- Knoppix
Infobox OS
name = Knoppix
caption = Knoppix 5.3.1 withKDE
developer =Klaus Knopper
family =Linux
source_model =Open source
working_state = Current
latest_release_version = 5.3.1
latest_release_date = release date|2008|03|27
language = German and English
kernel_type =Monolithic kernel , Linux
license = Various, mostlyGPL [cite web |url=http://www.knoppix.org/ |title=KNOPPIX Linux Live CD: What license does the KNOPPIX-CD use? |accessdate=2007-07-16]
website = [http://www.knoppix.org/ www.knoppix.org]Knoppix, or KNOPPIX (pronEng|nopɪks), is a GNU/Linux
operating system based onDebian designed to be run directly from a CD /DVD . Knoppix was developed by Linux consultantKlaus Knopper . When starting a program it is loaded from theoptical disc and decompressed into aRAM drive . The decompression is transparent andon-the-fly .Although Knoppix is primarily designed to be used as a
Live CD , it can also be installed on ahard disk like a typical operating system. Computers that support booting from USB devices can load Knoppix from alive USB flash drive ormemory card .There are two main editions of Knoppix: the traditional
Compact Disc (700megabyte s) edition and theDVD (4.7gigabyte s) "Maxi" edition. Each of these main editions has two language-specific editions: English and German.Knoppix mostly consists of
free software , but also includesproprietary software .Usage
Knoppix can be used to back up files easily from hard drives with inaccessible operating systems. To quickly and more safely use Linux software the
Live CD can be used instead of installing another OS.Contents
More than 1000 software packages are included on the CD edition and more than 2600 are included on the DVD edition. Up to 9
gigabyte s can be stored on the DVD in compressed form.These packages include:
* Part ofKDE , the defaultdesktop environment, including theKonqueror web browser and theKMail e-mail client. Knoppix is also packaged with several other window managers, including,Fluxbox ,twm ,IceWM , andGNUstep .
*XMMS , withMP3 audio, andOgg Vorbis audio playback support
*Internet access software, including theKPPP dialer and ISDN utilities
* TheIceweasel web browser (based onMozilla Firefox )
*K3b , for CD (and DVD) authoring and backup
*GIMP , an image manipulation program
* Partition management toolsGParted orQtParted
* Tools for data rescue and system repair
* Network analysis and administration tools
*OpenOffice.org , a comprehensiveoffice suite
* Many programming and development toolsRequirements
Requirements to run Knoppix:
* Intel-compatible processor (i486 or later)
* 32 MB of RAM for text mode, at least 96 MB for graphics mode with KDE (at least 128 MB of RAM is recommended to use the various office products)
* Bootable CD-ROM drive, or a boot floppy and standard CD-ROM (IDE/ATAPI or SCSI)
* Standard SVGA-compatible graphics card
* Serial or PS/2 standard mouse or IMPS/2-compatible USB-mouseSaving changes in the environment
Prior to Knoppix 3.8.2, any documents or settings a user created would disappear upon reboot. This lack of permanence made it necessary to save documents explicitly to a hard drive partition, over the network, or to some
removable medium , such as aUSB flash drive .It was also possible to set up a "persistent home directory", where any documents or settings written to the user's home directory would automatically be redirected to a hard drive or removable medium, which could be automatically mounted on bootup. What is stored there physically is a file called "knoppix.img". The file is used to simulate a file system into which files are written for later use. This is transparent for the user. What the user perceives is that it is possible to write files to the home directory.
Union mount support was added in version 3.8.1 throughUnionFS . This was later replaced in 5.1.0 byAufs to improve stability. [ [http://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/knoppix/KNOPPIX-CHANGELOG.txt Changelog] ] . The union mount allows virtual updates to the data on the read-only CD/DVD medium by storing changes on a separate writable medium and then representing the combination of the two as single storage device. The writable medium can be memory (ramdisk ), ahard disk ,USB flash drive , etc. This means that the user can modify the software installed on the Knoppix system, such as by using APT to install or update software. The storage device containing the changes needs to be present whenever Knoppix is started else only the original data from the disc will be used.By default Knoppix will scan available storage devices for a persistent home directory, but you can override this scan and provide a specific location with a boot option (see below) such as:
home=/dev/hda1/knoppix.img
[http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes Knoppix Documentation Wiki:Cheat codes] ]By carrying a Knoppix CD and a USB flash drive, a user can have the same environment, programs, settings, and data available on any computer that is Knoppix-compatible.
