How to make a Puppy that won't shut down? (except with a shell command) (Solved)

[Kennel Dweller]

Unlikely I know but is there a server edition? What are the absolute minimum requirements to get a basic gui? How can I disable the screen blanking feature of Xorg?
Hi Guys, it's been a long time since I played with os's so long I had to set up a new registration as I had forgotten my username and password.
I have the need to create a system that never switches off, powers down, sleeps or suspends, just deliver full power regardless of button actions and software services, it needs a gui to run appimages selected by the user and a connection for saving to cloud/server.
The only way to shut down is to open a shell/terminal and physically type "halt/reboot" or deny power to the system.

I am a retired for some years computer engineer and the best tool in the box at the time was always a puppy cd, that's what brought me back here.
I have been playing with the mklive-buster64 and have a degree of success, I have disabled the power button and lid switch via logind.conf but for the life of me cannot get to grips with turning off that damn Xorg blanking feature.
All research is either old and not applicable or pointing to files that don't exist, ideally I would like a script that could be loaded into the start procedures that would switch off anything that might want to interfere with running processes.
Before I go mad trying to create one I wonder if anyone has such a tool they would share?

[fredx181]

for the life of me cannot get to grips with turning off that damn Xorg blanking feature

This should prevent screen blanking:

Code: Select all

xset s off && xset -dpms

Put it in a startup script or in ~/.xsession, before the last line (exec ...) and restart X.

Fred

[Kennel Dweller]

Thanks Fred.
2 weeks of head scratching and no avail searching, I found a similar command 5 minutes after asking for help here.
"xset s off -dpm" works on a per session basis.
remaster number 47 will see how it goes lol.

[Kennel Dweller]

Treat me like an idiot, for I must surely be one by now. I have been around in so many circles I have ended up my own derrière.
I have trimmed, converted, added and generally messed the system to get it exactly as I want it.
I have saved and backed up all relevant files and now have a nice neat looking folder that I don't know what to do with.
I know I have seen and read instructions but can't remember where to look, all I want to do now is create a bootable cd/usb from the files in isodata follder.
When i start the mklive-buster it wants to delete all my work and start over, I think I saw a create iso tool on one of the DEBDOG cd''s but can't find it again.
DD to iso didn't capture grub4dos or I did it wrong, I did say it has been a long time since I played with these things and I think dementia is getting the better of me.
Any help for this old guy would be muchly appreciated?


Grump

Screenshot_2020-09-16_15-23-57.png (35.55 KiB) Viewed 685 times

[fredx181]

Hi Kennel Dweller,

To install grub4dos on USB, follow the steps here: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=464
I'd recommend a ext formatted partition, so then you can use "save to folder"
Create a folder "buster_dog" on the root of the partition, copy the "live" folder (from isodata folder) inside, so you get "buster_dog/live" and the "Busterdog" entries should boot.

To disable the poweroff button, remove a keybind section from ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml
Open with texteditor and search for "poweroff" and delete this block:

Code: Select all

     <keybind key="XF86PowerOff">
      <action name="Execute">
        <command>poweroff</command>
      </action>
    </keybind>

Reconfigure openbox:

Code: Select all

openbox --reconfigure

Fred

[Kennel Dweller]

Thanks for the quick response Fred, I didn't explain myself very well having read back what I wrote.
Let me try again: I have these files in the isodata folder and want to create a bootable live system from them, either by way of zip or iso.
It's basically a download for users with 3D printers and more important by what it doesn't do than what it does do, giving time for the print to complete without updating, screen-saving or switching off when buttons or lids are inadvertently activated.
One user says his cat presses the power button when climbing on the desk and ruins what would have been a 19 hour print.
I am trying to create a software solution for the printers who have issues with computers and make it small simple and unbreakable as much as possible.
Not worried about saving or persistence as they can partition accordingly or load models from cloud / web.
I am at a stage where I have tested this on my printer and it works well but am at a loss as to how to package it for download and install for further testing by end users.
Sounds like I am going into business now the way I have put this, I can assure you I have no intention of charging for it, I simply want to help a few people in a printer group. I have a pension and no need for any extra.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

This is where I am at now and want to parcel it up, any ideas?

Grump.

[fredx181]

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

This is where I am at now and want to parcel it up, any ideas?

I'm still not exactly sure what's your question, anyway, to make an ISO from the isodata folder:
From terminal standing in the parent folder of isodata:

Code: Select all

NEWISO=$PWD/isodata
LABEL=deblive
NAME=../Custom-Live_buster-amd64.iso

cd "$NEWISO"

xorriso -as mkisofs -r -J -joliet-long -l -isohybrid-mbr /usr/lib/ISOLINUX/isohdpfx.bin -partition_offset 16 -V "$LABEL" -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o ${NAME} "$NEWISO"

And it should create "Custom-Live_buster-amd64.iso" (it's a "hybrid" ISO so can be written to e.g. USB with dd, and it should be bootable)

Yo may want to add the files from here in the ISO:
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=464
So that the user can extract the ISO and create a bootable USB with the grub4dos bootloader.
Or add the files needed for a grub4dos install in the isodata folder, pack it as .tar.gz and instruct the user how to make a bootable USB with grub4dos.
(or use dd to write the ISO to USB, but then it makes use of the isolinux bootloader)
Hope this helps.

Fred

[Kennel Dweller]

Yep Brilliant. Thank you so much. Sorry to be a pain.

[Kennel Dweller]

I'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to the developers of this system.
After a learning curve (remembering what I used to do) I have my no switch off live cd and all appropriate software up and running sweet.
Even the old scripts I wrote years ago that no longer work in mainstream Linux Distro's.
It's so refreshing to get away from systemd, plymouth, sudo and all the other bloated crap we are being forced to put up with.
I am a firm believer in freedom of choice which I have seen being taken away from us in recent developments, even in the lighter distro's and it's good to get back to roots.

Once again THANK YOU and keep up the good work.

[mikewalsh]

@Kennel Dweller :-

Just FYI, for the type of thing you're doing here you MAY find jrb's "pup-build_tools" to be useful. You can find the link to them at post #1 of jrb's original kernel-swap thread over on the old Murga-Linux forum (the 'archives' as they now are!)

You can use them for opening up and editing the initrd.gz (if required), along with re-constructing a Puppy ISO file after you've made your modifications. Plus other "goodies"; remember, this thread dates back to pre-Tahrpup days, which is when the Woof-CE 'modular' construction really began to kick-in.

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 931875575d

May help, may not....


Mike.

[Kennel Dweller]

Thanks for the heads up MIke.
I had been an ardent user of the puppy all the time I was working in the industry. I shut the doors on my business and retired in 2008 and used Linuxcnc as my main os since then.
The great grandchildren got my interest in these 3D printers and kept having disasters and asked the Grump to help out, which of course I am happy to do but not having done any development for some years found it hard to get back into.
Thanks to the amazing work here I have successfully created an almost fail-safe system for the community if they wish to use it.
Next goal is to either use the RT kernel and install Linuxcnc userspace or to throw out the parallel controller and switch to grbl for cnc.
I would prefer to stick with the Debian repository's as that is what I have become most familiar with, the pets are confusing me nowaydays.