Installing Tiny Core Linux on My Eee 900

 
A strong argument can be made that Tiny Core  Linux is the fastest-booting and most efficient operating system currently available--especially for netbook computers that are used for web browsing and cloud computing. Tiny Core is a modular operating system, allowing each user to select the programs and features most suitable for his system. I wanted to make my system as compact as possible so that it would boot quickly while still having a full-featured browser and other fairly standard capabilities. The total operating system described in these paragraphs uses only 44.1 megabytes of file space. While this installation is optimized for my Eee 900, the basic concept should be applicable with minor variations on a wide variety of other netbooks and laptops.
   
Assumptions:
You have access to a working version of linux.
You have about 100 MB of free space on sda1 (or your computer's boot partition).
   
Steps:
1. Create two directories on sda1 for your Tiny Core installation. Name one of them "tiny" and name the other "tce." Within the "tce" directory create another directory named "optional". 

2. Download the Tiny Core iso from http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/tinycorelinux/2.x/release/
   
3. Use an archive manager (FileManager in Xandros) to extract "bzImage" and and "tinycore.gz" from the Tiny Core iso. Put both of them in your "tiny" directory on sda1.
   
4. Use a file editor with root privileges to find and open your GRUB "menu.lst". You should be able to locate it in /boot/grub on sda1. Check that the GRUB menu is set to display during boot-up by commenting-out the "hiddenmenu" entry. (I.e., put a # at the beginning of that line.) Next give yourself some time to select your choice of operating system during the boot process; initially, I recommend that you set "timeout=5", but you can later reduce that to 1 or even 0 to speed boot time. Then, scroll to the end of the file and type in the following text:

  title Tiny Core Linux
  root (0x80,0)
  kernel /tiny/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 home=sdb1 opt=sdb1 nodhcp
  initrd /tiny/tinycore.gz

(NOTE: "root (0x80,0)" is the sda1 partition on my Eee 900 and it is used in each of the other three grub entries for the standard Xandros installation. If the boot partition is described in some other way on your machine, then use that designation. For example, on some hard drives it is "root (hd0,0)". Use whatever is the standard for your other grub items.)

At this point, save the changes you have made to menu.lst and reboot your computer. If all has gone well, you should be able to reboot into Tiny Core Linux. To add software and continue building your operating system, you will need to have a wired (ethernet) connection to the internet. Usually, this is as simple as plugging the appropriate wire either into the ethernet ports on your Eee and your router, or into the usb ports on both machines.

Now you are ready to build a fully functional system. I am going to recommend the smallest setup that provides wifi access, a browser, a couple of text editors, a couple of file managers, a music player, a video player, and a flashplayer. Tiny Core Linux uses two different types of packaged programs: tce and tcz. While both types still work, tcz's are preferred for version 2.4 of Tiny Core. 

So, begin by using Apps (the gears button at the bottom-center of your display) to mount 915resolution.tcz (for better screen display on some Eee pc's with Intel chipsets), opera.tcz (a browser), mc.tcz (a file manager and file editor), wireeless-tools.tczl (wireless), wireless-2.6.29.1-tinycore.tczm (wireless), wpa-supplicant.tcz (wireless), OSS.tczm (sound), cpufreq.tczl (cpu speed control), beaver.tczl (a graphical editor), conky.tcz (systems reporting), and xmms-musepack-1.2.1.tcz (for music). This will download the relevant files to the tce directory on your sda1 partition.

Now, click on Aterm (the screen button at the bottom-center of your display) and type in "sudo mc" without the parentheses. This will open Midnight Commander your file-manager/file-editor. Find your way to the /opt directory and highlight the bootlocal.sh file. This is a file that automatically executes commands every time you reboot your computer. We will use it to connect to wifi and to set the cpu speed. Push the F4 key to open the file for editing. Enter the following lines:

  sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid any
  sudo udhpc -i wlan0
  sudo modprobe p4-clockmod
  sudo cpufreq-set -g ondemand
  sudo mount -t auto /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1

Push F2 to save the changes you have made to bootlocal.sh. The first two commands assume that you are going to be using a public wifi signal (i.e., no password needed). If you will normally be using a password-protected network, you can modify the lines appropriately. For example, to connect automatically to a wep-wifi, you will need the following:

  sudo iwconfig ath0 essid your-essid-name
  sudo iwconfig ath0 mode managed key your-password
  sudo udhdpc -i ath0

Similarly, cpufreq-set can be changed to "conservative" for the improved battery life or to "performance" for the best performance. This can also be changed anytime you wish while using your computer by opening a terminal and typing in "sudo cpufreq-set -g ondemand" . . . or "sudo cpufreq-set -g performance." (NOTE: When you are in the terminal window, you can push the up-arrow to cycle through the commands you have recently used, sparing you the need to retype many commands.) Having made these changes to bootlocal.sh, shut down your computer. Note that the first time you shut down Tiny Core, you will be prompted to select a location for a backup file. You can select any location--sdb1, for example. 

