Knoppix news

[Rava]

typically

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rfkill unblock all

You mean on Knoppix or on Port or on both?

In Port I got WiFi running but it sees too few WLANs - see my post Broadcom Corporation BCM4313 802.11bgn Wireless Network Adapter (rev 01) issues with 5.0rc3 x86-64 XFCE4.12 for details.
Probably

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rfkill unblock all

helps with that.

[nanZor]

YES! My cheap little atom boxes are finally running stable!

The problem was ACPI. I got on a tangent with unstable band-aids like intel_idle.max_cstates. Learned a little bit, which of course helps me with my traveling Porteus needs too.

tldr: the fix

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knoppix64 acpi=noirq

What I learned:
The sledgehammer approach of disabling acpi altogether:

knoppix64 acpi=off

Ok, that boots and runs stably, BUT now you only have one core running at full power. Using TOP (press the #1 key to see if all the cores are detected, or HTOP (or whatever your fav util is) to make sure that all your cores are running. With acpi=off, they may not be. Only one was running using this kernel cheatcode.

Time to refine acpi a little bit

If acpi=off works, but seems like overkill, try any one of these:

pci=noacpi
acpi=noirq
pnpacpi=off

In my case, acpi=noirq did the trick. All my cores are running, video doesn't halt at boot, the cpus are frequency scaling, dmesg is no longer getting spammed with errors - life is good!

Minor note: Although now all seems fixed with the acpi=noirq cheatcode, I do have to tickle my monitors dpms for power savings to be accepted

xset dpms

WHEW! So glad I was finally able to tame this el-cheapo little box the right way it seems. Still, a great lesson to keep in my Porteus travels too in case I run across another troublesome box.

[nanZor]

For you gear-head hardware guys. This article helped me understand better with charts and so forth, rather than just taking random stabs at things. The author got some help from the coreboot devs.

https://habr.com/en/post/501660/

The charts were invaluable, as they coincided with my tests using TOP or HTOP to see if my problem gets fixed, but only runs on one core!

I have a suspicion that some out there that use the NOACPI kernel option may not realize that they are running on just one-core, where a finer definition (such as acpi=noirq) is what is desired - and can be /verified/ by using top (with the #1 key) or htop as a quick confirmation of what is happening in those charts.

HINT: It is very easy when testing to get your spelling of the two options wrong! ACPI can get easily written wrong as APIC. Doublecheck your spelling.

[Rava]

If acpi=off works, but seems like overkill, try any one of these:

pci=noacpi
acpi=noirq
pnpacpi=off

Thanks for the heads up, and folks, remember, these hacks are often also useful for other live linux systems, they work on more than knoppix. Just no guarantee that all work on each and every flavour of live linuxes that are out there. Since it depends on if the kernel understand the command, and a certain very minimal kernel of a more obscure micro-live-linux you test could lack one or more of these abilities.

[Kulle]

Hi nanZor and Rava,
Knoppix 9.1 DVD iso is 4,4 GiB
I'm trying iso to USB (both etcher and unetbootin)

Took a long time both times, but doesn't work.
USB device does not boot.

How to make the USB device bootable afterwards?
Thanks

[Kulle]

etcher and unetbootin doesn't work on porteus 4.0 (for Knoppix 9.1 DVD)

iso to USB tools also exist in Windows.
I have used on Windows: LinuxLive USB Creator

That worked. Problem solved.

[Ed_P]

[nanZor]

Hi kulle !
Because the maxi version is so large, make sure you are downloading / copying the Knoppix iso to a filesystem that can handle files larger than 4gb. That is windows ntfs, linux ext, and the like.

I fooled myself a few times by downloading it to large fat32 stick or some internal little notebook drive that will simply silently truncate the iso, despite seemingly having a 32gb drive, and allow you to go through the motions only to fail.

Another option is to download the small CD-sized version (re-introduced in later years). Lean and mean like Porteus. Albeit I usually add lx-appearance and xscreensaver to it.

Note that even when successful at first, the total Knoppix-geek will use *that* as an installer to do it again with many more customizations with the flash-knoppix util to a secondary stick, keeping this first attempt as kind of a "master" if you will.