TWiki . HLUG . LfCseEA

- 10 Nov 2003

"Linux for Cowards -- Second Edition"
Errata & Addenda

We ran out of time. I was having too much fun on the KDE desktop & had to omit the Q&A as well as the 2nd boot up where I was going to demonstrate the "cheat codes" that allow you to give KNOPPIX boot options.

Case Matters - - 10 Nov 2003

MS Windows is case preserving,
Linux / Unix is _case sensitive!_
This means that:

SOMEFILE.TXT
SomeFile.txt
somefile.txt

are all the same file in the MS world, but are 3 different files in Linux / Unix

Booting a CD

I never got to take you through the BIOS to make sure your computer is set to boot from the CD drive. If you try your KNOPPIX CD and still get your current OS, you must change the BIOS to boot from the CD first. If you don't already know how to do this, ask a friend or come see us at the Wednesday Workshop (details here).

Where to get KNOPPIX

Be given a CD
- Come to a Linux Workshop (6pm Wednesday, details here)
  Someone will probably have one to give away.
- Send me an e-mail at ricka+cd@hal-pc.org please be sure to put in the "+cd", it helps me sort my mail.
  If there is enough response, we may make them available at the HAL-PC front desk.
  We would probably ask for a $1 voluntary donation to cover blanks, labels, & ink.
  HLUG member(s) donate their time & equipment to make them.
Download an image & burn a CD
- From a mirror: http://knoppix.net/get.php Link checked - 08 Nov 2003
- From HAL-PC's own server: ftp://ftp1.hal-pc.org
  Available only to:
  1. HAL Net subscribers
  2. Members connected via the LAN at the club

The "Cheat Codes"

At the first clearly KNOPPIX screen you see when you boot up, there is an opportunity to give boot options. KNOPPIX calls these "cheat codes" -- a fun and memorable name.

To see a list of these codes, press F2 (Help). To return to the original screen, press F1. At the bottom of both these screens there will be a boot: _ prompt. If you want to enter a code, type knoppix followed by the code(s) you want:

boot: knoppix dma screen=800x600 myconfig=scan

Would do 3 things:

enable DMA (faster disk access)
limit the screen resolution to 800 x 600 (if your video card / monitor combination needs it)
find your saved personal settings on the system, and use them (more on this below)

Two things to note: you must always start with knoppix, and you probably will not need the lang=us, setting -- the CD's we gave away are the English version of KNOPPIX.

Optional Use of the Hard Drive

There are at least 5 levels of optional use of your hard drive if you use KNOPPIX regularly:

Save a permanent configuration file (this can also be done to floppy) -- uses 1+ MB
Save a permanent home directory -- takes a suggested minimum of 30 MB
Add a KNOPPIX swap file -- how much RAM do you have x 1 to 2
You can safely erase this when you are fininshed with KNOPPIX
Copy the CD image to the hard drive and run it from there -- faster, uses 700 MB
Install the CD contents on the hard drive as a regular OS -- even faster, approx. 2 GB needed

The first 3 can be found in main menuing system: "K-Gear" -> KNOPPIX -> Configure or click on the "Leonardo Penguin" icon next to the "K-Gear" icon and select Configure. (The "K-Gear" icon is the Start button equivalent we demonstrated). Numbers 4 & 5 are more involved, probably not things you will want to do soon. However, these options are available if and when you want them.

Security on a Pubic Computer

Because KNOPPIX is run from a CD, not the hard drive; it is immune to software keyloggers. Here are stories about what happened at Kinko's in New York City last year:

This wouldn't have happened to KNOPPIX users.

-- Rick Archibald - 01 Nov 2003