Local/Install (PPI) some_extension not found microcore 2.6.1

[cannonfodder]

Attempting to set up a Micro Core 2.6.1 Local/Install (PPI).

Using following boot options:

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local=sda8 restore=sda8 home=sda8
Have downloaded nano and htop using:

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tce-load -w -i htop.tcz
tce-load -w -i nano.tcz
When I try to use either I get:

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-sh: nano not found
-sh: htop not found
When I try:

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tce-load -i htop.tcz
I get:

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htop already installed
Both extensions are in

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/usr/local/tce.installed
I'm sure I missed something obvious...

Anyone have any ideas?

[roberts]

You mean after a reboot? Apparently you mounted the extensions. Instead they need to be copied into the filesystem (/usr/local/...). Since /usr/local is persisted your install status from the mount is still there.
With v2.6.1 you should have used tce-load -w -i -r .....  That would have copied (installed) the extension into /usr/local instead of mounting it. Since your home is also persisted you still have menu items. PPI is a hybrid scatter mode installation and should be used carefully. I do not recommend PPI except for systems not capable of supporting mount type installations.

[cannonfodder]

Thanks for the quick reply...

I'll start off by addressing the last part of your reply:

PPI is a hybrid scatter mode installation and should be used carefully. I do not recommend PPI except for systems not capable of supporting mount type installations.

My first foray into the unique linux experience that is Tiny/Mico Core Linux (pre-version 2.x) involved a poor man's install.

The installation instructions at the time, I seem to remember, discouraged installing to the hard drive.

Incompatibility between my intended use of Tiny Linux and Tiny Linux' capabilities, combined with an incomplete understanding of the core concepts resulted in a sytem that did only some of what I wanted. If I remember correctly, PPI was also at the root of some problems I experienced then too.

Long story short, this time around, although I do not plan on installing to the hard drive I am still interested in the potential benefits of the fourth mode of operation (Local/Install (PPI)).

However, if after some modest trouble shooting I cannot get this to work satisfactorily, I will follow roberts' advice and stick to TCE/Mount (PPR) mode.

It might help to clarify my goals for Tiny/Mico Core Linux:

- turn a Pentium 166MHz laptop with 48MBs of RAM into a command line intranet LAMP server

LFS is not a viable option. I don't really have the time to compile that amount of software on an ancient but still serviceable machine.

Now to reply to roberts' questions/comments...

You mean after a reboot?

Yes.

Apparently you mounted the extensions.

and

With v2.6.1 you should have used tce-load -w -i -r .....

Short of fragmented forum posts and release notes, AFAIK, there is no material - or none publicly available - documenting tce-load switches.

I wasn't yet aware of appbrowser-cli and would rather not rely on ncurses for anything but htop and nano.

After first installing htop and nano with tce-load -w -i, rebooting and getting the error messages documented in the initial post, I caved in and installed appbrowser-cli, again using tce-load -w -i. I hadn't yet posted to the forum and was not aware of the difference between tce-load -w -i -r and tce-load -w -i.

I used appbrowser-cli to install nano and I rebooted to test the results.

Now nano works but launching appbrowser-cli and htop still generates the same error messsages, of course.

I snooped around the filesystem and found the following, some of which is related to my problems I'm sure, and may (or may not) help with trouble shooting:

- when I go to/usr/local/tce.installed, I see appbrowser-cli and htop and a symbolic link to /tmp/tcloop/nano/user/local/tce.installed/nano for nano.

- when I cd to the partition (sda8) I am using for home, restore, and local and go to tclocal/share/, I only see nano

...they need to be copied into the filesystem (/usr/local/...). Since /usr/local is persisted your install status from the mount is still there.

I am thoroughly confused at this point. What needs to be copied where? Do I need to re-run a variant of tce-load? If so, do I use the -r switch?

The appbrowser-cli UI indicates that it only mounts extensions. If this is correct, why is nano working and not the other extensions?

Thank you in advance...

[Jason W]

I am not familiar with appbrowser-cli, but the easiest way to use PPI is to create the load to system flag in the tce directory before installing any extensions.  That way they all obey copy to system mode.  If your tce directory is /mnt/hda2/tce, then do this before installing any extensions with PPI mode:

$ touch /mnt/hda2/tce/tcz2ram.flg

Then you don't have to specify copy to ram mode with any installing of extensions.

PPI is an operation mode for special circumstances and is not recommended for general use.  But in your case it would help, though unless you install a lot of mounted extensions, mounted mode should work too as it uses only modest RAM.

[combo3]

- turn a Pentium 166MHz laptop with 48MBs of RAM into a command line intranet LAMP server

I could be wrong, but this seems like an awfully tight squeeze. According to the FAQ, MC requires 36 MB all to itself, leaving only 12 MB for the AMP part.

[cannonfodder]

@ Jason W:

 I will give:

 

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$ touch /mnt/hda2/tce/tcz2ram.flg
a try...

@ combo3:

Commandline is using up 11mb... I had full GUI going last May (Tiny Core pre ver 2) with plenty of room to spare for LAMP daemons...

[Jason W]

cannofodder, I am curious, are you already running current TC on that p1-166 laptop?"

[cannonfodder]

I am but I've been testing micro core on a p4 with 512mbs before I try it on the p166 laptop...

EDIT:

I am NOT running current. Running 1.2, possibly 1.3.

I know that when I posted last May, it was mentioned that version 2 would have improved PPI support. So the laptop has frugal install of whatever version of Tiny Core immediately preceded version 2.

[cannonfodder]

Combination of tce-load -w -i -r and /mnt/hda2/tce/tcz2ram.flg gives desired result...

Thanks to peters and Jason W