Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition

by Kyle Rankin
Released November 2007
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596514938

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Book description

If you think Knoppix is just a Linux demo disk, think again. Klaus Knopper created an entire Linux distribution on a bootable CD (and now a DVD) so he could use his favorite open source tools on any computer. This book includes a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers-not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing.

Knoppix Hacks is just like the distribution it covers: a veritable Swiss Army knife packed full of tools. Scores of industrial-strength hacks-many of them new to this second edition-cover both the standard Knoppix CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution, which is included with this book. Discover how to use Knoppix to its full potential as your desktop, rescue CD, or as a launching point for your own live CD.

With Knoppix Hacks, you can:

  • Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications


  • Save your settings and data between reboots with persistent storage


  • Employ Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more


  • Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot


  • Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more


  • Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix that could augment your system


  • Easily install the popular Debian GNU/Linux distribution with all of your hardware detected and configured


  • Remaster Knoppix to include your favorite software and custom branding


Whether you're a new Linux user, power user, or system administer, this book helps you take advantage of Knoppix and customize it to your needs. You may just find ways to use Knoppix that you never considered.

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Table of contents

  1. Foreword
    1. The Past
    2. The Present
    3. The Future
    4. The Book
  2. Credits
    1. About the Author
    2. Contributors
    3. Acknowledgments
  3. Preface
    1. Why Knoppix Hacks?
    2. How to Use This Book
    3. How This Book Is Organized
    4. Conventions Used in This Book
    5. Using Code Examples
    6. Safari® Books Online
    7. How to Contact Us
    8. Got a Hack?
  4. 1. Boot Knoppix
    1. Hacks 1–11
    2. 1. Boot Knoppix on a Desktop
      1. Change the BIOS Boot Order
      2. Boot Knoppix from a Floppy
      3. The Knoppix Boot Prompt
    3. 2. Boot Virtualized Knoppix
    4. 3. Get Knoppix
      1. Get the Latest Version
      2. Download Knoppix
      3. Buy a Knoppix Disk
    5. 4. Use Knoppix Cheat Codes
    6. 5. Speak Different Languages
    7. 6. Free Your CD to Make Knoppix Run Faster
      1. Boot from a CD Image
    8. 7. Straighten Out Your X Settings
      1. Tweak the Monitor Settings
      2. Video Card Cheats
      3. Help, My Mouse Is Crazy!
      4. Console Cheats
    9. 8. Use Advanced Knoppix Cheat Codes
      1. Solve Knoppix Booting Problems
      2. Enable Hardware
    10. 9. Run Knoppix on a Laptop
      1. Laptop Display Tweaks
      2. Special-Purpose Cheat Codes
    11. 10. Explore Expert Mode
      1. Step Through the Expert Mode
    12. 11. Check RAM for Errors with Memtest86+
  5. 2. Use Your Knoppix Desktop
    1. Hacks 12–24
    2. 12. Explore the Desktop
      1. The Desktop
      2. The K Menu
      3. The Panel
    3. 13. Customize the Desktop Look
      1. Appearance and Themes
      2. Look Like That Other OS
    4. 14. Get Office Work Done
      1. OpenOffice.org
      2. Calendar and Contact Management
    5. 15. Configure Your Printer
    6. 16. Use Peripheral Devices
      1. Scanners
      2. Digital Cameras
      3. Removable USB and IEEE1394 Drives
      4. Other Devices
    7. 17. Have Fun and Play Some Games
    8. 18. Rock Out with Knoppix Multimedia
      1. Listening to Audio
      2. Editing Sounds
      3. Burn CDs and DVDs
      4. Watch Videos
      5. Watching TV
    9. 19. Connect to the Internet
    10. 20. Connect to the Internet with GPRS Bluetooth
      1. Parts List
      2. Configure the GPRS Connection
      3. Connection Errors
    11. 21. Explore the Internet
      1. Web Browsers
      2. Email and News Readers
      3. Instant Messaging and IRC
      4. Video Conferencing
    12. 22. Get Help
      1. On the Disk
      2. On the Web
    13. 23. Try Other Desktop Environments
      1. Fluxbox
      2. IceWM
      3. DVD-Only Window Managers
      4. XFCE
      5. Gnome
    14. 24. Become Root
  6. 3. Tweak Your Desktop
    1. Hacks 25–39
    2. 25. Use Aufs
      1. How Knoppix Uses Aufs
      2. How You Can Use Aufs
