:: if you are looking for the alfalinux lugrm edition please go here (no English version available)





:: versione italiana di questa pagina.



:: ALFALINUX Project, new (stable) release: v0.3.1 -Laetitia-
The only portable (and STANDARD) Slackware... on two floppy disks!


Basical changelog from 0.1.0b:
-added vi ,cat, pwconv & unconv, several other parts
-modularized and optimized organization on the floppyes
-included commands to handle kernel modules
-a more compact/optimized/standard filesystem organization
-you can use Alfalinux -base- on machines with only 8 mb of RAM
-plugin system-parts support: you can create your own system modules and become active developer of alfalinux!

I'm preparing all the technical specifications about the standard procedure to create/package/install/uninstall modules. Documentation with examples next to come :)


Alfalinux mailing list:
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List owner: alfalinux-owner@yahoogroups.com


What is Alfalinux?
Alfalinux is a minidistribuition on two floppy disks much different from other similar products: that is no non-standard/reduced or remaked system parts, no bad overformatted floppy disks, no such things like other similar mini distributions. Alfalinux is a STANDARD portable SLACKWARE (3.5 kernel 2.0.34) on two floppy disks, a real linux that loads himself in RAM. You'll find only standard applications (ex. bash or lynx)and a "clear" system, thinked to be easily personalized such as your home system.
The basic configuration to use Alfalinux should be a 486 with at least 8 mb of ram. Please notice that with less than 12mb probably you can load only the first base floppy, without additional and networking apps stored in the second. System and personalizations
The system is divided into two floppy disks. On the first you find files for Syslinux (the linux loader), a kernel and the compressed base filesystem initrd.gz. At the startup file the kernel mount it as root filesystem. In the second floppy there is the gzipped tar archive netdata.tgz, that contains network programs, libncurses, key layouts and many other additional system parts (not needed for the correct usage of the system). The netdata script on the second floppy create the second ramdisk mounted on /usr/bin and unpack the netdata.tgz archive in the system.
To personalize you can modify the base filesystem initrd.gz, add your parts in the netdata archive or create your new archives. You also simply copy files on the second floppy disks and modifu the netdata script, to copy files on the floppy into the system (at the boot time). As example, if we want to modify/create the scripts for internet connection we have to update
/etc/resolv.conf
/etc/ppp/options
/etc/ppp/pap / chap-secrets
/bin/connect
/bin/chatscript
Once we have prepared the updates scripts save them on the second disk and append at the netdata script a sequence to delete and replace the old scripts with new at the startup: noe you have a personalized system every time it loads at startup from floppy.
Please remember that Alfalinux don't mount local filesystems at startup (only the floppy disks, but you can insert it write-protected) so it's an absolute secure system, because is loaded into RAM memory and don't need any installation procedure.


:. Configuration file of the included kernel
:. Lslr (all the content of Alfalinux -1st and 2nd floppy-)


If you have any problem, please email me with the error message and what you do. I'm not a guru but I'll try to help you anyway :)



INSTALLATION:
First of all, unpack the archive (tar xvfz filename), then

from msdos/OS2/windows (more info on rawrite):
rawrite alinuz1.img a:
rawrite alinuz2.img a:

from linux:
dd if=alinuz1.img of=/dev/fd0
dd if=alinuz2.img of=/dev/fd0


:.Download Alfalinux (2,6mb)



Some todo for next releases:
+/etc/rc.d
+crontab
+secure and better kernel



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