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## some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

Refracta Development, Scripts, etc.
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### some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by orbspider » Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:47 pm

Today I got a really nice install made, a complete clone of my build partition, really easy and great results
But there were a few quirks I had to figure out along the way.
1. when I used refracta2usb (0.9.4t) to load the ISO to the usb stick, the target laptop wouldn't boot, and reported, no OS found
so I used Unetbootin and then it booted fine.
(sorry I didn't make a file list of the usb stick contents after using r2usb -I'll see if I can reproduce it)
2. selection of locale -there was a yad window asking me to select the locales to install and the default locale, and on completion of that, an xterm window opened behind it (need to drag yad dialogue out the way) with the typical locale setup (hit space for locales to install, select default) -so it was double the selection.
3. setting the sudoers file -perhaps you could word the question a bit better. Do I understand you mean that with the Live session the sudoers is set so no p/w needed and the final install shouldn't have the same i.e. lax security?
But "{user name} ALL= (ALL:ALL)ALL" is usually what people use, so that they can sudo, right? so why do you suggest commenting this line out?
4. the radio buttons in the yad dialogues are quite squashed up into a small space so that scrolling is need to see them all.
cheers

orbspider
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by golinux » Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:54 pm

> orbspider wrote:But "{user name} ALL= (ALL:ALL)ALL" is usually what people use, so that they can sudo, right?

In the 'buntu universe this is accepted as gospel. Not in the Debian world. Debianistas use su.
May the FORK be with you!

golinux
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by orbspider » Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:02 pm

OK, I used r-2usb again, after cleaning out all the files, and it booted fine.
also.... r2usb select ISO file chooser: when select and hit OK, selection jumps back to /home, so need to select it again.
...I would think its a better habit to use sudo rather than su, so as not to run along with root user privileges for so long

orbspider
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by dzz » Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:23 pm

A debian-live session is normally configured like this in sudoers:

Code: Select all
  `user ALL= (ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL`

A standard Debian-Live session has no root password set (so sudo is necessary) although a refracta-snapshot-type image might have. Ubuntu installations, as far as I know, have no root account by default at all.
Debian installations have a root account and password .. sudo and how it might be configured is a user option not a default nor a requirement.
RE refracta2 usb: unetbootin does nothing that r2u does not. Boot failure is usually down to invalid partitioning of the device (the r2u notes explain that)

dzz
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by meandean » Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:38 pm

> orbspider wrote:I would think its a better habit to use sudo rather than su, so as not to run along with root user privileges for so long

By default if you use sudo you can run further commands without entering a password. Sounds kinda scary. Sudo is also additional software ergo an additional attack vector. It can also be complex to configure and subject to insecure user configurations. That being said, it could be configured and used in a secure manner and that may provide some added security or at least more restricted security. All in all I would say it just depends on the configuration and usage.

> dzz wrote:Debian installations have a root account and password ..

Actually during install you have the choice of providing a root password or having it configure sudo for the user.

meandean
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by orbspider » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:22 am

right, so the installer showed my sudoers file copied from the snapshot system... which means it will look different for other cases, and so how could the R-install question be worded to explain what needs commenting out?
...sudo, that's true, root powers remain available with no p/w, for some minutes after a first use, a security risk, or rm -f risk... but you have to type "sudo" you don't keep running along as root and forget you are... but if your prompt changes colour you'd know you're root hopefully

orbspider
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by fsmithred » Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:23 am

> orbspider wrote:right, so the installer showed my sudoers file copied from the snapshot system... which means it will look different for other cases, and so how could the R-install question be worded to explain what needs commenting out?

Good question. I've asked myself that one a number of times in the past, and I haven't thought of a good answer. I suppose I could show the line in the window that asks that question. Another option would be to comment out the code that produces that question - just skip it altogether. And maybe get rid of sudo in Refracta at the same time. But that would probably inconvenience a lot of people. Even I expect a live CD to have sudo enabled with no password when I try a new distro. It's also possible to add a setting in the config file to turn that question on or off.
The other thing that needs to be dealt with is the question that comes after that, regarding sudo-mode in ~/.gconf/apps/gksu/%gconf.xml . I don't even think that file exists in debian anymore.
Maybe a brief discussion of how different live distros handle sudo would help. Another way people get sudo privs is by adding themselves to the sudo group. Changing that does not require editing the sudoers file.

fsmithred
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by fsmithred » Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:14 pm

> orbspider wrote:1. when I used refracta2usb (0.9.4t) to load the ISO to the usb stick, the target laptop wouldn't boot, and reported, no OS found

Make sure the fat32 partition is flagged as bootable. I keep forgetting that, and I may have to add a nag screen to remind me.

> 2. selection of locale... was double the selection.

I recall having this happen, and I thought I fixed it. Which version of the installer are you using?

> 4. the radio buttons in the yad dialogues are quite squashed up into a small space so that scrolling is need to see them all.

Which windows? Whenever I add stuff to the list, I run it several times, adjusting the window size each time. If this changes with different screen resolutions, I'm gonna have trouble.
Thanks for the feedback.

fsmithred
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by fsmithred » Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:22 pm

> orbspider wrote:.... r2usb select ISO file chooser: when select and hit OK, selection jumps back to /home, so need to select it again.

I've seen some weirdness happen with where the file-selection window opens. Some of it was the code, and I think I fixed that, and sometimes it's because I've been running several tasks without exiting, and some variable is screwed up. In the latter case, exiting and starting over will clear it.
I just ran refracta2usb today, starting with new partitions, new partition table and just a plain old 'copy system from iso file' and everything worked fine. Except me - I just realized that I forgot to install a bootloader. Maybe the two 'create' options on the main menu need nag screens.) Running refracta2usb 0.9.4v 2014-02-02 here.

fsmithred
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### Re: some feedback on refracta2usb/installer

by orbspider » Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:07 pm

r-installer 9.0.9beta6/7
its the last buttons that don't show very well, for some reason
....
stating the sudoer line and why one might want to change it, would help clarify...
and probably it is useful to give the file edit stage as we are probably going to change the user name for the install and might like to make this change in sudoer file.

orbspider
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