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Author Topic: Need I update TC64 installation?  (Read 3720 times)

Offline labeas

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Need I update TC64 installation?
« on: April 09, 2017, 04:29:46 PM »
Looking at: Index of /8.x/x86_64/release/
I see that TC64 is continually updated.

I wasn't able to install pan [NNTP client] which apparently needed
full-X, and not just the <Fbuf> that I've installed; but I'm afraid
to mess with what's working so far. And since opera-12 runs OK, except
that I didn't succeed to fetch NNTP yet, I may still be able to do
NNTP with only <Fbuf>.

Obviously with a new substantial system like TC64, there will be
quirks which need fixing, like when returning from VT to X:
* sometimes X-windows have changed size,
* sometimes X-windows have moved to the left, so that the <moveBar>
is hidden and I don't know how to close the window.

TC is not designed for users in 3rd-going-4th world societies,
where apart from your Inet connection, you must worry about the
security of your electricity and drinking water.
So I can't risk losing TC's off-line capability, by trying to be
up-to-date, and end up with a lame M$ only device.
Only TC is unique in being a realistically USBstik-based linux.

So, am I advised to install a newer than 3 months old TC64;
and can that be done to not-partition-one of one of several USB
devices that I've got?

== TIA

Offline Rich

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2017, 05:42:46 PM »
Hi labeas
* sometimes X-windows have changed size,
* sometimes X-windows have moved to the left, so that the <moveBar>
is hidden and I don't know how to close the window.
If a windows titlebar is offscreen, give the window focus and hit  Ctrl-Alt-M  a couple of times.

Offline Juanito

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2017, 10:38:53 PM »
So, am I advised to install a newer than 3 months old TC64;
and can that be done to not-partition-one of one of several USB
devices that I've got?

An update can be done alongside your existing installation - rename the distributions file to, say, rootfs64_tc8.gz, modules64_tc8.gz, vmlinuz64_tc8, create a tce64_tc8 folder, add an extra menu item to your bootloader and off you go...

Offline labeas

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2017, 06:01:33 AM »
You seem to suggest that a <new boot entry> in the booter,
which points to to a new KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz64
 and INITRD /boot/corepure64.gz
will allow choice/for-testing between the proven & new installations ?

I like that; but my problem is that, for reasons which I can't trace
in my logs, I installed the original TC64 in a FATfs on the USBstik.
That brought many problems, so I've made a 2nd ext4 partition for my
data & script directories; which is where I want NewTC64 to boot from.

But, also for unknown reasons, I'm using the isolinux booter, which
apparently can only access its own partition, unlike GRUB.

Since TC64 caters for GRUB, I'd much rather use that:
which would apparently solve the problem of booting  TC64 from the
2nd partition, and also allow me to experiment with booting some of
my old installations, to fetch info which a `chroot oldInstl` can't
see because of no access to /dev & /proc.

Eg. I've put the <TCbook>.pdf in one of these other installations
which has pdfRendering ability. But while reading it recently, I didn't
think to search about GRUB. So I guess installing GRUB would overwrit
the present installation. So best buy ANOTHER USBstik! ?

The following multi-screen TCinstructions/description seems applicable;
"* Howto make a legacy bios/uefi dual boot usb stick with grub2" ?

Offline Juanito

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2017, 06:20:56 AM »
Optionally you could use the tc-install extension in the tc-8.x x86_64 repo, but this uses syslinux

Offline Misalf

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2017, 06:42:17 AM »
If you don't want to mess with the syslinux boot loader currently installed in your USB stick's MBR, you can chainload to Grub4DOS and boot up any linux on another partition.
You only need  grldr  from  grub4dos.tcz  and create a  menu.lst  file.

/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
Code: [Select]
LABEL grub4dos
MENU LABEL Grub4DOS
KERNEL chain.c32
APPEND grldr=/grub/grldr

/mnt/sda1/menu.lst
Code: [Select]
title Tiny Core Linux 7.x
find --set-root /tce-7.x/boot/vmlinuz
kernel /tce-7.x/boot/vmlinuz  quiet loglevel=3 tce=UUID="cb6f8b98-91fd-4c96-b115-3d2bb9cb3e57"/tce-7.x 
initrd /tce-7.x/boot/rootfs.gz /tce-7.x/boot/modules.gz 

in my case,  /tce-7.x/boot/vmlinuz  is not on sda1, as the boot loaders,  but on another partition which is found by  --set-root .
Download a copy and keep it handy: Core book ;)

Offline coreplayer2

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2017, 10:38:13 AM »
Code: [Select]
title Tiny Core Linux 7.x
find --set-root /tce-7.x/boot/vmlinuz
kernel /tce-7.x/boot/vmlinuz  quiet loglevel=3 tce=UUID="cb6f8b98-91fd-4c96-b115-3d2bb9cb3e57"/tce-7.x 
initrd /tce-7.x/boot/rootfs.gz /tce-7.x/boot/modules.gz 

Must be a typo...   quiet and loglevel=3 on same command line??

