Take your Linux together with your keys in your pocket. You can put SPB-Linux 2 on a memory stick and boot directly from the memory stick.

You want to test SPB-Linux with browser mozilla and WLAN support? Try SPB-Linux 2.2 here (at sourceforge.net)

The final version is released. You can download SPB-Linux 2.0
   - either from "home" (www.spblinux.de/2.0/)
   - or from the mirror (http://spblinux.ch.vu)

(The previous floppy disk centered version SPB-Linux 1.01 is available at www.spblinux.de/1.0 ).

Why is it called SPB-Linux? Simply because the first version was created at St. Petersburg, Russia: (back to top)

 

new after release SPB-Linux 2.0:

• SPB-Linux 2.1 beta 8 is available: kernel 2.4.21 with usb 2 support, X, Mozilla Firebird 0.6.1 with java, WLAN, booting from network... : more.
• beta code: multiple windows in directfb with midnight commander in a directfb window (directfb.bz2 in section addons/test):
  • requires a special kernel (kernel in section addons/test)
  • midnight commander: use ctrl+o to get some help and to repaint the midnight commander window
  • start other dfb programs with "&", e.g. "links -g www.google.com &"
  • this is beta code: spblinux might freeze (especially when resizing the terminal window); usually you still can telnet into spblinux and kill the dfb/directfb processes and start a new directfb terminal with "dfbterm &".
  • use the spblinux parameter spbconf=...,startprog=mc,... if you do not want that directfb starts automatically
• SPBLinux 2.1 will include: kernel 2.4.21 with USB 2.0 support / mplayer 0.90 / aesloop encryption / wlan support / multiple windows in directfb / browser hacked links (+ ssl certificate verification) / cdrtools 2
• spb2_mbr.sec version 1.01: bugfix: now the spblinux mbr bootloader (coming with usbboot.zip, disk2.zip and disk2b.zip) boots from any primary partition below 32MB

• usb standard installation now includes files to create a boot floppy disk (from spblinux, from linux or from windows); useful if you have a bootable usb storage medium and a computer which does not boot from usb
• the grub boot menu now contains entries to boot other media (no need to changes boot settings in the bios):
  • from floppy disk images (using memdisk from syslinux 2.0 package); store your DOS bootdisk on usb storage and boot it from the menu (e.g. dos programs to flash the bios...)
  • from floppy disk
  • from cdrom (using smart boot manager); even with machines having a bios which does not allow to boot from cdrom.
• changed files:
  • basic system: disk1.zip, disk2.zip, disk2b.zip; usbboot.zip
• known bugs:
  • sometimes browser links has to be started twice to get a working mouse (quit the browser by typing q)
  • USB 2.0: not stable with kernel 2.4.20 (but works with kernel 2.4.21pre7 which is not included in SPBLinux 2.0); with kernel parameter ... usb2=yes ...  SPB-Linux loads the USB 2.0 kernel module). Useful with mplayer and videos on an external USB 2.0 harddisk. The USB 2.0 kernel code is rather new; with kernel 2.4.20 (=spblinux 2.0) the system freezes from time to time.

• booting from usb now uses bootloader grub and simpler installation
• totally new designed boot menu, which allows to open directly
  • a page in the web like www.google.com
  • a vncviewer connection
  • a video on a dvd
  • a video on a cd
  • images on  a flash memory card

  all easily configured by the files spbcfg0, spbcfg1, ... spbcfg9 (in folder /spblinux)

• zip, tar, and rpm files now properly integrated into mc: just type enter to view the contents of an archive
  • changed or new files: addons: rpm.bz2, zipunzip.bz2
• new: gammu to access nokia cellular phones (with irda)
• new: pilot-xfer to access palm devices (irda, usb, serial)
• directfb updated to version 0.9.17 and browser links updated to 2.1pre9
  • changed files: addons: directfb.bz2, browser.bz2.
• browser links comes now with SSL support
• ssh (openssh 3.5p1) and ssl (0.9.7) updated to current versions
• other little bugfixes and improvements
  • changed files: basic system: disk1.zip, disk2.zip, disk2b.zip; addons: libs.bz2.

