remastersys - Anybody try?

[integr8e]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

I'm sorry if I offended you (that certainly wasn't my intention); I was just repeating the instruction I received. As such, should you choose to use 'sudo su' rather than just 'sudo', be sure to enter the command 'exit' after you've finished running Remastersys.

[MoonRise]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Thought as much. Never heard anything but figured as much since DVDs can hold 12GB as my squashed FS was. Great to know you can exclude things. I'll take a look.

[integr8e]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

You can exclude your personal data, and just back it up; the main thing (in my opinion) is getting all your apps and configurations into the .iso file. Once you've installed from the Live CD you made, you can easily restore all your personal stuff.

[lingenfr]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

I'm sorry if I offended you (that certainly wasn't my intention); I was just repeating the instruction I received. As such, should you choose to use 'sudo su' rather than just 'sudo', be sure to enter the command 'exit' after you've finished running Remastersys.

I was referring to the original instructions. No offense taken. It frustrates me a bit that those beyond novice sometimes make things harder and potentially more risky because we just won't get with the program. Between the 'root' and folks wanting to compile from source rather than use the repositories, we convince the average googler than this is so much harder than it has to be. /rant Thanks for sharing.

[alpa]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

I tryed so many times to use remastersys with my kubuntu gutsy. I followed step by step the documentation and how-to found on web. No activity operated while remastersys was operating and all shared connections unmounted. So all should be as wanted.
I installed from Official Repository adding "deb http://www.remastersys.klikit.org/repository remastersys/ " to my sources.list
I tried to make a liveDVD of my linuxbox, but everytime, after more than 2 hours of wait I obtain an iso image of ONLY 9.6 Mb !!!!!!!!!! I think something is wrong. I burned the iso image to test it , but nothing is running well, it stops at BusyBox....
Somewhere on the web I found that it should be the case that I am trying to make a image of too much info, so I need to exclude some files . In fact I have a linux box with 2 hard disks , root partition have 12 Gb used and home partition have more or less 2 Gb used.
I can exclude all my .avi and .mp3 files, but I can not exclude files from my /usr/local folder, that in my case is bigger than 11Gb !!!
So, if the only way to use Remastersys is to exclude files to have a small image, I think it is unuseful !
Anybody solved already my problem ?

[MoonRise]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Nope. You found the issue already. With the squashed FS file being that large, it will not be able to create a disk, because it is beyond the 4 GB limit. That is what I found out and even omitting my HOME folder would not work due to the other apps I have and, no, I couldn't omit those either. I wouldn't say it's useless though. It all depends on what you want to do with it and as far as an overall backup, I'd say no there, but other uses like a Live CD that is already configured for a particular networked environment to test problems out is very ideal and that is what I've done to help at work!

[toad]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Hehe, what a small world this is... The biggest posters on the kubuntu forum and Fragadelic the man

Re the space problem: this is, as was stated before, down to space. Remastersys comes in two flavours, dist and backup option.

For the dist option, A DVD is more than enough. For the backup it should perhaps be stated in the description that data like music, videos, etc. should be backed up separately. Granted, the user would have to know his /home directory, but anybody attempting this would I suppose.

I have had problems with attempting to make a distro created from a distro created by remastersys, i.e. second generation - but that is another story entirely and I have gotten the klikit forum's (read Fragadelic's) nerves enough about this.

In my search for a customisable distro I have come across two interesting links:

A graphical installer for stuff like codecs, java, Realplayer, Firefox, you name it (not automatix!)
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show...?content=57957

and a complete guide to themes from grubsplash via splashy to kdm, ksplash and finally kde
http://www.kde-look.org/content/show...?content=73085

Check them out.

When I came across this thread I couldn't believe that there are others, no programming gods perhaps but no duds either, who would attempt this and I'd like it if there was a group of us - perhaps with a dedicated place or forum or whatever - who could get into this and share information.

How about it?

[georghess]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Installed it under Kubuntu 8.04 alpha 3 ... works like a charm !!!

