Knoppix
 | |
 KNOPPIX 8.6 | |
| Developer | Klaus Knopper |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux(Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 30 September 2000 |
| Latest release | 9.3[1] / 5 May 2022 |
| Available in | GermanandEnglish |
| Update method | LTS |
| Package manager | APT(frontend);dpkg(maintenance) |
| Kerneltype | Monolithic(Linux) |
| Userland | GNU |
| Default user interface | LXDE |
| License | Free softwarelicenses (mainlyGPL)[2] |
| Official website | www |
Knoppix,stylizedKNOPPIX,(/ˈknɒpɪks/KNOP-iks)[3]is anoperating systembased onDebiandesigned to be run directly from aCD/DVD(Live CD) or aUSB flash drive(Live USB). It was first released in 2000 by GermanLinuxconsultantKlaus Knopper,[4]and was one of the first popular live distributions.[5][6][7]Knoppix is loaded from the removable medium and decompressed into aRAM drive.The decompression istransparentandon-the-fly.
There are two main editions, available in both English and German: the traditional compact-disc (700megabytes) edition and the DVD (4.7gigabytes) "Maxi" edition.
Knoppix mostly consists offree and open source software,but also includes someproprietary software,as long as it fulfills certain conditions.[8]Knoppix can be used to copy files easily from hard drives with inaccessible operating systems. To quickly and more safely use Linux software, the Live CD can be used instead of installing another OS.
Contents
[edit]
More than 1000 software packages are included on the CD edition, and more than 2600 packages are included on the DVD edition. Up to nine gigabytes can be stored on the DVD incompressedform. These packages include:
- LXDE,a lightweightX11desktop environment;default since Knoppix 6.0 and later
- MPlayer,withMP3audio, andOgg Vorbisaudio playback support
- Internet accesssoftware, including theKPPPdialer andISDNutilities
- TheMozilla Firefoxweb browser
- TheMozilla Thunderbirde-mail client
- GIMP,an image manipulation program
- Tools for data rescue and system repair
- Network analysis and administration tools
- LibreOffice,a comprehensiveoffice suite
- Terminal server
Hardware requirements
[edit]Minimum hardware requirements for Knoppix:[9]
- Intel/AMD-compatible processor (i486 or later)
- MinimumRAMmemory requirements:
- 32 MB for text mode;
- Live environment with no swap:
- 512MB for graphics mode with justLXDE
- 1GB to use the web browser and productivity software
- 2GB recommended
- Bootable optical drive:
- DVD-ROM for current versions;
- CD-ROM for version 7.2 and older, or a boot floppy and standard CD-ROM (IDE/ATAPI or SCSI)
- Standard SVGA-compatible graphics card
- Serial orPS/2standard mouse, or an IMPS/2-compatible USB-mouse.
Saving changes in the environment
[edit]Prior to Knoppix 3.8.2, any documents or settings a user created would disappear upon reboot. This lack of persistence then made it necessary to save documents directly to a hard drive partition, over the network, or to someremovable media,such as a USB flash drive.
It was also possible to set up a "persistent home directory", where any documents or settings written to the user's home directory would automatically be redirected to a hard drive or removable media, which could be automaticallymountedon bootup. A single file,knoppix.img,was cached on the rewritable media and used to simulate a file system into which files were written for later use. This allowed the user to transparently write to their home directory.
Union mountsupport was added in version 3.8.1 throughUnionFS.This was later replaced byAufsin 5.1.0 to improve stability.[10]The union mount allowed virtual updates to the data on the read-only CD/DVD media by storing changes on separate writable media and then representing the combination of the two as singlestorage device.The writable media could be memory (ramdisk), a hard disk, USB flash drive, etc. This means that the user could modify the software installed on the Knoppix system, such as by usingAPTto install or update software. The storage device containing the changes needed to be present whenever Knoppix is started, else only the original data from the disc would be used. While Knoppix would scan available storage devices for a persistent home directory by default, a user could dictate a specific location with a boot option (see below) such as:
home=/dev/hda1/knoppix.img[11]
By carrying a Knoppix CD and a USB flash drive, a user could have the same environment, programs, settings, and data available on any computer that could run Knoppix.
This functionality was only available through Knoppix 5.1.1 (CD release) or 5.3.1 (DVD release). Subsequently, the Live CD paradigm has transformed into portable operating systems that run on external storage.
