DIRECTORY layout + other improvements

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Icecube
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DIRECTORY layout + other improvements

#1 Post by Icecube » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:50 am

Suggestion for the directory structure of ubcd:
/antivir/ ==> /ubcd/boot/antivir is better

/dban/ ==> /ubcd/boot/dban is better

/isolinux/

/offline/
==> /ubcd/boot/offline is better

/pmagic/

/syslinux/

/ubcd/
  • boot/
    • cpustres/ (place the initrd in this folder)
      discwiz/ (place the kernel and initrd with the original name in this folder)
      memtest/ (place the kernel and initrd with the original name in this folder)
      diskcopy/ (place the kernel and initrd with the original name in this folder)
      maxblast/ (place the kernel and initrd with the original name in this folder)
      x86test/ (place the kernel and initrd with the original name in this folder)
    custom/ ==> delete this directory

    dosapps/ ==> other directory layout (as702 is working with this, so I am not completely sure that this are the correct names). as702 also suggested to rename dosapps to dos
    • main/ ==> contains ubcd program archives
      usr/ ==> the "custom" folder for dos applications that the user wants to add
      dosapps.ini
      ubcd.ini
    images/ ==> as702 wants a subfolder os for the freedos (and msdos image)

    menus/
    • custom.cfg ==> comes from /ubcd/custom/
      hdd/ ==> hdd[1-9].cfg files with other names (already done)
      pmagic/ ==> move the pmagic help files to this directory
      others.cfg ==> rename it to antivirus.cfg ==> Place the pmagic entry in main.cfg (easier to find Parted Magic)
    tools/ ==> make scripts and readme.txt for windows and linux (coming soon)
    • win32/
      • ubcd2iso/
        ubcd2usb/
      linux/
      • ubcd2iso/
        ubcd2usb/
    ubcd.ico ==> comes from /ubcd.ico
autorun.ini ==> edit it
boot.catalog ==> remove it
licence.txt
ubcd.ico
==> move it to /ubcd/
I would like to see /antivir, /dban, /offline inside /ubcd/boot/, but we already discussed this some time ago. as702 an freeballer want this too.
freeballer wrote:
Victor Chew wrote:The UBCD content are now found in its own "ubcd" subdir. All the linux stuff (eg. Parted Magic, DBAN etc.) are found in their own root subdirs however.
darn :sad:
I'm gonna try to move as many as i can inside the ubcd when final comes out, but I know sometimes (in my own experience) not all of them will work afterwards. Thankfully it's just the linux crap though, cept partition... the rest prolly can be easily migrated
If you make subfolders in /ubcd/boot/ (/ubcd/boot/<program name>), you can place the kernel and initrd of each of this application in this subfolder with its original name (kernel is most of the time vmlinuz, initrd is initrd or initrd.gz). When you want to update a program of this kind, you just have to replace the files which are in the archive (iso) of that program. You don't have to know which file is the kernel and which is the initrd (= easier for users, no rename needed).

/ubcd/custom/ ==> delete this directory
Move custom.cfg to /ubcd/menus/custom.cfg or /ubcd/menus/usr/custom.cfg (possibility to add other user config files to /ubcd/menus/usr/).
Make a usr directory in /ubcd/boot, /ubcd/dosapps and /ubcd/images if you want a custom directory (personally I just add extra programs to the normal folders). If you use a usr in each directory you can move all other directories and files of ubcd that reside inside that directory into a core subfolder (or with another name (main)).

It makes no sense to have subdirectories based on the application name in /ubcd/dosapps, because all files are zipped (uha or 7zip archives are possible too in the future) in an archive with the name of the program.
I have discussed this with as702 and he has implemented it in the freedos image. He has removed the startup.bat files and has made an dosapps.ini file which contains all the info needed to make the menus.
viewtopic.php?t=1422&start=29
as702 wrote:Also, under /images, it might be an idea to create a subfolder called "os", so users can quickly find the freedos image (this can later be populated to include DR-DOS and MS-DOS).
Place ubcd.ico in /ubcd instead of / It is annoying to have the icon file on your usb thumb drive in the root folder.
Change autorun.ini to:

Code: Select all

[autorun]
ShellExecute=ubcd\website\index.html
icon=ubcd\ubcd.ico
ubcd.ico isn't needed anymore to determine the cd / usb drive. as702 changed it already:
icecube wrote:@as702
Can you change the method for finding the cd (don't look for ubcd.ico, unless Victor changes the path of ubcd.ico to \ubcd\ubcd.ico)? Search for the cd in the same way as you look for which version of ubcd it is. Alternatively, you can get the path to dosubcd.igz with the getargs.com program and search for that path to determine the cdrom / usb thumb drive location.
See: viewtopic.php?t=1461&highlight=ubcd+ico for the problem when removing the icon from the root folder.
Change also ubcd2iso.cmd (also contains other improvements) so that the boot.catalog file gets placed in /isolinux and gets hidden (rename to boot.cat ==> mkisofs won't make a garbage name of it (stupid 8 + 3 character limit for dos)).
viewtopic.php?t=1515