• "autoexec": automatically start your favorite program when booting SPB-Linux 2
  • e.g. to open spblinux with google set the SPB-Linux parameters:
    spbconf=....,startprog=links,startarg1=-g,startarg2=http://www.google.com,....
  • or use spbconf=...,cfgdev0=hda1 and create the file /spblinux/spbcfg0 on device hda1 in folder /spblinux:
        startprog=links
        startarg1=-g
        startarg2=http://www.google.com
    (it is recommended to use file spbcfg0 because the length of the boot commandline is limited)
• directfb updated to version 0.9.16
  • changed files: addons: directfb.bz2, browser.bz2.
• bug removal: libc6 was optimized for pentium 2 and is now optimized for pentium 1 ("invalid instruction" errors on pentium 1 machines)
  • changed files: basic system: disk2.zip, disk2b.zip; addons: libs.bz2.

• cd/dvd drives, usb storage devices and the boot device are automatically entered into /etc/fstab (and the corresponding mountpoints are created)
  • type mount /sda1 (or sdb1, sdc1 ...) to mount a flashrom device to folder /sda1 (or sdb1, sdc1 ...)
  • type mount /cdrom or mount cdrecorder or mount /dvd to mount these devices
  • type mount /boot to mount the device from which SPB-Linux was booted; now you can load an additional addon by typing
            loadaddon /boot/spblinux/myaddonfolder/myaddon.bz2
    useful if an addon was not automatically loaded during the boot process
• support for compaq smart raid controller
  • to mount this device type modprobe cpqarray; the devices are called /dev/ida/c0d0p1 ...; details in /doc/cpqarray.txt;
  • to boot spblinux from the first partition on this device use the kernel parameters:
    spbconf=.... root=/dev/ida/c0d0p1 bootd=ida bootd2=/c0d0p1

• put your image viewer (based on directfb) together with SPB-Linux on your flash memory card
• it is possible to boot directly from an usb memory stick or usb flash memory card reader:
  • your bios must include the option ("boot order") to boot from USB-ZIP and/or from USB-Harddisk
  • you need an USB memory stick (or an USB compact flash card reader) which is recognized by the bios as USB Storage Device
    (e.g. pendrive from www.pendrive.com works, sandisk cruzer (mini sd card reader) does not)
  • installation details can be found here

• play your dvd or avi or divx videos with mplayer (fast cpu >800MHz required): mplayer.bz2 (additional soundcards in snd_alsa.bz2); more

• network analyzer ntop (see screenshot on the top of this page): ntop.bz2; more

• graphical browser "links"(browser.bz2); based on directfb; more
• textmode browser lynx; more

• the man pages can be found online here and as SPB-Linux addon (doc_all.bz2); more

•   features of the basic system are
  • Midnight Commander (like Norton Commander); a screenshot is here.
    user defined menu: F2:
    - in english (default) or german language (spb-boot parameter: lng=us or lng=ge)
    - format floppy (bootable with GRUB or 1.68 MB DMF format)
    - establish FTP-connection to a second pc running SPB-Linux just by typing F2 n
  • ftp server and client (full access as user root with default password root; password change with commandline tool changepw)
  • telnet server and client (full access as user root with default password root; password change with commandline tool changepw)
  • dhcp client
  • bootloader grub

• choose size of ramdisk when booting: 4MB ... 64MB
• most parameters can be adjusted at the boot prompt (very useful when booting from cd); see grub.htm and spb.conf
• kernel 2.4.20; busybox 0.60.5
• http server: thttpd 2.20c (thttp.bz2)
• vnc viewer (start with alt f2, directvnc, exit with ctrl+q; more)
• usb mouse supported (+ untested: usb keyboard support)
• clean shutdown with instruction halt; clean reboot with ctrl+alt+del
• samba client to access windows shared files (smb_cl.bz2)

Requirements: (back to top)

• Pentium compatible CPU
• 64 MB RAM recommended (minimum 16 MB RAM: with 4MB ramdisk and lib5 libraries; 8MB ramdisk is possible but it remains but little space for programs)
• rtl8139, ne2000 (pci) or 3com 3c59x network interface card (many other cards with addon spbnet2.bz2)

Windows tools: rawritewin (write floppy disk images), tightvnc (remote desktop client and server), putty (ssh client, replacing telnet), winscp (comfortable ssh based file copy tool)

License: GPL (free non commercial and commercial use as described by the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE)

Feedback welcome: osth@freesurf.ch
Christian Ostheimer, 2003-03

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