Boot options
[edit]When using Knoppix as a Live CD, one can use boot options, also known as "cheatcodes", to override a default setting or automatic hardware detection when it fails. For example, the user may wish to boot into a plain console, or proceed without SCSI support. For this, Knoppix allows the user to enter one or more cheat codes at the prompt before booting. If the user does not enter a cheat code, or does not press any key before the timeout, Knoppix will boot with its default options. For example, to set the language to French rather than the default, one would type:
knoppix lang=fr[11]
Knoppix is a32-bitDebianLinux based distro, but recent releases (including the latest version 7.6) have also been equipped with a64-bitkernel on the DVD edition, where it will automatically boot up for 64-bit computers, or by using the boot optionknoppix64manually in the command-line prompt, whileknoppixwill boot up the 32-bit kernel. Neither PAE nor 64-bit applications are supported by Knoppix, and more than 4GB of system memory can only be used with a 64-bit kernel.
The DVD edition of Knoppix can also be loaded onto a USB flash drive, withflash-knoppixunder the Knoppix system, such that "the KNOPPIX Live System starts and runs about factor 5 faster from USB flash disk than from CD or DVD!".[12]Besides that, the experimentalUEFIsupport is provided for USB flash drive rather than DVD media. 32-bit UEFI firmware can only boot up the 32-bit kernel, while 64-bit UEFI firmware can only boot up the 64-bit kernel. The text interface for UEFI is similar with it for BIOS, one can also press key F2 and F3 to access information on boot options.
Popularity
[edit]Knoppix was one of the first Live CD Linux distributions to gain popularity[13](just afterYggdrasil Linux). There are several factors that contribute to the popularity of Knoppix:
- Knoppix was one of the first Live CDs available, and is known as the "original" Debian-based Live CD
- Its extensive hardware detection allows most systems to start Knoppix without any configuration
- Its ability to automatically connect to most kinds ofnetworks[citation needed]
- Its utilities for system repair and troubleshooting
Knoppix works on a fairly large number of PCs or laptops, but not all. The automatic hardware detection cannot cope with all hardware, and sometimes the drivers used will not be optimal. Knoppix has difficulty recognizing some cards made before 1998, or motherboards with a BIOS made before 2002. (In some cases, manual configuration with codes entered at boot time can overcome problems with automatic detection.)[citation needed]
If a PC does not have enough RAM to run KDE and other included programs, the legacy Knoppix (earlier than 6.0) boots up a very limitedTab Window Manager(twm) session instead. The only window running in the twm session by default is xterm.[citation needed]
Versions
[edit]| Version | Release date | CD | DVD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 | 2000-09-30 | Yes | No |
| 1.6 | 2001-04-26 | Yes | No |
| 2.1 | 2002-03-14 | Yes | No |
| 2.2 | 2002-05-14 | Yes | No |
| 3.1 | 2002-10-01 | Yes | No |
| 3.2 | 2003-06-16 | Yes | No |
| 3.3 | 2003-09-22 | Yes | No |
| 3.4 | 2004-05-17 | Yes | No |
| 3.5LinuxTagversion | 2004-06 | No | Yes |
| 3.6 | 2004-08-16 | Yes | No |
| 3.7 | 2004-12-09 | Yes | No |
| 3.8CeBITversion | 2005-02-28 | Yes | No |
| 3.8.1 | 2005-04-08 | Yes | No |
| 3.8.2[14] | 2005-05-12 | Yes | No |
| 3.9 | 2005-06-01 | Yes | No |
| 4.0 LinuxTag version | 2005-06-22 | No | Yes |
| 4.0 updated | 2005-08-16 | No | Yes |
| 4.0.2 | 2005-09-23 | Yes | Yes |
