dm-live rescue/boot environment

A few packages from a Slackware base repository can be used to setup a nice rescue or generic boot environment. Simply, build the environment and save in the proper initial ramdisk format using the standard cpio sequence. Next, build a boot disk by combining the bootloader, kernel, the initrd image that is described here. By the way, I use the grub bootloader. I call the resulting environment "dm-live" (device mapper -live) because it relies heavily on device mapper for various modes of operation (booting live-usb's or live-cd's, booting encrypted filesystems, etc.) Note: I have also replaced the standard "init" program, with my own variant.

I will probably move this to its own web page in the future as it "fleshes out." I want to use it to record the packages I used in the environment for each matching Slackware release. For now, here's a graphic showing the relative space used by the environment
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Update: 2011-04-08
I have updated the packages in this environment to match Slackware -current to this timestamp in the official Slackware change log: Fri Apr 8 06:58:48 UTC 2011
Here is the updated package list.

Update: 2011-04-25
I have updated the packages in this environment to match Slackware -current to this timestamp in the official Slackware change log: Sun Apr 24 03:20:33 UTC 2011
Here is the updated package list. I am also testing with both Slackware compiled kernels: 2.6.37.6 and 2.6.38.4 (with the latter working a bit better. YMMV.)


By the way, this project is an unofficial derivative work based on Slackware Linux.

Trademarks and Copyrights

Slackware is a registered trademark of Patrick Volkerding and Slackware Linux, Inc.

Linux is registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.