HD Install :: Frugal? Needs more documentation!

I like DSL, I have it installed on my Laptop with a standard HD install using grub as the bootloader. The install basicly works like any other debian distro. With the great Knoppix hardware detection and runs very fast and small foot print on my system.

BUT!!!!!

I was reading the thread with the poll of why more of us didn't use frugal install? My vote was "Because of the lack in understanding frugal install!" After which I read several post with the pros and cons on both HD install and frugal install.

After which I decided to give frugal a try!

And found that even though this board is full of threads persuading people of the great benifits of a frugal install, and one fine fellow even made a great PDF on how to do a fine frugal install. Then were left with a system we don't understand. No more documentation on how to administrate a system that is done in frugal install.

I have two questions right now. I might have more later after I get past these. I'm not a Linux newbie, nether am I a guru. I'm just a PC repairman that has choicen Linux as my OS of choice. And have used it now for three years stright.

Frist off, do to the nature of the bullet proof system, Lilo configuration is different than a normal system. Why was Lilo choosen as the default bootloader? Since it was, shouldn't sombody that knows more than me make a small howto on editing Lilo after the install? After all it's seldom that you won't need to edit the boatloader.

Second problem I have is the frugal install didn't ask for a password for user DSL or root for that matter. So when you do a sudo, What is the password? If you do a sudo in the standard HD install, you just use user DSL's password.

Please don't take this wrong, I serously would like to understand the frugal method, But There seems to be so little documentation speific to that system.

I do love DSL, even if I have to retrun to a standard HD install inorder to use my system. But I was hopping to learn this frugal method, hoping someday I might could buy or build one of those silent PCs.

I couldn't agree more.

1. Lilo is not the default bootloader. You can also use GRUB. I personally prefer GRUB because it recognizes more file systems, and it's configuration file (menu.lst) is easy to edit.

2. The nice thing about a Frugal install is that the developers, who are Linux users themselves, have thought of most of the issues surrounding its use. Frugal install has a couple of ways to manage commands and external programs. One way is using scripts. You can navigate all around DSL using the scripts that are already written for you. For example, the Frugal OS looks at /opt/bootlocal.sh everytime you boot up. It's a bash script that loads any path that's written in it, as root, when you boot, so you can put the path to certain other scripts into it to start programs, etc. It is like a .bat file in MSDOS. The first script that a Frugal install looks at is the boot command line script. That's the /boot/grub/menu.lst script in GRUB, for example. There are certain commands that are made to load from this script at boot time that modify the behavior of the OS as it loads. Some of these commands are general Linux boot line commands and some wer adopted from Knoppix, and some are unique to DSL. Anything in the boot command line that is place after the command "dsl" is unique to dsl or has been adopted from Knoppix. For example the commands

Code Sample

dsl noapm host=lunchbox secure

will make sure apm is not turned on, that the computer hostname is set to "lunchbox," and that you are asked for a username and password when you boot.

There is a partial list of these boot line commands that are accessible when you press the F2 and F3 keys at the boot prompt.

Also, you can make your settings permanent by adding the path to their scripts to the /opt/bootlocal.sh script, and to the filetool.lst script for apps. Any applications that you want to start at bootup can be made automatic by copying them to the / partition and adding the bootline command

Code Sample

dsl mydsl=[the media where they are stored goes here]

to the boot command line in GRUB, LILO, or just by typing it in when you get the boot prompt at the DSL splash screen.

As far as how-tos about using frugal in general, let me point out that a frugal system behaves in the same way as a live CD. Everything you'd do to run and maintain a live CD also applies to a frugal harddrive install, with minor differences here and there.

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1. Lilo is not the default bootloader. You can also use GRUB. I personally prefer GRUB because it recognizes more file systems, and it's configuration file (menu.lst) is easy to edit.

I beg to differ, I believe I followed the PDF Frugal HD install to the letter, except that the command given to kick it all off from the start was wrong, so I looked on the CD and found a file called frugalinstall.sh or something simalier. ( don't have the CD on hand at the moment)

As I went though the install, It installed LILO by default, not even given me the choice.

I also would much rather use Grub, for the same reason as you, but also It's much easier to edit, being the most user friendly bootloader I know of.

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