| 5.0 CeBIT version | 2006-02-25 | No | Yes |
| 5.0.1 | 2006-06-02 | Yes | Yes |
| 5.1.0 | 2006-12-30 | Yes | Yes |
| 5.1.1 | 2007-01-04 | Yes | Yes |
| 5.2 CeBIT version | 2007-03 | No | Yes |
| 5.3 CeBIT version | 2008-02-12 | No | Yes |
| 5.3.1 | 2008-03-26 | No | Yes |
| ADRIANE | |||
| 6.0.0 | 2009-01-28 | Yes | No |
| 6.0.1 | 2009-02-08 | Yes | No |
| 6.1 CeBIT version | 2009-02-25 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.2 / ADRIANE 1.2 | 2009-11-18 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.2.1 | 2010-01-31 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.3 CeBIT version | 2010-03-02 | No | Yes |
| 6.4.3 | 2010-12-20 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.4.4 | 2011-02-01 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.5 CeBIT version | 2011-03 | No | Yes |
| 6.7.0 | 2011-08-03 | Yes | Yes |
| 6.7.1 | 2011-09-16 | Yes | Yes |
| 7.0.1 | 2012-05-24 | No | Yes |
| 7.0.2 | 2012-05-30 | No | Yes |
| 7.0.3 | 2012-07-01 | Yes | Yes |
| 7.0.4 | 2012-08-20 | Yes | Yes |
| 7.0.5 | 2012-12-21 | Yes | Yes |
| 7.2.0 | 2013-06-24 | Yes | Yes |
| 7.4.0 | 2014-08-07 | No | Yes |
| 7.4.1 | 2014-09-15 | No | Yes |
| 7.4.2 | 2014-09-28 | No | Yes |
| 7.5 CeBIT version | 2015-03-16 | No | Yes |
| 7.6.0 | 2015-11-21 | No | Yes |
| 7.6.1 | 2016-01-16 | No | Yes |
| 7.7.0 CeBIT version | 2016-03-14 | No | Yes |
| 7.7.1 | 2016-10-27 | No | Yes |
| 8.0.0 CeBIT version | 2017-03-24 | No | Yes |
| 8.1.0 | 2017-09-27 | No | Yes |
| 8.2.0 | 2018-05-16 | No | Yes |
| 8.3.0 (DELUG-DVD) | 2018-06-07 | No | Yes |
| 8.5.0 Linux-Magazin / Linux-User edition | 2019-03-14 | No | Yes |
| 8.6.0 | 2019-08-08 | No | Yes |
| 8.6.1 | 2019-11-22 | No | Yes |
| 9.0 (DELUG-DVD) | 2020-03-05 | No | Yes |
| 9.1 | 2021-01-25 | Yes | Yes |
| 9.2 (DELUG-DVD) | 2021-04 | No | Yes |
| 9.3 (DELUG-DVD) | 2022-06 | No | Yes |
The table (to the right) shows the version history of major releases.
Knoppix 4.x–5.x
[edit]As of April 2008, from version 4 up until 5.1.1, Knoppix has been split into a DVD "maxi" edition (with over 9 GB of software), and a CD "light" edition; both were developed in parallel.[15][16]
Up until Knoppix 5.1.1, the CD editions contained a selection of graphical environments, including the TWM window manager, andKDE 3— a feature-complete desktop environment default in Knoppix 5.3.1 and earlier.
No further development is being done on the traditional 5.x versions.
Knoppix 6.x
[edit]KNOPPIX 6.0.1 / ADRIANE 1.1 is a CD-edition again, and a complete rebuild from scratch. LXDE was made the default desktop environment, and the edition contains a substantially reduced software collection in order to easily fit on a CD.[17]
The KNOPPIX 6.2.1 release has both CD and DVD editions, and ADRIANE 1.2 only has a CD-edition.[18]
Knoppix 6.7.1 has the last CD version with stable touchpad drivers.
Knoppix 7.x
[edit]From June 2013 on until March 2019, Knoppix 7.2 was the most recent release with a CD edition. By 2018, its software had become very outdated, as thelibc6 2.17library no longer suffices for installation of several modern packages. The 7.x version range is known for instabilities with touchpads.
Version 7.2 still remains the most recent CD version of Knoppix in wide distribution.
Knoppix 8.x
[edit]The KNOPPIX 8.0.0 edition was released at CeBIT 2017.[19]
KNOPPIX 8.1.0 was released in September 2017 as the first public release in the 8.x series.[20] The version 8.0.0 has thedual boot,and a choice between three different desktops:LXDEas default option,KDEorGNOME.[19]
Versions 8.2.0 and newer (8.2.x, not 8.5.x) are available on Knoppix mirrors.