I found a ubcd2iso.sh for linux, but it needs some additional checks and updates (will try to update it this evening).
viewtopic.php?p=3782

Additions or suggestions are welcome!
Last edited by Icecube on Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

as702
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#2 Post by as702 » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:01 am

Some good suggestions.
I would like to see /antivir, /dban, /offline inside /ubcd/boot/, but we already discussed this some time ago. as702 an freeballer want this too.
Stick PartedMagic in there while you're at it. q-:

as702
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#3 Post by as702 » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:17 am

dosapps/ ==> other directory layout (as702 is working with this, so I am not completely sure that this are the correct names). as702 also suggested to rename dosapps to dos

main/ ==> contains ubcd program archives
usr/ ==> the "custom" folder for dos applications that the user wants to add
dosapps.ini
ubcd.ini
To keep it tidy, should I concatenate dosapps,ini and ubcd.ini into a single file?

Icecube
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#4 Post by Icecube » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:45 am

If we move /pmagic to /ubcd/pmagic, I have to edit the initrd of parted magic, else it can't find the /pmagic/pmodules/*.7z files. If the next version of Parted Magic comes out, I have to do it again (not a big problem), but you need linux to do it, so most users won't know how to do it.
Icecube wrote:EDIT: The new beef_drapes of Parted Magic contains directory= as extra parameter. So changing it to
directory=/ubcd makes it possible to move /pmagic/ to /ubcd/pmagic/.
as702 wrote: To keep it tidy, should I concatenate dosapps,ini and ubcd.ini into a single file?
That is a good idea. Some comments inside the ini file should make it clear what each item does.
Last edited by Icecube on Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

as702
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#5 Post by as702 » Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:50 am

For the sake of consistency, it might be wise to rename the current FreeDOS image...

dosubcd.igz => fdubcd.igz

Icecube
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#6 Post by Icecube » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:14 am

Added some more suggestions to my first post (/ubcd/menus/).

zzzz007
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Menu Layout

#7 Post by zzzz007 » Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:07 pm

Could the Menu layout be set out similar to V3.4
Much easier to navigate than present layout

as702
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Re: Menu Layout

#8 Post by as702 » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:42 am

zzzz007 wrote:Could the Menu layout be set out similar to V3.4
Much easier to navigate than present layout
It is too fragmented, I agree. How was it set-up in 3.4?

Victor Chew
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#9 Post by Victor Chew » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:32 pm

@IceCube:

I have implemented all your suggestions in the next beta version, except for the bit about moving stuff from the "custom" subfolder, which warrants further discussion.

The original reason for isolating all the custom stuff (eg. custom.cfg, images etc.) into the "custom" folder is for making it easier to upgrade to a newer version without touching the custom stuff. This means you can delete all the subfolders except "custom", copy over the the entire content of the new UBCD (ignoring "custom") then run mkisofs (or ubcd2iso/ubcd2usb). So it's best to keep the "custom" subfolder as it is.

@zzzz007:

It is not possible to use the same multi-column menu layout because V3.4 was based on CDSHell, but V4/5 are based on the Simple Menu System in syslinux. The menu commands for both systems are different, so it's not possible to create V3.4's menu layout within the confines of SSM.

zzzz007
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Menu

#10 Post by zzzz007 » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:42 pm

Thanks for the explanation, however I will not use the new version
because I like the older version menu layout much better.

as702
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#11 Post by as702 » Fri Aug 22, 2008 1:06 am

Victor Chew wrote:@IceCube:

I have implemented all your suggestions in the next beta version, except for the bit about moving stuff from the "custom" subfolder, which warrants further discussion.
That's nice. And what of my suggestions???
images/ ==> as702 wants a subfolder os for the freedos (and msdos image)
dosapps/ ==> other directory layout (as702 is working with this, so I am not completely sure that this are the correct names). as702 also suggested to rename dosapps to dos
For the sake of consistency, it might be wise to rename the current FreeDOS image...
dosubcd.igz => fdubcd.igz
Victor Chew wrote:The original reason for isolating all the custom stuff (eg. custom.cfg, images etc.) into the "custom" folder is for making it easier to upgrade to a newer version without touching the custom stuff. This means you can delete all the subfolders except "custom", copy over the the entire content of the new UBCD (ignoring "custom") then run mkisofs (or ubcd2iso/ubcd2usb). So it's best to keep the "custom" subfolder as it is.
Hence, you have "usr" folders in which to place your custom menu options, dos programs and disk images.