    3. 26. Create Persistent Knoppix Settings
      1. Save Settings
      2. Create a Persistent Disk Image
    4. 27. Use Your Linux Desktop Settings
      1. There’s No Place Like /home
      2. KDE
      3. Other Applications
    5. 28. Use Your Windows Desktop Settings
      1. Mozilla
      2. OpenOffice.org
      3. Instant Messaging and IRC
      4. Use My Documents
    6. 29. Make a Kiosk
      1. Configure the Web Browser
      2. Save Kiosk Settings
      3. Remaster a Kiosk Disk
    7. 30. Make a Party Arcade
      1. Let’s Dance
      2. Keyboards on Fire
      3. Make It Persistent
    8. 31. Network Boot Knoppix
    9. 32. Create a Knoppix “Thin Client”
    10. 33. Develop Applications
    11. 34. Install Nvidia 3D Drivers
      1. Extra Steps for the CD
      2. Get the Nvidia Installer
    12. 35. Point-and-Klik to Install Applications
    13. 36. Create Your Own Klik Recipe
    14. 37. Install Programs to the Live Disk
      1. Reload the Package List
      2. Install Packages
    15. 38. Browse the Web Anonymously
    16. 39. Install Multimedia Codecs
  7. 4. Install Linux with Knoppix
    1. Hacks 40–45
    2. 40. Explore the Knoppix Installer
    3. 41. Install Knoppix as a Single-Boot System
    4. 42. Install Knoppix on a Multiboot System
    5. 43. Convert Knoppix to Debian Unstable
      1. Configure APT
    6. 44. Install Gentoo with Knoppix
    7. 45. Update a Knoppix Install from the CD
  8. 5. Put Knoppix in Your Toolbox
    1. Hacks 46–64
    2. 46. Run Remote Desktops
      1. VNC
      2. RDP
      3. NX Server
      4. Share the Local Desktop
    3. 47. Run X Remotely with FreeNX
      1. The NX Technology
      2. Set Up NX Server
      3. User Management
      4. Server Management
    4. 48. Browse Windows Shares
    5. 49. Create an Emergency Router
      1. Configure the Network
      2. Build a Router
      3. Network with NAT
      4. Use the Knoppix Firewall Tool
      5. See Also
    6. 50. Create an Emergency File Server
    7. 51. Create an Emergency Web Server
    8. 52. Make an Emergency Mail Relay
      1. Assign Storage
      2. Configure Postfix
      3. Test the Backup Mail Server
      4. Configure DNS
    9. 53. Run Other Emergency Services
      1. SSH
      2. DHCP
      3. DNS
      4. MySQL
      5. Inetd
      6. NFS
    10. 54. Wardrive with Knoppix
      1. Kismet
      2. Required Wardriving Hardware
      3. Set Up GPS
      4. Configure Kismet
      5. Draw a Map of Your Wardriving Session
      6. Join Networks
    11. 55. Audit Network Security
      1. Nessus
      2. Nessusd Host
      3. Using the nessus Client
      4. Plug-in Selection on the nessus Client
      5. Preferences
      6. Scan
      7. Target Selection
      8. User Rules
      9. Knowledge Base
      10. Credits
      11. Start the Scan
      12. The Results
      13. Save the Report
      14. Drawbacks to Using Nessus
    12. 56. Check for Root Kits
      1. Advantages to Scanning with Knoppix
      2. Got Root?
    13. 57. Collect Forensics Data
      1. Sleuthkit and the Coroner’s Toolkit
    14. 58. Clone Hard Drives
      1. Dd
      2. Partimage
    15. 59. Wipe a Hard Drive
    16. 60. Test Hardware Compatibility
      1. General Hardware Probing
      2. Specific Hardware Testing
    17. 61. Copy Settings to Other Distributions
      1. Copy X Settings
      2. Copy Module Information
      3. Copy Kernel Configuration
    18. 62. Add Knoppix to Your PXE Boot Environment
    19. 63. Set Up a Webcam Server in a Snap
    20. 64. Create a Weekend Wiki
      1. Install Kwiki
      2. Configure Apache
      3. Test the wiki
      4. Take the wiki with you
  9. 6. Repair Linux
    1. Hacks 65-86
    2. 65. Repair Lilo
    3. 66. Repair Grub
      1. Install grub on a System Without grub
    4. 67. Kill and Resurrect the Master Boot Record
      1. Save the MBR
      2. Kill the MBR
      3. Resurrect the MBR
      4. How Do I fdisk /mbr?
      5. See Also
    5. 68. Find Lost Partitions
    6. 69. Resize Linux Partitions
      1. Resize Without X
    7. 70. Repair Damaged Filesystems
      1. Ext2/Ext3
      2. ReiserFS
      3. XFS
      4. See Also
    8. 71. Recover Deleted Files
      1. fls
      2. icat
      3. Restore All Deleted Files
    9. 72. Rescue Files from Damaged Hard Drives
    10. 73. Back Up and Restore
      1. Back Up
      2. Restore
      3. Back Up and Restore a Full Partition
    11. 74. Migrate to a New Hard Drive
      1. Why This Can Be Complicated
      2. What to Do
      3. Final Steps
    12. 75. Mount Linux Software RAID
    13. 76. Create Linux Software RAID
      1. Mdadm
      2. Conclusion
      3. See Also
    14. 77. Migrate to Software RAID