Knoppix 8.5 was a DVD version that was not available for download, but was published as an exclusive version only bundled with a physical edition of Linux-Magazin[21]or LinuxUser.[22]Version 8.5 no longer includesSystemd,which was replaced by elogind. Spectre and Meltdown kernel vulnerabilities have been mitigated.[23]
Knoppix 8.6 (and newer) is a DVD version available for download on Knoppix mirrors.
Knoppix 9.x
[edit]![[icon]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg&t=vi){kind=small} | This section is empty.You can help byadding to it.(November 2023) |
Derivatives
[edit]Adriane Knoppix
[edit]Adriane Knoppix is a variation that is intended forblindandvisually impairedpeople, which can be used entirely without vision oriented output devices. It was released in the third quarter of 2007 as a Live CD.Adriane Knoppixis named after Adriane Knopper, the wife of Klaus Knopper, the developer of Knoppix. Adriane has a visual impairment, and has been assisting Klaus with the development of the software.[24]The name Adriane is also abackronymfor "Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment".
Adriane Knoppix is intended not only for the blind but also for beginners who do not know much about computers. It uses theSUSEBlinuxscreen readerwith aphonemegenerator and speech engine for normal output.
Other variations
[edit]
- Kali Linux,a live CD/USB distribution now based on Debian. It is a rewrite ofBackTrack,which was based on Knoppix. Like its predecessors, Kali is designed fordigital forensicsandpenetration testing.BackTrack itself merged theAuditor Security CollectionandWHAXdistros.
- Kanotix,a live distribution now based on Debian.
- KnoppMyth,a distro that attempts to make the Linux andMythTVinstallation as trivial as possible.
- Musix GNU+Linux,specifically for musicians.
- Poseidon Linux,a widely acclaimed distribution specifically geared for the scientific community.
- KnoppiXMAME,designed for playing MAME videogames
- PelicanHPCfor clustering
- TechUSB,an automated computer distro produced by RepairTech, Inc.[25]
Unmaintained projects
[edit]- Sorted chronologically, in ascending order.
| Name | Goal and notes | Last version | — dates back to |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClusterKnoppix | UsesopenMosix. | 3.6 | 1 September 2004[26] |
| Feather Linux | 128MB image with Linux 2.4, works as a Live CD and Live USB. | 0.7.5 | 4 July 2005[27] |
| Auditor Security Collection | Intended to test the security of networks.[28]Merged intoBackTrackbyearly2007. | 200605-02 | 20 June 2005[29] |
| Quantian | Numerical and quantitative analysis. The most recent release is based on Knoppix 4.0.2.[30] | 7.9.2 | 1 March 2006 |
| Kaella | The French translation of Knoppix | 3.2 | 19 September 2007 |
| Kurumin | InBrazilian Portuguese.Poseidon Linuxis a later distribution that was based on Kurumin. | 8.6 | 18 June 2008[31] |
| VMKnoppix | VM tools | 5.3.1Xen3.2.1 | 27 August 2008[32] |
| Dreamlinux | A Brazilian distribution branched off from Morphix, centers on ease of use and graphics performance. | 5.0 | 1 January 2012 |
| BackTrack | Parts based on a merge from Auditor Security Collection. | 5 R3 |
15 August 2012 |
| Damn Small Linux(DSL) | Live CD, just over 50MB. Designed to run graphical apps on older PCs, such as on machines with 486/early Pentium CPUs and very little RAM memory. | 4.11 RC2 | 26 September 2012 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]Books
[edit]- Granneman, Scott(2005).Hacking Knoppix.Wiley.ISBN978-0-7645-9784-8.
- Hentzen, Whil (2007).Knoppix Explained.Hentzenwerke.ISBN978-1-930919-56-3.
- Rankin, Kyle (2004).Knoppix Hacks.O'Reilly.ISBN978-0-596-00787-4.
News article
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Knoppix 9.3 - Linux-Magazin 2022/06 (DELUG Ausgabe)".Retrieved6 May2022.
- ^"KNOPPIX Linux Live CD: What license does the KNOPPIX-CD use?".Archived fromthe originalon 2002-07-19.Retrieved2007-07-16.
- ^Two Weughty QuestionsArchived2009-01-14 at theWayback Machineon Debian newsgroup post
- ^Knopper, Klaus (2000-10-10)."Building a self-contained auto-configuring Linux system on an iso9660 filesystem".4th Annual Linux Showcase & Conference. Atlanta, Georgia:USENIX.