Reboot your computer. If all has gone well, it will automatically connect to wifi. (If it doesn't immediately connect, open a terminal and type in "sudo iwlist scanning." It should show either ath0 or wlan0 with an ESSID name and other info. Based on what you find, edit your bootlocal.sh and try again.) Try out your Opera browser, your graphical editor (Beaver), and your mp3 player (Xmms). Now we are going to reboot the computer one more time before installing your flashplayer, your pdf reader, and another file manager. While we are at it, we will also set up conky to monitor your computer's performance.

By now you should be getting used to how quickly Tiny Core Linux boots up. (On my Eee 900 it takes less than 30 seconds to boot and acquire a wifi signal.) Once again, use Apps to mount the following files: getFlash10.tgz, emelfm.tgz (a graphical file manager), Mplayer-nodeps.tcz (a video player), and xpdf-3.02p12.tcz. These are some hefty applications and they may take a bit of time to download and mount. Once they have done so, you should open a new desktop (hit Ctrl-F2) and put your mouse somewhere on the screen. Then click the right mouse button, scroll down to Applications, and run getFlash10. After it does its thing, switch back to your first desktop (Ctrl-F1) and shut down your computer. Boot again, go to youtube.com, and test your ability to play flash video.
The three somewhat bulky programs you installed in the previous paragraph may have somewhat slowed your computer's boot time and/or eaten up too much ram. You can cure this by moving these programs and their dependencies into the /tce/optional directory. After you have done that, they will no longer load into ram when you reboot your computer, but you can invoke them at will by using Apps>File and mounting them from their directory.

Now there is a little more tweaking to be done. First, let's set up Opera so that it invokes xmms to play streaming audio. Start Opera and go to Tools>Preferences>Advanced>Downloads. Click Add and insert in the Mime box "audio/x-scpls" -- and insert in the Open box "xmms %s" (without the quotes). Use Opera to go to www.publicradiofan.com and see if you can play streaming audio through xmms. While we are configuring Opera, let's reduce its demands on flash drives. Go to Tools>Preferences>Advanced>History and change Memory Cache to 40 megabytes, switch Disk Cache to off, and tick the box for Empty on Exit.

Next we need a good default configuration for conky. Create a new file with Beaver and paste in the following text:

  # maintain spacing between certain elements
  use_spacer yes
  # set to yes if you want tormo to be forked in the background
  background no
  # X font when Xft is disabled, you can pick one with program xfontsel
  #font 5x7
  #font 6x10
  #font 7x13
  #font 8x13
  font 9x15
  #font *mintsmild.se*
  #font -*-*-*-*-*-*-34-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
  # Xft font when Xft is enabled
  xftfont Verdana:size=12:bold
  # Text alpha when using Xft
  xftalpha 0.8
  # Xft font when Xft is enabled
  use_xft no
  # Draw shades?
  draw_shades yes
  # Draw outlines?
  draw_outline no # amplifies text
  # Draw borders around text
  draw_borders no
  # Text alignment, other possible values are commented
  alignment top_left
  #alignment top_right
  #alignment bottom_left
  #alignment bottom_right
  TEXT
  ${color #FF0000}$nodename - $sysname $kernel
  ${color #0000FF}Uptime: $uptime
  RAM: $memperc% ${membar 8}
  Swap:$swapperc% ${swapbar 8}
  CPU: $cpu% ${cpubar 8}
  CPU Temp: ${acpitemp}C
  CPU Speed: ${freq}MHz
  ${color #FFFF00}/ ${fs_used /}/${fs_size /}${alignr}${fs_used_perc /}%
  ${fs_bar 8 /}
  /home ${fs_used /home}/${fs_size /home}${alignr}${fs_used_perc /home}%
  ${fs_bar 8 /home}
  ${color2}Battery ${color1}${battery}
  ${battery_bar}

Save this file as ".conkyrc" (without the quotes, but using the period at the front of the filename). Open a terminal window and type in "conky" (without the quotes). Close the terminal window. Now you can monitor cpu temperature and speed, as well as other features of the operating system. Many different configurations of conky are possible if you do a bit of reading on the internet.

Finally, I recommend two optional modifications. First, each time you shut down your computer, Tiny Core makes a backup file. But we have installed it in a way that creates persistent directories so that it is unnecessary and undesirable to load the backup file each time you reboot your computer. I recommend that you copy your current "mybackup.tz" to a removable usb stick and change the installation so that backups are not automatically made and loaded with each boot. To do so, open a terminal window, type in "sudo mc", scroll down to ".profile" and highlight it. Push F4 to edit the file. Scroll down to the line that starts "export BACKUP" and edit it to "exportBACKUP=0." Push F2 to save your changes. Bingo. Tiny Core will no longer automatically backup and reload your system, but can still be made to do so if you desire it. Second, you'll probably want to use Opera every time you boot your computer. To make it start automatically, you need to edit your ".xsession" file (using "sudo mc" as above). Simply add "exec opera" at the end of the file, save it, and reboot.

