MX-14.1 auto-frugal and auto-persist features

[BitJam]

Due to feedback from the MX-14 release we tried to make the Live persistence features in antiX-14 even easier to use. We tried to back port these enhancements to MX-14.1 partly as a way of saying "thank you" for the feedback which inspired them. These features only affect the LiveCD/USB.

Auto-Persistence
If you select persistence on a LiveUSB and the persistence files do not yet exist then we will offer to make them for you early on in the boot process. This allows people to get started with persistence immediately on any LiveUSB without having to first boot without persistence in order to create the persistence files via the RemasterCC.

The same thing happens if you select persistence on a LiveCD but first we give you a list of partitions to choose from. We can't store the persistence files on the LiveCD itself so we let you select a persistence device. We then offer to relabel the device "MX-14-Persist". On subsequent boots with the LiveCD when persistence is enabled, we will look for this device automatically. If it doesn't exist then we offer you the same choice of devices as before.

Auto-Frugal
There is now a "Frugal Install" option in the main bootloader menu. This allows you to do a frugal install and boot directly into it. The first time you select "Frugal Install" it will offer you a choice of devices to do the install on. We will then offer to relabel the device "MX-14-Frugal". After we do the install, we will offer to enable boot root and home persistence. On subsequent boots where you select "Frugal Install" we will boot into the frugal system you had previously created. If you choose not to have the device relabled then you will first be given a list of devices to choose from.

The following boot parameters are also available: fdev= flab= fuuid=. These let you select the frugal device by device-name (like sda1) or label or UUID. These will usually not be needed.

[Adrian]

Clarifying question: do you still need to make the USB with unetbootin, you cannot simply use dd to create it?

[BitJam]

If you use "dd" to make a LiveUSB then it will (should) be treated like a LiveCD because the read-only file system from the LiveCD gets transferred to the LiveUSB. This makes no difference with the frugal install but when you select persistence, it will give you a list of devices to choose from for the persistence device since we can't save anything to the read-only file system on the dd LiveUSB. IOW, the persistence files will have to be stored on a different device.

Excellent question!

[Adrian]

Excellent response, thanks!

[dyfi]

I believe these additions are an excellent step forwards in MX development. As a matter of interest I am using MX14 installed (fully) to a USB3 flashdrive which is just as fast as my normal sda hard drive - personally, this is a better option for me.

[BitJam]

A while back I got a 128 Gig usb-3.0 ssd but I have yet to get a usb-3.0 pci card to try it on. It is not remarkably fast on usb-2.0. I look forward to seeing how fast it boots as a LiveUSB with usb-3.0. I doubt I will be able to boot it directly via the pci card but our Live system is flexible enough so this is not an issue. I can put a copy of the initrd and vmlinuz files on my hard drive and boot the LiveUSB from there.

[tascoast]

I was a bit confused about what needed to be created once I'd made the initial USB, to extend to the persist features, so I went back to wiping the partitions, to try again another quiet day. A false start or two seemed likely for newer users, so this sounds even easier.


Will I need to reinstall MX-14 using the latest version to get these features?

That said, I'm assuming Synaptic will upgrade my existing MX-14 install when I next update, for this and other MX-14 component revisions?

Naturally, I'll download the revised *.iso version in due course for future needs.

Kindly
Mick

[Jerry3904]

I'm assuming Synaptic will upgrade my existing MX-14 install when I next update, for this and other MX-14 component revisions?

As Bit_Jam said, these changes affect the LIVE media only (so you would have to use the new ISO). All other changes affecting the installed OS will be upgraded.