HOWTO: Integrate DSL (Damn Small Linux) with UBCD V4

Victor Chew · **Joined:** Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:59 pm **Posts:** 1177

Here's how you can integrate Damn Small Linux into UBCD V4. The instructions are based on DSL V3.2, but should work with other versions as well.

First extract the content of both DSL and UBCD to your harddisk. I am assuming the content of DSL is in c:\dsl, while the content of UBCD is in c:\ubcd.

c:\dsl should have the following files/folders:

Code:

BOOT\
KNOPPIX\
LOST_FOUND\
index.html

Now, copy "c:\dsl\KNOPPIX" to c:\ubcd, and copy c:\dsl\boot\isolinux\linux24 and c:\dsl\boot\isolinux\minirt24.gz to c:\custom. So c:\ubcd should look like this:

Code:

boot\
custom\
  custom.cfg
  linux24
  minirt24.gz
dosapps\
images\
isolinux\
KNOPPIX\
menus\
syslinux\
tools\
website\
ubcd.ico
autorun.inf

Edit "c:\ubcd\custom\custom.cfg" with a text editor:

Code:

MENU INCLUDE /menus/defaults.cfg
LABEL back
  MENU LABEL ..
  KERNEL menu.c32
  APPEND /menus/main.cfg
LABEL dsl
  MENU LABEL DSL V3.2
  KERNEL /custom/linux24
  APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=/custom/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix

That's it! Create a customized UBCD image using "c:\ubcd\tools\ubcd2iso\ubcd2iso.bat" and you are ready to run DSL under "User-Defined Tools".

All the various options for booting DSL are found in "c:\dsl\boot\isolinux\isolinux.cfg". I have taken the boot command from the label "dsl", but you are free to add others eg. dsl-txt, expert, fb1280x1024 etc. to "c:\ubcd\custom\custom.cfg".

emunity · **Joined:** Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:10 pm **Posts:** 2

The kernel starts to boot perfectly but once it tries to find the so called "root=" boot option it bombs out with a kernel panic.

It cannot mount VFS:

So what do I need to modify or do I just append another script in the custom.cfg so it can find the root FS?

This is so weird I cannot understand why this is not working?

Using version 3.4. I extracted the contents from the 3.4.iso, should I grab the files from the embedded.zip file? Not sure if that matters.

Also my UBCD is on a USB flash which might also be the problem? I did not burn the CD version of UBCD. I used the USB boot option to put UBCD on a USB flash 4GIG.

It sound to me that the fstab is pointing to the wrong root? And the fstab is within the knoppix image so no way to change that right?

I Figured out what I was doing wrong.

I did not have the script exactly the way you had it and by mistake I put this on the next line which should have all been on the same line and then the next line should have had the "quiet BOOT_IMAGE=KNOPPIX".

Sorry. If you want to delete this reply go ahead cause this my error.

Well I spoke too soon. I just figured out why it working now. It finding a KNOPPIX image on my Linux OS Hard drive. If i remove the hard drive and then boot the USB stick I get the same problem:

Scanning for USB devices.... Done
Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem Sorry
Dropping you to a (Very Limited) Shell.
Press reset button to quit

Additional builtin commands avaliable:

cat mount umount
insmod rmmod lsmod

For some reason after it scans and detects the USB devices it will not mount the KNOPPIX image on the USB flash drive.

Conclusion:

Its my Dell Latitide D820. I know its this because I was able to get finally get my DLS on the UBUSB to work on other systems.

Must be a D820 USB Bios COnflict.

crespowu · **Joined:** Fri Jul 13, 2007 12:31 am **Posts:** 2

Thanks for your guide.

Solaris17 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:20 pm

hmm this doesnt seem to work with kanoppix 3.4.11 instead of a "boot" folder it simply has an iso linux folder and in the folder it has a file called "linux" instead of linux24 and a file called "minirt" not minirt24 so i copyd the files anyway modded the .cfg's and when i re packaged everything as an iso the cd wouldnt boot at all any ideas?

Deker · **Joined:** Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:01 am **Posts:** 1

Quote:

hmm this doesnt seem to work with kanoppix 3.4.11

I've same problem. If anybody knows solution, please post it here

Icecube · **Joined:** Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm **Posts:** 1275

Extract UBCD to C:\UBCD-extract.

Extract Damn Small Linux to C:\DSL (version 4.3):
It should contain the following folders:

Quote:

/boot

/KNOPPIX

KNOPPIXindex.html ==> delete this file

Copy the contents of C:\DSL\boot\isolinux to C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\ (if you take DSL, you need to change the changed "dsl" isolinux.cfg entries also to "DSL").
Copy C:\DSL\KNOPPIX\KNOPPIX to C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\.

