Understanding LivePC Bare Metal Version
Posted by raj on September 11, 2006 - 7:30am.
I see the value in what you guys are doing and installed the bare metal version yesterday, but I have some questions.
I'm trying to understand why someone would want to use the bare metal version of LivePC rather than just the installed application. I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind using what amounts to an appliance for the LivePC. How/why would someone choose to use the bare metal version over the installed application?
Why use Bare Metal?
Posted by reuben.brown on September 30, 2006 - 7:17am.
Another use that I would consider is for personal computing amongst my family. I can spend much less time managing their computer issues if I were to use this platform. Being that the system is running on a very lite version of linux, there is also less overhead than running on Windows. Beyond that, if there was some more documentation on how to customize the bare metal edition, it would be release as CPU specific versions to allow greater performance and SMP support.
One thing that I would be very intrested in hearing about is how to make changes to the system once it's installed to disk. I tried to edit the xorg.conf to use a lower resolution and everytime I reboot the configuration is returned to the original. What does it take to make changes to the system and then re-master the liveCD? What about updates to the system? Are their plans on how that will be rolled out? I have been waiting for something like this for quite a while and if you can get this working as a fully liveCD for the baremetal edition, I would be very excited. Keep up the great work.
Clarification of questions?
Posted by gerald on September 30, 2006 - 1:09pm.
Hi Reuben,
>> Are their plans on how that will be rolled out?
As John already mentioned we're currently focusing on the Windows version and hence cannot give you a concrete plan about when enhancements to the Bare Metal version will be worked on.
However, I didn't fully understand your questions and it'd be great if you could elaborate on that a little more so we can consider such user-requested features for the future. I hope you understand that we may not be able to put every user-requested feature into our system...
>> What does it take to make changes to the system and then re-master the liveCD?
My understanding is that you wish that the bare metal version could be a LiveCD, so that your users can simply insert a CD into the computer, reboot, and start using the LivePCs.
Furthermore, you'd like to have the ability to create your own such CDs, so that you can adjust things like resolution, which LivePC is available etc, and send the CD to your users for them to use.
Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.
Also, what operating system do these machine have *before* you insert such a LiveCD? Ie, what OS do they boot into if you don't insert the LiveCD?
Also, as your users use the LivePC, they'll be saving files, they'll want their user settings preserved etc. Where would you like these to go?
>> What about updates to the system?
Updates to the LivePCs are automatic. In the Bare Metal Version, updates to the underlying thin OS (the 'LivePC Engine' or 'LivePC Player') is also automatic. As we roll out new versions of the 'LivePC Engine', your users' computers will pick them up when they connect to the internet.
>. you can get this working as a fully liveCD for the baremetal edition, I would be very excited.
Could you explain a little bit about what you mean by 'fully LiveCD'? What usage model do you have in mind?
Thank you for trying the LivePC Engine!
Thanks,
-Gerald
moka5 Team
Yes, that is a great use of
Posted by jwhaley on September 30, 2006 - 11:26am.
Yes, that is a great use of the Bare Metal version. It gives you a small, secure platform that you can install on family member's machines without worry. You can then subscribe them to a LivePC that you maintain and keep up to date. They automatically get the latest version and because the LivePC resets the system state on every boot, they can't screw up the machine. If they get spyware or something else gets misconfigured, just reboot and it's fixed!
This is part of the moka5 vision: Your PC should be as easy to use as watching television — you turn it on, it works, you press a button and you get exactly what you want, when you want it. No more hassles, no more maintenance or security problems.
Regarding updates to the Bare Metal version - recently we've been focusing on getting the Windows version out. I can't give any concrete dates, but we will be updating the Bare Metal version, so check back often.
(As a quick answer to your question, put your xorg.conf in /cache/X11/xorg.conf.fc5 and it will persist across reboots. Check sysstart for other undocumented goodies.)
Why use Bare Metal?
First of all, sorry that it took so long to respond! We have been heads down on our next release.
The Bare Metal host environment itself implements many of the concepts embodied in our LivePCs - it is locked down to provide extra security against spyware and viruses and automatically updates itself to simplify management. It is useful when all of the actual computing happens in the LivePCs, providing the minimal platform necessary to support the LivePC Player.
A common usage scenario for Bare Metal would be to manage a classroom, computer lab, or large desktop deployment. Bare Metal was actually developed first and evolved into the Windows application we have today.