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LivePC Engine User Guide - Bare Metal

Introduction to LivePCs

Overview

A LivePC™ is a dynamically generated series of virtual machine images: a creator generates the images; a subscriber runs the latest version of the LivePC with a single mouse click.

In a shared LivePC, the system data is separated from individual subscriber's data (settings and documents), so that personal data persists across updates.

To start, users of our system must first download the LivePC Engine™, which comes with a default LivePC. They can play the default LivePC, or they can subscribe to new LivePCs at www.moka5.com/livepc.

The LivePC Engine will automatically download the most up-to-date image. If you are connected to the LivePC server on a fast network, you can start the LivePC as soon as you have subscribed to it. Otherwise, it can take a little while to download the LivePC.

The Engine downloads the LivePC without supervision in the background; you just have to leave it alone for a little while. It is like having to plug in the battery of a new gadget before use. The good news is that you don't have to wait for the entire image to be transferred to start, but only the frequently accessed blocks. Also, once you get the first image, the updates are transferred incrementally. Subscribers simply click on the LivePC to run the latest version.

Creators, on the other hand, have to create their images, host the images on an http server, and register the LivePC. Register by going to http://www.moka5.com/livepc/ and clicking on 'Post new LivePC'. Registration provides the creator with a Sharing URL that he can save away or share with others; it also includes the LivePC in moka5's LivePC Library.

The LivePC Engine User Interface

"LivePC Tasks" contains commands that you will utilize when you are working within a LivePC environment.

"My Places" includes your LivePC Library, a link to product Documentation, a link to our Support Forum, a link to our moka5 web site, and a command to add additional bookmarks for your convenience.

"LivePC Engine Tasks" contains commands that you will use to work with LivePC Engine operating system. On the right side of the screen, your LivePC Library will automatically open, displaying all LivePCs to which you've subscribed.

Subscribing to LivePCs

You can subscribe to public LivePCs by visiting the LivePC Library. To enter the library, start your LivePC Engine. Under "My Places" on the left side of the LivePC Engine screen, click on www.moka5.com. On the right side of the screen you will see a list of public LivePCs that you can subscribe to. When you see a LivePC that you wish to subscribe to, click on the 'Subscribe' link next to the LivePC's name. This brings up a screen that asks 'Do you want to open or save this file?' Select Open. You will be returned to the 'My LivePCs' view, with the addition of your newly subscribed LivePC.

Registering Your Live PCs

You can create a LivePC and register it so that it can be publicly used by anyone who accesses the moka5.com LivePC Library. Register by going to http://www.moka5.com/livepc/ and clicking on 'Post new LivePC'. Registration provides you with a Sharing URL that you can save away or share with others; it also includes the LivePC in moka5's LivePC Library. See the LivePC Creator Guide for more detailed information.

LivePC Size and Partial Downloads

LivePCs can be anywhere from ten megabytes to tens of gigabytes in size. Even after doing lots of tuning and optimization to make LivePCs as small as possible, their file sizes can still be large. Downloading large files can take a long time, even with a broadband cable or DSL connection.

However, with the LivePC Engine, you don't have to download the entire LivePC before you can use it. When you subscribe to a LivePC and run it, the LivePC Engine will only download the pieces of the LivePC that you use. This amount of data can be as little as 10% of the total size of the LivePC.

Once you subscribe to a LivePC, you can find out how large the LivePC is and how much of it you have downloaded. Select the LivePC in "My LivePCs" and then click "Configure..." under LivePC Tasks.

This window includes an area labeled "Local Storage Settings" that indicates the size of the LivePC and how much of that total size has been stored on your LivePC Engine.

Don't be afraid of subscribing to a LivePC and trying it out! If you only try it a little and don't like it, then you will have only downloaded the pieces of the LivePC that you tried.

The Progress Bar

When you subscribe to LivePCs, the LivePC Engine starts downloading LivePCs to your local storage, in order to improve the performance of the LivePC. This bar is the 'progress bar' which indicates the approximate performance to expect when you use this LivePC.

When this bar is red, as of the example below, this LivePC will be quite slow to use.

When this bar is yellow, this LivePC should be fast to start but running some applications could be slow.

When this bar is green, this LivePC should be at its maximum performance. Also, at this time, this LivePC can be used even when the LivePC Engine computer is disconnected from the network.

Please note that this process is limited by the amount of free 'cache' space available, relative to the size of the LivePCs you subscribe to. When the subscribed list of LivePCs have larger size than the 'cache' size on your disk, some or none of the bars may never turn yellow or green at all.

LivePC Security

Each LivePC is run on the LivePC Engine as a separate virtual computer, using virtual machine technology from VMware. A LivePC has no way of knowing what other LivePCs you are subscribed to. A LivePC is not able to access the personal data that you store in other LivePCs - it can only access the personal data that you store in that particular LivePC.

This means that you can feel free to play around with new LivePCs! Your other LivePCs and the personal files you store in them will be safe and secure.

The LivePC Engine is an operating system, and it is possible that an attacker could try to infect it by tricking you into downloading a bad copy of the LivePC Engine. To address this, the LivePC Engine can be locked down to prevent changes, similar to the way a LivePC cleans up changes on every reboot. However, this lockdown is currently disabled to make debugging and development easier during the internal testing phase.

LivePC Maintenance

LivePCs are maintained and modified by their publisher. When the publisher uploads modifications to their LivePC, all of the LivePC Engines subscribing to a LivePC will automatically download the changes. The update will take effect immediately the next time that you start that LivePC.

If you are running a LivePC when an update arrives, you will continue using the previous version. You will pick up the changes the next time that you shutdown that LivePC and start it again from the LivePC Engine menu.

Important Note: If you want to have the LivePC Engine keep your local changes to the LivePC, then you will NOT get network updates. Either you can administer your LivePC, or the network publisher can administer your LivePC. To learn more about administering your LivePC, see the section in this guide: Working in A LivePC Environment.