LiveCD

One can use a ready CD or burn an ISO image downloaded from the internet. Because of the large size of the image files many people use a download manager for this.

Some LiveCDs come with an installation utility launchable from a desktop icon that can optionally install the system on a hard drive or USB keydrive. Most LiveCDs can access too the information on internal and/or external harddrives, diskettes and USB Flash memories (i.e. to store data -home directory- or to be used like rescue systems).

For example, in Dynebolic the nest file is called dynebol.nst and it keeps all your home and settings inside (/home, /etc, /var, /tmp). The available space for your nest is found by dyne:bolic through your partitions on harddisk or USB storage devices (like USB pens, smartcards or even photo cameras). This approach doesn't requires any change in the data structure of the partitions: just one file is created (dynebol.nst).

Most LiveCDs contain a system based on the Linux kernel, but there are also LiveCDs for other operating systems, like FreeBSD. A LiveCD for Microsoft Windows is technically possible, and there are such projects, but they are all illegal. There is however TheOpenCD [1], a project to provide Windows users with a downloadable ISO that contains a bunch of easy to use free software.

The Syslinux Project is the tool where the majority of the LiveCDs are based on.

Mini-LiveCDs

LiveMove

I.e. MandrakeMove is a new MandrakeSoft product that benefits from a Mandrake Linux LiveCD which doesn't need to be installed to run on a computer, and a USB key that automatically stores bootloader, hardware configuration and personal data.

MoveKey

A MoveKey is a linux mini-distribution in a USB keydrive, like Flonix

VMware

With VMware you can try a LiveCD without burn it to a CD or boot the computer.

List of LiveCDs

• , for multimedia production (especially for media activists, artists and creatives). The nest file will be called dynebol.nst and will keep all your home and settings inside (/home, /etc, /var, /tmp)

Debian based

• Knoppix the mother of all LiveCDs:
  • Damn Small Linux for a mini-CD.
  • Flonix fits on a USB keydrive too.
  • clusterKnoppix has openMosix support
  • Quantian is a scientific variation of clusterKnoppix
  • Morphix is a modular distribution with four basic variations and the ability to contruct your own variations easily using the module system.
  • Oralux, a Knoppix-based GNU/Linux distribution for blind or visually impaired people. Its user interface is based on Emacspeak, an audio desktop.
  • KnoppMyth, a Knoppix-based distribution with MythTV for PVRs.
• Mepis: user-friendly Debian for newbies.
• Gnobian versions:
  • Gnoppix
  • LinEx

Gentoo based

• Jollix
• SystemRescueCd

RPM based

• Mandrake based:
  • MandrakeMove
  • PCLinuxOS is a community based, non-commercial distribution designed to be out-of-the-box ready for desktop computing use. Currently beta.
• Red Hat / Fedora based:
  • RPM Live Linux CD,is a 120MB distribution
  • Adios
• SuSE Live-CD

Others

• Slackware based:
  • Slax.
  • Stux.
• Eagle Linux, that does not use a compressed file system for standard files.

Unix-like, but not Linux

• FreeSBIE.

External links

• Live Linux Wiki: a wiki about LiveCD Linux distributions.
• PDF document with the standard for bootable CD-ROMs.
• Bootable CDROM HowTo.
• Syslinux
• Experiment with GNU/Linux
• Diskless HOWTO
• fb-LiveCD
• MandrakeMove.
• InfoAnarchy article about LiveCDs
• Eagle Linux.
• Oralux.
• RPM linux CD.
• MEPIS Linux
• Adios
• Slax
• Stux
• List of Live CDs
• Quantian Scientific Computing Environment: tailored for numerical and quantitative analysis
• Long list of LiveCDs at the Knoppix Wiki

Referenced By