Boot options
When using Knoppix as a
Live CD , one can use boot options, also known as 'cheatcodes', to override a default setting or automatic hardware detection when it fails. For example, the user may wish to boot into a plain console, or proceed without SCSI support. For this, Knoppix allows the user to enter one or more cheat codes at the prompt before booting. If the user doesn't enter a cheat code, or doesn't press any key before the timeout, Knoppix will boot with its default options. For example, to set the language to French rather than the default, one would type:Popularity
Knoppix was one of the first Live CD Linux distributions to gain popularity. [ [http://polishlinux.org/choose/live-cd/ polishlinux.org - Live CD] ] There are several factors that contribute to the popularity of Knoppix:
* Knoppix was one of the firstLive CD s available, and is known as the "original" Debian-basedLive CD
* Its extensive hardware detection allows most systems to start Knoppix without any configuration
* Its ability to automatically connect to most kinds of networks
* Its utilities for system repair and troubleshootingKnoppix works on a fairly high number of PCs or laptops, but not all. The automatic hardware detection cannot cope with all hardware, and sometimes the drivers used will not be optimal. Knoppix has difficulty recognizing some cards made before 1998, or motherboards with a BIOS made before 2002. (In some cases, manual configuration with codes entered at boot time can overcome problems with automatic detection.)
If a PC does not have enough RAM to run
KDE and other included programs, Knoppix boots up a very limitedtwm session instead. The only window running in the twm session by default is xterm.Versions
As of April 2008, from version 4 up until 5.1.1, Knoppix has been split into a DVD "maxi" edition (with over 9GB of software), and a CD "light" edition, both developed in parallel [http://web.archive.org/web/20050708005508/http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html] , after 5.1.1 only the DVD version is available.
The following is the version history for major releases.
Variations
Adriane Knoppix
Adriane Knoppix is a variation that is intended for blind and visually impaired people, which can be used entirely without vision oriented output devices. It was released in the third quarter of 2007 as a
Live CD . "Adriane Knoppix" is named after Adriane Knopper, the wife ofKlaus Knopper , the developer of Knoppix. Adriane has a visual impairment, and has been assisting Klaus with the development of the software. [Swapnil Bhartiya, EFY News, [http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=17094 Free Operating System For Blind: Adriane Knoppix] accessed 2 February 2007] The name Adriane is also anacronym (although it's probably abackronym ) for "Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment".Adriane Knoppix is intended not only for the blind but also for beginners who don’t know much about computers. It is simple to use since the user does not have to search through many applications to find what they need.Fact|date=May 2008 It uses the
SUSE -Blind-Linux (SBL) Screenreader with aphoneme generator and speech engine for normal output.Other variations
*
Auditor Security Collection , intended to test the security of networks
*BackTrack is the result of the merger between the Auditor Security Collection (above) and Whoppix, a discontinued live CD with computer network penetration testing tools and known later as WHAX, during which time it was based onSLAX instead of Knoppix.
*Buildix , oriented on anagile development infrastructure withTrac , Subversion andCruiseControl
*ClusterKnoppix , which usesopenMosix
*Damn Small Linux , 50 MB image file with Linux 2.4. [ [http://damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ#Will_DSL_ever_use_the_2.6_kernel.3F_Has_it_even_been_considered.3F DSL uses a 2.4 kernel] ] Works asLive CD andLive USB
*Feather Linux , 128 MB image with Linux 2.4, works as aLive CD andLive USB
* Flonix USB Edition, an old live CD
*Guadalinex , Spanish
* Helix, focusing on the computer security areas of forensics, data discovery and incident response
*Hikarunix , which provides a full study/play environment for Go
* INSERT ("INside SEcurity Rescue Toolkit"), which fits on a Mini-Live CD and is focused on security and system repairs
*Kanotix , with live-cd function, but fully supports HD-install and dist-upgrade as well
*Knoppix STD (Security Tools Distribution), which focuses oncomputer security tools
*KnoppMyth , a distro that attempts to make the Linux andMythTV installation as trivial as possible
*Kurumin , inBrazilian Portuguese
*Morphix , a modular distribution with four basic variations and the ability to construct more variations easily using a module system
*Musix GNU+Linux , specifically for musicians
*Quantian , for statisticians
*sidux , independent distribution with installer, inspired by knoppix, over the detour of kanotix.
*Tilix , Bulgarian Linux based operating system, easy to use for beginners and for advanced users. The distribution can work directly from CD or can be installed to you hard drive. The hardware recognition is automatic.See also
*
Debian Live References
Further reading
Books
*
*News articles
* [http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-knopp.html Cameron Laird: Knoppix gives bootable, one-disk Linux] (IBM developer works)
* [http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=interview-knoppix Distrowatch.com interview with Klaus Knopper]
* [http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-knopx.html System recovery with Knoppix] (IBM developer works)External links
* [http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html Official website]
* [http://www.knoppix.net/ Knoppix.net - English user site]
*
* [http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-adriane/index-en.html Adriane Knoppix site]
* [http://www.ab9il.net/flashdrive-linux/flashlinux.html Installing SLAX, Knoppix, and Backtrack on a multiboot pendrive]
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