Persistent USB install

[jjshabadoo]

been following guides and trying to see if I can get away from linuxcoin. One I want to learn more about linux and two i'd like to create as streamlined a mining OS as I can.

I'm following Kanoi's guide, but I'm wondering if it is a persistent install, or more importantly, since I will only be booting from USB drive, will any changes I make while in XUBUNTU be saved? Of course no one wants to have to put in their scripts every time they reboot the machine.

Thanks.

[P4man]

Persistent means just that; your changes are permanent. However, at least with regular ubuntu live sticks, not everything is persistent. For instance updating your drivers will not. Not sure if that was changed in linuxcoin. But for sure any apps or scripts you put in your home folder will be kept.

[worldinacoin]

For me using Linuxcoin it seems everything is not too persistent though it is quite friendly to use.

[P4man]

Did you copy a persistence file to the stick? Also when booting, by default I believe it boots in to a regular, non persistent mode.

[worldinacoin]

Did you copy a persistence file to the stick? Also when booting, by default I believe it boots in to a regular, non persistent mode.

I manually boot in persistence.  I copied a 2GB persistence file into the root of the stick.

[jamesg]

Use BAMT.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=28967.0

[Deafboy]

Use BAMT.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=28967.0

+1

[kano]

Um ... strange question ...
My script says what to do to make it persistent ...
In step 4) "move the slider to 2GB for reserved extra space"
That's for persistence

Persistent means just that; your changes are permanent. However, at least with regular ubuntu live sticks, not everything is persistent. For instance updating your drivers will not. Not sure if that was changed in linuxcoin. But for sure any apps or scripts you put in your home folder will be kept.

Updating your 'drivers' is persistent.
Everything you do in the script after you boot the USB the first time is remembered.
(which is also why you shouldn't run a system update - not enough space to do that and not needed)

[jjshabadoo]

Okay, the system update is what is killing me, takes up all the space. Hmmm, I am also such a linux noob that I do not know how to delete programs, but I would love to get rid of all the office and web apps that come with ubuntu, although xbuntu is definitely better.

Hey Kanoi, do you think Xbuntu set up through your guide, is more stable than Linuxcoin? Also, do you get a CPU bug with the Xbuntu install?

Thanks.

[kano]

Yes you don't do a system update.
Who suggested that? Tell them to think before activating communication.

I have my guide coz I use it - not anything else.

Stability? The only stability issue I've ever seen is booting USB failing which has nothing to do with the linux you are using.
Sometimes computers temporarily wont boot USB. It's a BIOS issue (in my case it's AMI 8.15 on an MSI P55-GD55)
When that happens, you have to power them off, wait a few seconds, then boot.
To remove that rare problem: put it on a tiny HDD and waste an extra 10W running the HDD
(I don't use an HDD, I'm still on my USB - and of course it's only when you reboot or power cycle that the issue can possibly happen)

As for OS stability - if you have ANY OS issues then I'd suggest you throw it away and get a standard one.
However, what do you mean by stable?
In the Linux world, stability is not something that should be an issue unless you are directly screwing with the kernel.

The graphics drivers do have elements of kernel code, but that's effectively the same graphics driver for all linux kernels.
More recent kernels and drivers should be more reliable, but well, I still don't have issues with 11.04 xubuntu (2.6.38-8) with the fglrx that came with it, so there's no need to even update that in my opinion.
We are not talking windows here - it's Linux.

[P4man]

Okay, the system update is what is killing me, takes up all the space. Hmmm, I am also such a linux noob that I do not know how to delete programs, but I would love to get rid of all the office and web apps that come with ubuntu, although xbuntu is definitely better.

Is this a dedicated mining rig? If so, depending on the amount of ram and presence or absence of a hdd, you probably dont want to install a full fledged ubuntu on it. Its possible to remove unwanted apps of course (through ubuntu software center) but the thing to understand here is that a distribution is the combination of the OS + desktop + collection of apps. Thats what sets one distribution apart from the other. You are better off picking a distribution that already eliminated the things you dont need for mining, like linuxcoin or bamt.

That said, having those apps installed really shoudnt matter unless you are short on diskspace or ram. If you are having stability issues, removing apps isnt going to help, since you most likely have a hardware issue (or rare, but it happens, hardware thats not properly supported by the kernel, like a buggy ACPI bios).

Hey Kanoi, do you think Xbuntu set up through your guide, is more stable than Linuxcoin? Also, do you get a CPU bug with the Xbuntu install?

If your hardware is ok and properly supported, xubuntu is just as stable as linuxcoin, ubuntu or any other linux distro. Ive had linuxcoin run for months with zero issues.

The CPU usage bug is not in Linux, its in the AMD drivers, and the same problem occurs on Windows. Older versions of the AMD drivers do not have it (11.4 and older I think) and the latest version (11.11) apparently fixes it for most, but not all people. Different distro's come with different default drivers, or default to different drivers in the case of ubuntu. Im not sure which one comes with Linuxcoin, but I dont have the cpu bug with it. Nor did I have it with (x)ubuntu 10.04 or 10.10. I do have it with (l/x/k)ubuntu 11.x after installing the recommended AMD driver. I have not tied the latest AMD driver on it yet.

[P4man]

OH and one more thing; as Kano mentioned, try another USB stick.
Linuxcoin does a good job of minimizing disk IO, but running any OS from a cheap USB stick (which usually have poor or no wear leveling) risks ruining the stick rather quickly. I have a big pile of no name 2GB USB sticks to prove that