Icecube
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#12 Post by Icecube » Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:19 pm

Victor Chew wrote:@IceCube:

I have implemented all your suggestions in the next beta version, except for the bit about moving stuff from the "custom" subfolder, which warrants further discussion.

The original reason for isolating all the custom stuff (eg. custom.cfg, images etc.) into the "custom" folder is for making it easier to upgrade to a newer version without touching the custom stuff. This means you can delete all the subfolders except "custom", copy over the the entire content of the new UBCD (ignoring "custom") then run mkisofs (or ubcd2iso/ubcd2usb). So it's best to keep the "custom" subfolder as it is.
I personally don't care much about the custom folder myself. i always integrate programs in the normal directory layout. Maybe you can make subfolders in /ubcd/custom:
boot/
dosapps/
images/
menus/
So that you can easily upgrade from one version of ubcd to another (just copying /ubcd/custom/ to the new location), but at the same time you have a structured custom folder (same way as the rest of the /ubcd/ folder), which makes it easier to maintain afterwards.

Thanks for implementing my suggestions.

Victor Chew
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#13 Post by Victor Chew » Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:05 pm

I have implemented all your suggestions in the next beta version, except for the bit about moving stuff from the "custom" subfolder, which warrants further discussion.
Oops, here goes...
For the sake of consistency, it might be wise to rename the current FreeDOS image...
dosubcd.igz => fdubcd.igz
Already done in my previous reply.
images/ ==> as702 wants a subfolder os for the freedos (and msdos image)
Not really for the idea. You'd have a single "fdubcd.igz" file in a single "os" subfolder. Even if you add a "msubcd.igz" yourself, that'll only be two files in a single subfolder. That's carrying organization to an extreme, isn't it? :D
dosapps/ ==> other directory layout (as702 is working with this, so I am not completely sure that this are the correct names). as702 also suggested to rename dosapps to dos
Again, is there really a good rationale for this? "dosapps" seems to convey the right idea across anyway.
Hence, you have "usr" folders in which to place your custom menu options, dos programs and disk images.
But then putting images and menu options under /dosapps/usr doesn't seem very logical. Having everything that belongs to the user under /ubcd/custom is IMHO more logical.
I personally don't care much about the custom folder myself. i always integrate programs in the normal directory layout. Maybe you can make subfolders in /ubcd/custom.
The idea is that _everything_ under the "custom" subfolder belongs to the user doing the customization, so I am not going to make any presumptions about how he is going to organize it. He can create subfolders for all I care, but he can also choose not to if he is only making simple customizations.

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#14 Post by Icecube » Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:30 am

Delete /syslinux/ldlinux.sys. This file will be created when you execute the ubcd2usb.cmd script (or when you execute syslinux.exe -ma -d syslinux X: manually).

Delete /ubcd/tools/ubcd2iso/wait.com. It isn't used anymore in ubcd2iso.cmd.

Delete /ubcd/tools/ubcd2usb/wait.com if it isn't used in the ubcd2usb.cmd script (don't know because you didn't post it yet).

Delete /ubcd/tools/ubcd2usb/ldlinux.bss. It isn't used in the ubcd2usb.cmd script.

Delete /ubcd/tools/ubcd2usb.bak/.

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#15 Post by Victor Chew » Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:13 pm

@Icecube: All done! Changes will be found in UBCD V5.0b6.

Icecube
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#16 Post by Icecube » Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:13 am

For the grub4dos incorporation, the following changes will keep the directory structure clean:
Move /isolinux/ to /boot/isolinux.
Move /isyslinux/ to /boot/syslinux.
Create /boot/grub/: will contain the menu.lst file for grub4dos later.

Move the current files in /ubcd/menus/ to /ubcd/menus/isolinux/.
Create the directory /ubcd/menus/grub4dos/ for the menu files for grub4dos.

Don't forget to edit the ubcd2iso.cmd (change the path of isolinux.bin everywhere in the script to /boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin) and change the following in ubcd2usb.cmd:

Code: Select all

"%~dp0\syslinux" -ma -d boot\syslinux %a2%
Don't forget to change all the paths in the menu config files.

Victor Chew
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#17 Post by Victor Chew » Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:27 pm

For the grub4dos incorporation, the following changes will keep the directory structure clean
Let's KIV this until we are clear of what we are doing with grub4dos i.e. discuss for the time-being without implementation:
Move /isolinux/ to /boot/isolinux.
Move /isyslinux/ to /boot/syslinux.
Create /boot/grub/: will contain the menu.lst file for grub4dos later.
Can't we keep all 3 (isolinux, syslinux, grub) in the root folder? It makes more sense because these are root-level structs instead of UBCD-level structs. When you are creating your own multi-boot CD, it is unlikely that you are going to use different versions of isolinux/syslinux/grub.

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