Change C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\isolinux.cfg to:

Quote:

DEFAULT /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
TIMEOUT 300

PROMPT 1
DISPLAY /dsl/boot.msg
F1 /dsl/boot.msg
F2 /dsl/f2
F3 /dsl/f3
LABEL dsl
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL memtest
KERNEL /dsl/memtest
APPEND initrd=
LABEL dsl-txt
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=normal initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL expert
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce BOOT_IMAGE=expert knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL fb1280x1024
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=794 xmodule=fbdev initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL fb1024x768
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 xmodule=fbdev initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL fb800x600
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=788 xmodule=fbdev initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL lowram
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=normal initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz noscsi noideraid nosound nousb nofirewire noicons minimal nomce noapic noapm lowram quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL install
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=normal initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz noscsi noideraid nosound nofirewire legacy base norestore _install_ nomce noapic noapm quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl
LABEL failsafe
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init 2 lang=us vga=normal atapicd nosound noscsi nousb nopcmcia nofirewire noagp nomce nodhcp xmodule=vesa initrd=/dsl/minirt24.gz BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix knoppix_dir=dsl base norestore legacy
LABEL userdef
KERNEL /dsl/linux24
APPEND ######################

The CONFIG command loads the isolinux config file for DSL, with all options as the normal DSL cd, but this requires a new version of isolinux.
Download syslinux from http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/.
Extract the syslinux archive to "c:\syslinux\".

To update isolinux for the CD version
- Copy "c:\syslinux\core\isolinux.bin" to "C:\UBCD-extract\isolinux\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\menu\menu.c32" to "C:\UBCD-extract\isolinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\modules\chain.c32" to "C:\UBCD-extract\isolinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\memdisk\memdisk" to "C:\UBCD-extract\isolinux\"

To update syslinux for the bootable USB key
- Copy "c:\syslinux\core\ldlinux.sys" to "C:\UBCD-extract\syslinux\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\mbr\mbr.bin" and "c:\syslinux\ldloader.bss" to "C:\UBCD-extract\tools\ubcd2usb\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\menu\menu.c32" to "C:\UBCD-extract\syslinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\modules\chain.c32" to "C:\UBCD-extract\syslinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\memdisk\memdisk" to "C:\UBCD-extract\syslinux\"

Change /custom/custom.cfg to:

Quote:

MENU INCLUDE /menus/defaults.cfg
LABEL back
MENU LABEL ..
KERNEL menu.c32
APPEND /menus/main.cfg
LABEL dsl
MENU LABEL Damn Small Linux v4.3
CONFIG /dsl/isolinux.cfg

Icecube · **Joined:** Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm **Posts:** 1275

Deker wrote:

Quote:

hmm this doesnt seem to work with kanoppix 3.4.11

I've same problem. If anybody knows solution, please post it here

Do you mean knoppix, instead of kanopix? Kanoppix isn't listed at http://www.distrowatch.com, and I can't find the homepage of Kanoppix. Give a link to the homepage.

Can you give the complete directory structure of the k(a)noppix iso and post the isolinux.cfg file of it?

StopSpazzing · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:27 pm

Works fine with DSL-N 0.1RC4. Just replace knoppix and other files with the newer files provided by dsl-n.

MrSilverman · **Joined:** Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:02 am **Posts:** 1

StopSpazzing, many thanks! Works perfectly with DSL-N 0.1RC4.

StopSpazzing · **Posted:** Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:33 pm

MrSilverman wrote:

StopSpazzing, many thanks! Works perfectly with DSL-N 0.1RC4.

You are very welcome Silverman!

zepfanman · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:04 pm

Icecube wrote:

Copy the contents of C:\DSL\boot\isolinux to C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\ (if you take DSL, you need to change the changed "dsl" isolinux.cfg entries also to "DSL").
Copy C:\DSL\KNOPPIX\KNOPPIX to C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\.

Change C:\UBCD-extract\dsl\isolinux\isolinux.cfg to...

Excellent tutorial. I was doubtful if it would work since it was so detailed, but it did. I do want to point out that the ubcd\dsl folder should not contain any subfolders. You show dsl\isolinux\isolinux.cfg here.

Now if I can just get Puppy 4.1.2 to work the same way! I've used these instructions, but get this error:

Code:

pup_412.sfs not found. Dropping out to initial-ramdisk console...

Icecube · **Joined:** Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm **Posts:** 1275

@zepfanman
Thanks for pointing out the error in the tutorial.

Are you running Puppy Linux from USB instead of a CD?
Use this code instead:

Code:

LABEL puppy
MENU LABEL Puppy Linux V4.12
KERNEL /puppy/vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=/puppy/initrd.gz pmedia=usbflash psubdir=puppy

See http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=6440#6440 for a more complete tutorial.

If you are running it from a CD, you can have the same problem as described here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=1396130832&t=37835

HOWTO: Integrate DSL (Damn Small Linux) with UBCD V4

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