How to Boot Porteus in Ram while SAVING settings?

[thanhbinh9]

I am a complete newcomer to Porteus and I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far. On my old laptop, booting Porteus from RAM makes my computer ten years younger but I'd like to be able to save my network settings and other configurations that I've altered from the default. I can save these settings when I boot Porteus normally but I have not yet mastered the means of doing it when booting in RAM. How can I do this?
Thanks in advance.

[tome]

Use symlinks to your proper directories (eventually files) on hard drive or see: http://www.porteus.org/tutorials/26-gen ... lders.html

[Bogomips]

There is another way that I use, and is worth consideration, if there are not that many settings, or if they are strewn all over the place, and that is to use rootcopy: http://www.porteus.org/tutoriels/26-gen ... ctory.html
Example Saving some KDE Settings

Code: Select all

cp --parents .kde4/share/config/kickoffrc /mnt/sdxy/porteus/rootcopy/home/guest

sdxy being where Porteus resides.

[thanhbinh9]

Many thanks for your replies although I'm not sure how to pull them off. Why is it that I can't access my usb drive whilst running Porteus in RAM mode and why is it that my save.dat file isn't read during the boot process? I'm trying to understand the mechanics of this.

Many thanks

[donald]

Hi thanhbinh9
First of all,it could be that I do not fully understand..lol
however
the advantage of copy2ram boot option is that one can eject the boot media.

If you want to run porteus into RAM (improved speed) and save your changes,use the copy2ram cheatcode (see /boot/docs/cheatcodes.txt),or add this cheatcode to the APPEND line in the /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg (normal boot option).

or add the path to your savefile.dat to the APPEND line for the copy to ram boot option
(e.g. changes=/porteus/savefile.dat)
but then you can not unmount/eject the boot media.
(I assume that you are booting from an usb-flash)

[thanhbinh9]

I've been to the locations you mentioned but I'm not sure what cheatcode I should be entering. In the Cheatcode information on the Porteus website it mentioned that presses tab on the boot option you wish allows you to enter the command line. Is this the best option to try? Again, I'd like to know what I need to type in exactly.

Many thanks,

[donald]

How it works (the mechanics):
When you boot porteus you will see the boot screen with various boot options.
What happens if you choose one, is defined in the APPEND lines,(every boot option has its own),
in a text file named porteus.cfg.(/boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg)
you can open this file in a text editor.(If you want to edit it,you have to be root).

As you said,your settings are saved when you boot in normal mode..OK.but the system
don't know that you would like to boot into ram.

2 ways to inform the system about your wish:
1.at the boot screen select the normal boot option, hit the TAB key, type copy2ram , hit enter to boot.
This is working only this time.
2.If you want it on every boot,you have to add this cheatcode to the APPEND line in the porteus.cfg.

2nd way
If you want to use the copy to ram boot option (at the boot screen)
take a look at the porteus.cfg file first.scroll down to this boot option and
you will see that the APPEND line does not know where your save.dat file is.
(Therefore it cannot be read at boot up,or used to save settings)
To make it work this way you have to provide the correct path to your save.dat file.
How?
copy the path "changes=/whatever/savefile.dat" from the APPEND line of the normal
boot option.

Personally I would simply add the copy2ram cheatcode to the APPEND line of the normal boot option. 8)

[thanhbinh9]

That is an absolutely superb explanation. I'll try it out this evening. Thanks for your help.

[thanhbinh9]

It worked like a charm. Many thanks.