Portable Snakeoil :-) First test.

[Bromf]

For some time I have thought to have a portable Snakeoil on a USB stick for testing and to demo to others....
With the move to the latest installer this seemed possible so here is what worked for a first test...

To simplify the install I used the full Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop image and mkusb to achieve persistence of the underlying O/S and the Snakeoil install.

https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-lin...buntu-usb/

After following the mkusb I had a live persistent Ubuntu USB stick.
Booted to that and followed the wiki to install Gear Isolation.
Needed to first add the universe repo for ubuntu and install icewm otherwise the Snakeoil script failed with 'unable to find icewm' error.
 

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install icewm

 
Also installed the open-ssh server as per the wiki (and checked for alsa-utils but those were up to date)
Forgot to remove pulseaudio but on first run of Snakeoil it prompted and allowed removal..

The Snakeoil install script ran as expected but threw an error at the final step and reported that there was a boot install fail...however this seems not to be a problem at all as when I rebooted the laptop it started Ubuntu and when I used another PC to find the ip and access that from the remote Firefox.
Snakeoil web-page came up !!

I was able to configure Snakeoil for Library, Player, Activation, etc and start myMPD. 
Updated the myMPD database and played some tracks via the laptops internal audio
Then installed the latest firmware in the usual way... all good so far.

Then the big test...shutdown and moved the USB stick to another laptop..different specs and brand.
Selected boot from USB option in the laptop's menu and........   it worked ! 
Again I was able to access Snakeoil from the ip address and the settings and myMPD database were as had been set and saved.
Only change was for the audio device for the new laptop.

Next experiment is to try with just the Ubuntu server base and UEFI boot so I can use the resulting USB stick to boot the Thin-client that houses my RME-AIO card...    will report.

[agent_kith]

To simplify the install I used the full Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop image and mkusb to achieve persistence of the underlying O/S and the Snakeoil install.

Nice!

You're about 2 versions ahead of the Snakeoil roadmap. ..

But since you're already at this stage.. In theory Snakeoil will also be installed too if you decide to install that LiveCD. Making this kind of like the old ISO (But using a stock kernel instead of the custom kernel)..

The install Snakeoil from LiveCD might not work in it's current 1.2.x form though, but it's easily enough to fix (but following the old 1.1.x startup scripts).

You can also experiment the grub option "toram" (Copy the USB image into computer RAM too). So what this is doing is it's copying the entire OS into RAM, reducing latency and also means you can remove the USB after it finished booting..

For Windows users, you can also use Rufus to make a USB stick with persistent storage (persistent means any changes you make on the USB stick will not be gone after a reboot). I thought I wrote something on this in the Wiki, but it's completely blank.. Might have restored an old backup and lost that , or maybe I just havn't written anything at all. I'll lick the wiki article to this thread.
---
It's great to see more and more people getting more proficient in Linux. Continue your exploration, and post how you do it in the forums, and in the Wiki. With more user participation we can move Snakeoil forward than the snail pace it's on now.

[Bromf]

But since you're already at this stage.. In theory Snakeoil will also be installed too if you decide to install that LiveCD. Making this kind of like the old ISO (But using a stock kernel instead of the custom kernel)..

The install Snakeoil from LiveCD might not work in it's current 1.2.x form though, but it's easily enough to fix (but following the old 1.1.x startup scripts).

My aim is not to make an installer but to have a live USB install...just as Daphile allows the live installer on USB to be installed to the computer hard drive or a to a persistent USB drive.
That is what I have currently..a USB stick having a live persistent install of Snakeoil with Ubuntu base and the Snakeoil script. Works just like a standard full install but can be run on any computer.  This means I don't have to dedicate a machine to Snakeoil but can plug the USB and boot from it to run Snakeoil whilst leaving the machines drive untouched and intact.
I am only trying this as I want to test a sound-card on a machine that I have to leave configured for another purpose.

[patricia1066]

For some time I have thought to have a portable Snakeoil on a USB stick for testing and to demo to others....
With the move to the latest installer this seemed possible so here is what worked for a first test...

To simplify the install I used the full Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop image and mkusb to achieve persistence of the underlying O/S and the Snakeoil install.

https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-lin...buntu-usb/

After following the mkusb I had a live persistent Ubuntu USB stick.
Booted to that and followed the wiki to install Gear Isolation.
Needed to first add the universe repo for ubuntu and install icewm otherwise the Snakeoil script failed with 'unable to find icewm' error.
 

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install icewm

 
Also installed the open-ssh server as per the wiki (and checked for alsa-utils but those were up to date)
Forgot to remove pulseaudio but on first run of Snakeoil it prompted and allowed removal..

The Snakeoil install script ran as expected but threw an error at the final step and reported that there was a boot install fail...however this seems not to be a problem at all as when I rebooted the laptop it started Ubuntu and when I used another PC to find the ip and access that from the remote Firefox.
Snakeoil web-page came up !!

I was able to configure Snakeoil for Library, Player, Activation, etc and start myMPD. 
Updated the myMPD database and played some tracks via the laptops internal audio
Then installed the latest firmware in the usual way... all good so far.

Then the big test...shutdown and moved the USB stick to another laptop..different specs and brand.
Selected boot from USB option in the laptop's menu and........   it worked ! 
Again I was able to access Snakeoil from the ip address and the settings and myMPD database were as had been set and saved.
Only change was for the audio device for the new laptop.

Next experiment is to try with just the Ubuntu server base and UEFI boot so I can use the resulting USB stick to boot the Thin-client that houses my RME-AIO card...    will report.

Great development Bromf. What size USB drive did you use? Would this work for LMS in principle?

[Bromf]

I used a 16GB USB3 pendrive. I'm not a LMS user so admit to not having tested that . When I get the chance I'll try it and report.

I've not been able to use the server version or get it to boot UEFI.
However, I did repeat the setup as outlined above on another pendrive and that worked too so seems consistent.

[cpcat]

Thanks for getting me to this point.  I gave up on Ubuntu server and followed your tutorial and used Ubuntu desktop.  It is up and working-again, thanks!

However, can you please be a little more detailed in what exactly you do after you get Ubuntu installed and download the snakeoil file?  

I am supposed to install  ssh server and use winscp to upload to where?  Why use a windows app when I have done all this to load Ubuntu/ Linux?   WTH does that mean exactly?  I can’t figure this out.

Cant we just add detailed command instructions step by step to the Wiki?

I am stuck and the wiki is very cryptic.  I am not stupid but I also did not grow up on Linux.

[Snoopy8]

There are only 2 steps.  Copy install script to target device and run script.  If you do not have Win, use FileZilla which is on all platforms, to transfer file.

Will update Wiki as well...

[cpcat]

Thanks and I apologize if my frustration came through in my last post- have spent some time with this and it was late.

Will this work?

https://www.wikihow.com/Execute-INSTALL....g-Terminal

[Snoopy8]

Thanks and I apologize if my frustration came through in my last post- have spent some time with this and it was late.

Will this work?

https://www.wikihow.com/Execute-INSTALL....g-Terminal

It is in the Wiki
https://www.snakeoil-os.net/wiki/Install..._Installer

[cpcat]

Did you add something to the wiki?
I don’t see any changes yet.