of the ways you could run ADIOS

• The first way is to run ADIOS completely from RAM and CDROM.  You should try this the first time just to check that ADIOS image can run with your hardware.  If you have 1GB of RAM you could even choose to run it entirely from RAM.  If you want to save configuration and user files you can save these to floppy, USB, or disk
• The next way to run ADIOS from a copy of the CD on your hard drive, this will improve performance or provide more RAM for applications.  The read-write files are still in RAM but configuration and user files can be saved to disk.  If don't want to change your windows NTFS system then copy the ISO to your windows fileystem.  see How to run ADIOS from a NTFS partition below.
• Alternatively if you are willing to let ADIOS build a FAT filesystem then ADIOS can run entirely on disk, it will also change the boot loader to allow multi-boot.  The CDROM is no longer required.  This options is a good as installing Linux to its own partition and uses only 2Gbytes of disk space.  This option is all most users would need to feel that they have a fully functional Linux system.  see How to run ADIOS from a FAT partition below
• Next if you are willing to let ADIOS build a EXT3 filesystem then it can fully install itself to your system, your system will be able to start Windows and Linux.  This requires a disk partition of at least 5 Gbytes preferably more.  You can also create a second partition so that you can unpack the CD image and rebuild the developement environment so that you can build your own boot CDs.

How to run ADIOS from a NTFS partition

Smplify follow these instructions if you want to run ADIOS from NTFS. 

First boot into Windows, then copy the ISO to C:\adios-6.0.iso using your CDRW software such as nero or use a free utility such as ISORecorder or use the dd.exe program found on the ADIOS CDROM.

Next access the CDROM via a CMD prompt window and run the grubit.cmd script found in the CDROM.  This will create the directory C:\boot and copy the Linux kernel, initial ramdisk and other files so that grub can run from windows.   It also modifies your boot.ini file.  Next you reboot and select grub loader, then  you can select ADIOS.

The ADIOS image will detect that it is running from NTFS and should be able to restore the save state.  Whenever you logout or shutdown the savestate file will be written to the NTFS filesystem.  You can enter the command savestate at anytime if you want to keep important files.  The savestate command by default only saves files that have been changed in /etc, /root and /home.   If you need to move files from Linux to Windows use you can just copy them to /mnt/hda1 (C:\ on IDE drives) or /mnt/sda1 (C:\ on SATA drives) or copy files to your USB drive.

How to run ADIOS from a FAT partition

The ADIOS boot option runonfat will look for a FAT filesystem with enough space to allow ADIOS to run from disk.  If you do not have a FAT filesystem the option will create a 2 GByte FAT filesystem using the ntfsresize command, then format the new partition, next if it cannot find the ISO image on the disk drive it will copy the ISO image, next if there no read-write loopback filesystem it will create one, next it will modify the boot loader so that the machine will be able to multi-boot.  If your read-write files become corrupted boot from the CD and enter the menu run options and enter v2 (set size of var.img by finding size of current var.img, -2 to remove the var.img file, then 2 to create the var.img file).  If you want to move files from Linux to Windows you can copy them to /mnt/bootcd this will appear as drive D: in windows or copy files to your USB drive.

Howto use in Laboratory

• The software can connect to a laboratory web server or act as a laboratory web server and allow users to download operating system images onto the local hard drive.
• In a laboratory the laboratory menu allows users to repartition the disc drives, perform network tasks and download operating system images.
• The boot CD in addition to the advanced and guru commands has some hidden commands for those who want more, you can view the source located at /initrd/linuxrc.  You can even shell out into a busybox Linux environment to run Linux commands.
• The document http://os.cqu.edu.au/adios/labsetup.html will hopefully get you started.
• Visit the ADIOS home page to read latest documentation on the boot CD click here at http://os.cqu.edu.au/adios.

Howto build live CDs

• One of the objective of ADIOS is to help others build bootable CDs. This document assumes that you want to build a different configuration using Fedora Core and Fedora Extras directly from RedHat using the web or yum software. It is also possible to port ADIOS to other Linux distributions.
• The ADIOS Development Kit (ADK) is effectively driven via the Makefile in the "adk" directory. The filesystem that you want to place on a CD is built on one partition (mounted say at /mnt/devel). The ADIOS development kit directory "adk" is made on this "devel" partition. Within this "adk" directory is a link to the Makefile and several directories. The directory "adk/bootcd" is in effect all of the compressed files and boot files to run Linux from CD. In summary:
  1. Build a live working version of what you want on the CD first.
  2. Then use the Makefile to create compressed files and boot files (stored in adk/bootcd) from your working "devel" partition (mounted at /mnt/devel).
  3. Next use the Makefile to build the ISO using this "adk/bootcd" file tree.
  4. Finally use the ISO to record a CD.
• Now you have an overview read the build HOWTO for the details. See http://os.cqu.edu.au/adios/build.html

Written by Neville Richter, n.richter@cqu.edu.au Copyright GNU Public Licence 2006.