This is the way I have set up my Eee 900 for optimal use for most daily tasks. Enjoy modifying your own installation. If you make a mistake, it is easy to reinstall everything in this small, efficient Linux version.

For the past several years, I have made an annual resolution to swim across our part of the lake at least once before autumn. This year autumn seems to be setting in early and the lake is already a little chilly. Yesterday I decided it was now or never for the 9/10ths of a mile ordeal.

Sue served as photographer and oarsman, working perhaps harder than I did since she had to row back across the lake with me in boat. Her pictures say it all. Click on them to see larger versions.

Setting off


Nearing shore


Finally done

Biking the Big Dam Bridge 100

Last Saturday, in celebration of my 61st birthday, Sue and I drove to Little Rock to ride the Big Dam Bridge 100.

This charity ride is only four years old, but it has already become the largest cycling event in Arkansas, drawing some 2,000 participants. Sue and I both achieved personal records. On her part, she rode 30 miles at an average speed of 16.5 mph. I took on the 100-mile marathon, cruising along at 18.8 mph.

It was a pleasant trip--nice soft beds in the motel, plenty of friendly fellow cyclists, oodles of lovely bikes to admire!

If you want to get a feel for this event, have a look at the following youtube videos. The first video shows some leisurely riders cruising to a catchy tune. The second gives a better idea of what it is like riding in a pace line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGF5FVr1QRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIfZabkEqX4

Dave and Lisa Kayak the North Fork River

In the third weekend of September, David and Lisa came for a brief visit. Basically, they had three days of fairly steady rain, but they were able to squeeze in a kayak trip down the North Fork River. Below the dam the North Fork is very cold and has become a nationally famous trout-fishing stream, so a float down it always includes a chance to see plenty of decked-out fishermen--often in the process of reeling in a big one. Usually one can also see many fish, a few happy herons, and the occasional bald eagle. This fall there were also plenty of wildflowers in bloom--though their names escape me at the moment. The accompanying snapshot shows David and Lisa as they were about to set out on their float.

While they floated the river, Sue and I biked in the area. We both warmed up on River Road, which runs for four miles along the bank of the White River. It's a very pretty ride--both because of the river with its dramatic bluffs and because a couple of the home-owners are enthusiastic and successful gardeners whose yards are always luxuriant and colorful. Sue stayed below in the flatlands while I completed my ride by climbing Matney Mountain. Matney is one of the best climbs in northern Arkansas--two miles uphill culminating on a ridge that provides lovely expansive views of the Ozark National Forest spread out below. The downhill cruise is fast and fun taking me to the 40 mph range that I try to maintain as my upper limit. Any faster and I start to get very scared.

Because of the plentiful rain, the four of us entertained ourselves playing ping pong on the table that I built from plywood siding salvaged from residing sections of our home in Jonesboro. Note the steady red-eye focus as David gets the ping-pong ball perfectly centered on his paddle.

Ordinary Adventures

Not all memorable adventures require extraordinary effort.

Yesterday afternoon Sue and I decided to cartop our kayaks over to nearby Hand Cove Landing. On the brief drive down the lane, we passed two twin fawns, standing on the road's edge, unperturbed by our presence.

After putting our kayaks in the water, we paddled over to Sandy Island. The shores of Norfork Lake are mainly composed of limestone ledges and rocky strands, but near Hand Cove Landing there are several ample stretches of glistening sand which are capable of sustaining the illusion that one is on a Caribbean Isle. Sandy Island is a great place for a quick swim.

After rounding the island, we paddled along Jordan Cliffs. The ledge at the top stands fifteen or twenty feet above deep water and is often used for diving. At one point a hole in the ledge leads to a twisting cave that descends to an opening slightly above the water line. It's a tight squeeze which I, despite some interest in caving, have never tried.

The composition of the rock along this section of the lake is endlessly fascinating. Much of it is stratified shale which often breaks off--here there is a block of a size to be used in constructing Washington's Monument anew, over there one sees a scattering of thin plates suitable for paving stones, dinner plates, or guillotine blades. Then there are sections of the cliff where fist-sized stones seem cemented together by some natural mortar. Finally, there is a column of twisted rock rising from the water, like something formed from molten lava.

In a cove past the edge of the cliffs, we reached a further unusual geological phenomenon. The rocks here are like gigantic weathered blocks, rounded at the corners, but fitted together like massive paving stones. Some of these stones have been eaten away from below and stand on the backs of others like three-legged turtles. Very strange.

From Jordan we paddled across a narrow bay toward another cove with a sandy beach. As we were nearing the beach a flight of geese--perhaps a dozen in all--glided down, not fifteen feet above us, to skid to a stop on the surface of the reflective waters. Then, no more than five minutes later, a mature bald eagle sailed high overhead.

It was a perfect adventure in our ordinary lives.