THANKS ... just what I needed

georghess

[Qqmike]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

The go-go command

remastersys dist

will build the iso file INCLUDING your personal /home/my_name, is that correct? The personal /home/my_name contains all the config settings for the various apps, Desktop, etc., and so it must be in the iso image. Am I reading that right?

The text of the tutorial says:
Quote:
To create an iso image of your installation, simply run
sudo remastersys dist
This will create an iso image called customdist.iso in the /home/remastersys directory. The dist option makes that your personal folder (e.g. /home/falko) will not be included in the iso image. You might have to insert your Ubuntu/Linux Mint installation CD during the process.
End Quote.

What is meant by this sentence:
The dist option makes that your personal folder (e.g. /home/falko) will not be included in the iso image.

Edit: Sounds like it causes your personal /home/my_name folder to be omitted?

[toad]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Qqmike,

yep, ~ is omitted in the dist command. If you want any special settings for your new live CD you have to copy these to /etc/skel (basically that is the directory from which the new default home is built). So what I do is tinker with the normal home 'til it looks just right and copy relevant files minus private data over to /etc/skel

HTH

[Qqmike]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Gosh, I sure missed that one about /etc/skel !
Maybe I better read the site more carefully, or is all that stuff elsewhere?

Many thanks, I'll try again today to see if I can get it to go.
First time, it got to the blue Kubuntu screen, where the progress bar froze after just barely starting.

Thanks.

[Qqmike]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

As the saying goes, YMMV.

Actually, it's reassuring now and then to run into things that don't go for ya on the first 3 hours of trying. I've spent more time on this than I did on building a live persistent Kubuntu 7.10 flash drive.

No-go for this Penguin. Heck of it is, there's nothing to the How-to. That is, he has done all the work for you and there's just a few commands to run, black box. I'm not even allergic to the 4-letter word (s-u-d-o). (I used toad's tip to set up /etc/skel.)


fyi: All seems to go well, the PC BIOS boots from the CD, stuff scrolls by, it comes to the Kubuntu cog screen with the progress bar, then the progress bar starts just a “mm or two” (visually on my 17-in screen) at the left and that's where it freezes (even after leaving it for several minutes). DVD drive has no lights on at this point & DVD is not spinning—it easily ejects.

I'll continue to look at it now and then (as you guys well know, it's not like we have a choice after the obsession sets in... )

(mobo D915GAVL, embedded Intel GMA graphics; Sony DVD+/-RW with Verbatim DVD-RW's; everything but this project working well)

[toad]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

Yeah, my hair has thinned, too, since I started mucking about with the dist option

I tried a couple of times successfully, but in my experience you have to have a fresh install at your disposal, muck about with your changes, do the remastersys dist and that was that, i.e. no going back to the same system, changing some more and doing another remastersys - it just doesn't work. Neither are you able to install the successfully remastered system, muck about with it and remaster it again :P

Always a fresh start. Does that square up with your experiences, Qqmike? For more detailed info/help I suggest the klikit forum. This is where fragadelic "lives" and he is very helpful when it comes to dealing with probs...

[Qqmike]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

"Always a fresh start. Does that square up with your experiences, Qqmike?"

No, toad, I've been re-trying the same [insane] thing that didn't work the first 2 times. I made a note of the klikit forum. Many thanks, again.

I don't know, looks like a lot of work. After all, I do have a live persistent UFD w/Kubuntu 7.10 loaded and working smoothly -- and, neat thing is, you can also install from it (just select "Install" from the GRUB menu to get into the regular live session w/o persistence (I did test that, btw).

Thanks

[Primoz]

Re: remastersys - Anybody try?

I don't know how alive this thread is, I did post another thread but haven't got any answers.
I installed remastersys and stated to make an ISO, but when it demands my original CD and I put it in it says it's not the right one.
The thing is i'm using HH my original CD is GG so guessing that's the case.
There is probably an answer somewhere in this thread but it's alot of reading.
Anyone knows how to make an ISO with this.
TO add even more confusion to remastersys i'm using KDE3.5.9 and KDE4, so there is no "original CD" for me there. there are only "rock solid" with only KDE3 and remix with kde4 or does remix has also an kde3 on it?