Offline Rich

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2017, 10:45:25 AM »
Hi coreplayer2
Must be a typo...   quiet and loglevel=3 on same command line??

I think  quiet  just suppresses messages to the console but not to  dmesg  while  loglevel  determines what kind of
events should be reported.

Offline coreplayer2

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2017, 10:49:16 AM »
Interesting, thanks Rich

I've only ever used one or the other, never both.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2017, 11:02:47 AM by coreplayer2 »

Offline Misalf

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2017, 07:29:45 PM »
I've removed some non-relevant options, but was thinking the ones I left there were defaults, except for UUID. Maybe I should have left UUID as the only option additional to  vmlinuz . I actually have never invested any effort in checking what  quiet  does.
Download a copy and keep it handy: Core book ;)

Offline polikuo

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2017, 08:20:32 PM »
IIRC
quiet suppress the extension listing of onboot.lst for CorePlus iso
Quote
Booting Core 8.0
Running Linux Kernel 4.8.17-tinycore
Checking boot options... Done.
Starting udev daemon for hotplug support... Done.
Scanning hard disk partitions to create /etc/fstab
Setting Language to C Done.
Possible swap partition(s) enabled.
Loading extensions...
Xvesa libXdmcp libXau ...

Modify:
I was wrong.
It's what "showapps" does

Offline labeas

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2017, 02:55:09 AM »
Quote:----------------------------------------------
  You only need  grldr  from  grub4dos.tcz  and create a  menu.lst  file.
TC64 <AppsBrowser> didn't list the recommended <grubDos> and the listed <grub>
is a MONSTER! So I abandoned the side-goal of using grub, and just copied the
2 files plus an extra entry in <syslinux> as originally recommended.
  Obviously the new version has messed several of my setting, and I don't immediately
see any advantage/improvement, so I'm writing this with old/V7. That Ver7 gave /mnt/sdb1
for `df` seemed natural, since sda is the laptop's device; but V8 giving "/mnt/sdb2"
seems wrong. What determines which device/S would be mounted immediately after TC64
has started?
  Are there any tests that I can do to confirm changes/improvements in V8, else I'll
just stick with V7 ?
==TIA
PS. little: *dvtm_0.6-1_amd64.deb    28314 Mar  5 : a <Terminal Tiler> adds much utility,
especially since many screens have 2xwidth compared to the 480x640 of good-old-apps.

Offline coreplayer2

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2017, 04:32:03 AM »
Grub (Grub V2) is the latest and greatest and is all that is needed these days.  Haven't used grub4dos in years, but it may still be found in an older version of TC which you would have to download manually if you really wanted to try it.


TC-8.x; AIUI what is important to know, after V8 final released there is no longer any support for V7

To try V8 whilst keeping a fall back V7 installed, you will need to create a separate tce directory specific to the old v7 (or an alternative tce directory for V8) copy tce_v7 to tce_v8 then while booted to TC-8.x  run tce-update and updatedeps

I use tce directory naming style based on tc version and architecture,  eg: tc7-x86,  tc8-x86_64, etc. etc.  You would specify this as a boot code (see boot codes in the book)

To boot both TC7 and TC8 you would need to rename both tce directory's, rootfs and modules and possibly your mydata_backup file and onbootlist as appropriate.

Example from my boot config which accomplishes this
Code: [Select]
menuentry "*** TC-7-Corepure64 (on Samsung)" {
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 196fcfb2-bd37-495d-b855-41f08201be7d
linux /linux/vmlinuz64-429 noswap tz=GMT loglevel=3 waitusb=5:UUID="196fcfb2-bd37-495d-b855-41f08201be7d" tce=UUID="196fcfb2-bd37-495d-b855-41f08201be7d"/tc7-x86_64 opt=UUID="196fcfb2-bd37-495d-b855-41f08201be7d" home=UUID="196fcfb2-bd37-495d-b855-41f08201be7d" lst=onboot_CorePure64.lst mydata=mydataCorePure64
initrd /linux/rootfs64-7.2.gz /linux/modules64-429.gz
}




Bye Bye tc-7.x   It was nice knowing you.. 
Welcome TC-8.x

:)
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 04:45:30 AM by coreplayer2 »

Offline coreplayer2

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Re: Need I update TC64 installation?
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2017, 05:15:26 AM »
The commands for tce update and update deps are

Code: [Select]
tce-update
tce-audit builddb
tce-audit updatedeps
tce-audit fetchmissing
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 05:17:37 AM by coreplayer2 »