- ^"Introduction to Knoppix".PCMag UK.2005-05-18.Retrieved2023-11-24.
- ^Linuxiac, Team (2020-10-01)."Happy 20th Birthday, Knoppix!".Linuxiac.Retrieved2023-11-24.
- ^"Tails - Celebrating 10 years of Tails!".tails.net.Retrieved2023-11-24.
- ^"General FAQ".Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2015.Retrieved26 May2015.
- ^"KNOPPIX - Live Linux Filesystem On CD".knopper.net. Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2018.Retrieved26 May2015.
- ^"KNOPPIX 5.1 - Live Linux Filesystem On CD".Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2015.Retrieved26 May2015.
- ^ab"Cheat Codes".Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2015.Retrieved26 May2015.
- ^"KNOPPIX 7.6.0 / ADRIANE 1.7 - Live DVD".knopper.net.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2017.Retrieved4 May2018.
- ^Borys Musielak."polishlinux.org » Live CD".Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2015.Retrieved26 May2015.
- ^Introduction to Knoppix | PCMag
- ^Knopper, Klaus (2005-07-06)."KNOPPIX 4.0 in issue 8/05with DVDof "com| Das Computer-Magazin"".KNOPPER.NET News.Knopper.Net. Archived fromthe originalon 2005-07-08.Retrieved2009-06-10.
- ^"Knoppix 4.0 auf DVD erscheint zum LinuxTag 2005"(Press release) (in German). Knopper.Net. 2005-07-29.Archivedfrom the original on 2007-10-12.Retrieved2009-06-10.
- ^Knopper, Klaus (2009-02-11)."Microknoppix".KNOPPIX 6.0 / ADRIANE 1.1 – Live CD.Knopper.Net.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-06-11.Retrieved2009-06-10.
- ^"Microknoppix".KNOPPIX 6.2 / ADRIANE 1.2 – Live CD / DVD.Knopper.Net.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-11-20.Retrieved2009-11-18.
- ^ab"KNOPPIX 8.0.0 - Linux Live System".knopper.net.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2017.Retrieved4 May2018.
- ^"KNOPPIX 8.1.0 Public Release".Knopper.Net.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-10-04.Retrieved2017-11-07.
- ^Knopper, Klaus (2019-04-01)."Exklusiv auf der Delug-DVD: Knoppix 8.5 Linux-Magazin Edition"[Exclusive on the Delug-DVD: The Knoppix 8.5 Linux-Magazin Edition] (in German). Vol. 04/2019. Linux Magazin.Retrieved2019-04-29.
- ^"Knoppix 8.5 als exklusive LinuxUser-Edition".LinuxUsre / Linux Community(in German). Germany: businessAD. 2019-03-21.Retrieved2021-02-07.
- ^Knopper, Klaus (2019-04-01)."Exklusiv auf der Delug-DVD: Knoppix 8.5 Linux-Magazin Edition"[Exclusive on the Delug-DVD: The Knoppix 8.5 Linux-Magazin Edition] (in German). Vol. 04/2019. Linux Magazin. p. 3.Retrieved2019-04-29.
- ^Swapnil Bhartiya."Free Operating System For Blind: Adriane Knoppix".EFY News.Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2008.Retrieved2 February2007.
- ^"RepairTech, Inc. -".repairtechsolutions.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-03-17.
- ^"clusterKNOPPIX".DistroWatch.2017-08-26.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-04-18.Retrieved2018-01-07.
- ^"Feather Linux".DistroWatch.2017-08-26.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-12-24.Retrieved2018-01-07.
- ^"Auditor".remote-exploit.org. 2006-01-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-01-24.
- ^"Auditor changes".remote-exploit.org. 2005-12-30. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-12-31.
- ^Eddelbuettel, Dirk."The Quantian Scientific Computing Environment".Retrieved2019-05-03.
The most recent version is 0.7.9.2 dated 26 February 2006 and released March 1, 2006 --- the second Quantian version based on the new Knoppix 4.0.2 release.
- ^"Kurumin Linux".DistroWatch.2017-08-26.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-07-11.Retrieved2018-01-07.
- ^Suzaki, Kuniyasu (2008-08-27)."News".VMKnoppix.Japan: Research Center for Information Security (RCIS) /National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-12-11.
External links
[edit]
Media related toKnoppixat Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- KnoppixatDistroWatch