      1. mdadm
      2. See Also
    15. 78. Migrate Software RAID 1 to RAID 5
      1. mdadm
      2. See Also
    16. 79. Add an Extra Drive to a Software RAID 5 Array
      1. See Also
    17. 80. Mount LVM Partitions
    18. 81. Reset Linux Passwords
    19. 82. Fix Broken Init Services
      1. Some Init-ial Background
      2. Disable Broken Init Scripts
    20. 83. Repair Debian Packages
    21. 84. Repair RPM Packages
    22. 85. Copy a Working Kernel
    23. 86. Turn a Physical Machine into a VMware Virtual Machine
      1. Create Your Virtual Machine
      2. Perform the First Sync
      3. Perform the Final Sync
      4. Perform Finishing Touches
  10. 7. Rescue Windows
    1. Hacks 87-95
    2. 87. Fix the Windows Boot Selector
    3. 88. Back Up Files and Settings
      1. Back That Thing Up
    4. 89. Resize Windows Partitions
      1. Enlarge NTFS Partitions
      2. Shrink NTFS Partitions
    5. 90. Reset Lost NT Passwords
      1. Get chntpw
      2. Reset the Password
    6. 91. Edit the Windows Registry
      1. Prepare to Edit the Registry
      2. Getting to Know Your Registry
      3. Edit the Registry
    7. 92. Restore Corrupted System Files
      1. Call a Cab
    8. 93. Scan for Viruses
    9. 94. Download Windows Patches Securely
    10. 95. Knoppix on Intel Macs
  11. 8. Knoppix Reloaded
    1. Hacks 96–108
    2. 96. Master Morphix
      1. What Makes Morphix So Special
      2. See Also
    3. 97. Educate Yourself with Freeduc
      1. See Also
    4. 98. Damn Small Linux
      1. The History
      2. The Present
      3. See Also
    5. 99. INSERT Security Here
      1. History
      2. Technical
      3. Size
      4. Main Additions
      5. See Also
    6. 100. Download Local Area Security
      1. See Also
    7. 101. Full Protection with S-T-D
      1. So What Is S-T-D?
      2. Look and Feel
      3. Further Reading
      4. Authentication
      5. Further Reading
      6. Cryptography
      7. Further Reading
      8. Forensics
      9. Further Reading
      10. Firewalls
      11. Further Reading
      12. Honeypots
      13. Further Reading
      14. IDS
      15. Further Reading
      16. Network Utilities
      17. Further Reading
      18. Password Tools
      19. Sniffers
      20. Further Reading
      21. TCP Tools
      22. Further Reading
      23. Vulnerability Assessment
      24. Further Reading
      25. Wireless Tools
      26. Further Reading
      27. Hotkeys
      28. Acknowledgments
      29. See Also
    8. 102. Distribute Compiles with distccKNOPPIX
      1. See Also
    9. 103. Distribute the Load with ClusterKnoppix
      1. What openMosix Is
      2. Set Up a Cluster
      3. The Network Boot Method
      4. Configure openMosix
      5. Boot Your Clients
      6. The CD-ROM Boot Method
      7. Test the Cluster
      8. See Also
    10. 104. Analyze Quantian
      1. See Also
    11. 105. Find GIS Knoppix on the Map
    12. 106. TiVo Your Computer
    13. 107. Compose Musix
    14. 108. Contribute to Knoppix
      1. Become a Knoppix Developer
      2. Join the Community
  12. 9. Knoppix Remastered
    1. Hacks 109–120
    2. 109. Create a Customized Knoppix
      1. Choose a Partition
      2. Check Available RAM
      3. Prepare the Source Filesystem
      4. Make the Master CD Filesystem
    3. 110. Trim the Fat
      1. Find Programs to Remove
      2. Dependencies
      3. Please Sir, I Want to Remove More
      4. Shrink the apt-get Database
      5. Use the Best Possible Compression
      6. Final Tips
    4. 111. Personalize Knoppix
      1. Quick Desktop Tweaks
      2. Complete Desktop Tweaks
      3. Change the Default Window Manager
      4. Change Desktop Environment Settings
      5. Disable the Startup and Shutdown Sounds
    5. 112. Keep Your Custom Disk Up to Date
    6. 113. Automate Knoppix Remastering
    7. 114. Morph Morphix
      1. Structure of a Morphix Live CD
      2. Your First Morph
    8. 115. Auto-Build Morphix Modules MapLab Tutorial Map
      1. A Look at a Module Generator
      2. See Also
    9. 116. Change the Default Language on an ISO Image
    10. 117. Remaster Knoppix Without Remastering
      1. The saveconfig script
      2. The knoppix.sh script
      3. Customize configs.tbz
      4. Install Programs
      5. Advantages Over Remastering
    11. 118. Change Boot Defaults Without Remastering
      1. Change Cheat Codes
    12. 119. Tweak the initrd Without Remastering
    13. 120. Put Knoppix on a USB Drive
  13. About the Author
  14. Colophon
  15. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Kyle Rankin
  • Release date: November 2007
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596514938