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AlexRey

- AlexRey
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## Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:48 am

Does Refracta tools work with Linux Mint 18 or can be made to work?
Thanks
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:55 am

Maybe. I don't know if anyone has tried it with Mint 18. See this thread -
no-go-on-mint-17-install-saved-iso-t559.html
Try to install the tools, and report any problems you have.
AlexRey

- AlexRey
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:05 pm

Thanks for the reply , Windows noob here so i'm not entirely sure what i'm doing so it looks like i'll have to jump in the deep end and see where i get.
Can i try the tools on any version of Mint or is it the LMDE debian version only?
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:07 pm

The problem with ubuntu-based distros is the absence of live-config-systemd or live-config-upstart in the repositories. Mint 18 is using 3.0.23, almost exact same version as in debian wheezy. You could get the missing package there, and I think it'll work. (I may have said something about that in the linked thread or in one that was linked in that thread.)
If you want to try it without live-config, as suggested by dzz in that thread, I could re-package it without the dependency.
It's been over a year since anyone has posted anything about lmde. In general, you have a better chance of the tools working there. OK, I just booted lmde2-201503 iso in virtualbox, and it uses the same versions of live-* packages as jessie: 4.0.4-1, and there's live-config-sysvinit and live-config-systemd, so you're good to go unless you happen to be using upstart.
Windows noob? Did you mean linux noob? Or are you coming from the Mac world? Your Windows knowledge won't help much, and it may even hinder you in linux.
AlexRey

- AlexRey
- Posts: 72
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:28 pm

My bad , Windows user and a Linux Noob apart from running puppy linux occasionally.
Is there any downside in installing live-config-systemd and live-config-upstart that i should be concerned about for dzz to suggest repacking without it?
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 4:30 pm

The downside is that you might not be able to install the package. You only need one of those, to match the init system you're using.
This this:
These debs (from wheezy) will install in mint 18 with no problems.
http://distro.ibiblio.org/refracta/file ... or-mint18/
Download the deb files and install with

Code:
  `sudo dpkg -i live-*.deb`

Download the debs for refractasnapshot, refractainstaller and refracta2usb (or at least the -base packages) and install with

Code:
  `dpkg -i refracta*.deb
  apt-get -f install`

AlexRey

- AlexRey
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- Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:43 am

## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Wed Jun 22, 2016 7:49 am

fsmithred , thank you ever so much for doing that for me.
Before i install cinnamon 64bit i need to clear one of my hardrives plus i want to upgrade my box from 4gb to 16gb so i have enough room to run entirely in ram.
If i don't get a chance before this weekend it will have to wait as i'm away next week , so don't think i have done a runner after you have helped me, i will try it and report back my findings.
Thanks
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:18 pm

I ran through the whole process yesterday, to make sure it really works, and it does work. I made a bootable iso.
One mistake I made was to install the refracta debs before I installed the live-* debs. For some reason, dpkg decided to change the name of my config file to etc/refractasnapshot.conf-dpkg.new (or something like that.) If that happens to you, jut rename the file to refractasnapshot.conf
I used version 9.2.2 of refractasnapshot. If your machine uses uefi instead of bios, you'll need a different version of refractasnapshot to make an iso that will boot with uefi.
AlexRey

- AlexRey
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:43 am

## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:57 am

Awesome , Thanks ever so much for spending your time confirming it will work.
I have both types of Bios here but i'll start with the older computer to get used to it before i attempt a snapshot on my uefi machine.
I know i'm jumping ahead of myself before i've even tried it but when i've made my live disk can it be loaded entirely into ram with either copy2ram or toram and without much compression as i'll have 16gb of ram space to use?
Also is there anything to be gained by removing unneeded apps from cinnamon like libreoffice and disabling the swap file or will that start breaking things?
Thanks
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: Linux Mint 18?

Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:23 am

Start with the older machine. If it's 64-bit, then you can later make a uefi-compatible iso to use on the other machine. You would just need to use the beta version of refractasnapshot that has support for uefi and install the grub-efi-amd64 package on the older machine.
Add the word, toram, to the boot command. It goes on the linux line in a grub menu and on the append line in an isolinux menu. (grub menu only gets used with uefi, so you won't see it in your first snapshots.) If you're booting from a CD, putting it all in ram makes a huge difference in speed. If you're running from a usb stick, it's not such a big advantage. Note that with usb, toram will load the entire first partition, and that needs to be less than the total ram on the machine. If you transfer the isohybrid image directly to the usb stick using either the dd or cat command, the first partition will be the same size as the iso file.
However you configure your installation, add or remove whatever apps you want, the snapshot will copy those changes. That's the whole point - you get to make a live system that has what you want in it. Less software means smaller image, shorter times creating and transferring the image, and maybe faster boot times.
You can probably get away without any swap, but the usual recommendation is that there are a few things that expect it to be there. What I've seen is that even with enough memory, a little bit of swap gets used sometimes, maybe around 50mb.
Read the config file. It's the best documentation for the program. Look over the excludes file and add or remove items as needed.
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