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How to Make openSUSE 11.1 KDE 3.5 LiveCD or LiveDVD

How to Make openSUSE 11.1 KDE 3.5 LiveCD or LiveDVD

January 4, 2009 Linux, SUSE Family 14 Comments

Since openSUSE 11.1 was not officially provided KDE 3.5 LiveCD or LiveDVD, how to get openSUSE 11.1 KDE 3.5 LiveCD with easy step and a few modification by using our install DVD ?

Yes, of course you would have a choice to get KDE 3.5 installed by default by choose “Other-KDE 3.5” on desktop environment choice while installing openSUSE but we may need the LiveCD version for any specific reason and purpose.

Actually, the process itself is not too difficult to do. Thanks to KIWI team for providing nice set tools to make this as easy as modify a few lines of code and run the LiveCD ISO image creation process.

PREPARATION

  1. Create local repositories as base installation source. You may used online repositories if you have fast and stable internet connection. The easiest way to make local repositories is by copying all of Installation DVD contents to specified folder. See step 2 for detail instruction.
  2. In this scenario, I will used local repositories by using openSUSE 11.1 ISO image (32 bit) mounted to /srv/www/htdocs/11.1 and accessing by http protocol. My iso image location is /home/vavai. My IP address is 192.168.1.70 
    su
mkdir /srv/www/htdocs/11.1
mount -o loop openSUSE-11.1-DVD-i586.iso /srv/www/htdocs/11.1

    I’m using http protocol with URL http://192.168.1.70/11.1 because the local repos will be accessing by another guys on Local Area Network. If you wish to try by yourself, you do not need to setup http protocol. Just replace the url address http://192.168.1.70/11.1 with your location like /srv/www/htdocs/11.1

  3. Install KIWI tools 
    zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/openSUSE:/Tools/openSUSE_11.1/ kiwi
zypper ref
zypper in kiwi kiwi-tools kiwi-config-openSUSE kiwi-desc-isoboot kiwi-desc-usbboot createrepo squashfs

CONFIGURING SCHEMA

  1. Open the configuration schema : /usr/share/openSUSE-kiwi/livecd-kde3/config.xml
  2. Optional : Change header of configuration schema, e.g : author, contact, specification and version.
  3. Change the important portion : Base installation source from : 
    <repository type="yast2">
<source path="http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/11.1/repo/oss/"/>
</repository>

    into :

    <repository type="yast2">
<source path="http://192.168.1.70/11.1/"/>
</repository>

    or

    <repository type="yast2">
<source path="/srv/www/htdocs/11.1/"/>
</repository>

    Depending your choice on preparation phase step 1 and 2

  4. If you has no internet connection, remove this portion : 
    <repository type="rpm-md">
<source path="http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/openSUSE:/11.1:/Live/standard/"/>
</repository>

    and

    <package name="openSUSE-release-livecd-kde3"/>

    Note : there were 2 line of “openSUSE-release-livecd-kde3”. Remove both of them.

GENERATING ISO IMAGE

  1. Run the first stage process : 
    kiwi --prepare /usr/share/openSUSE-kiwi/livecd-kde3 --root /tmp/kde35-source --logfile terminal
  2. Run the second stage process : 
    kiwi --type iso --create /tmp/kde35-source -d /tmp/kde35-iso --logfile terminal
  3. ISO image can be found at /tmp/kde35-iso. Run the image by burn ISO image onto CD or DVD burner or run the ISO with VMWare or VirtualBox or Xen Virtualip zation

WORKAROUND

  1. I’m using optional process ” –logfile terminal”. This will display the installation process. If you found an error, please navigate or scroll up the log process to see what is the problem.
  2. There is 2 main problem that usually occurred  on stage 1 : Error with base installation source and package not found.
  3. You may also added another package into ISO image but keep in mind with maximum size for LiveCD and LiveDVD
  4. If you wish to add 3rd party package, please read the restricted media format documentation due to openSUSE GPL license

SCREENSHOT

  1. Image process stage 1
    kiwi-proses-1
  2. Image process stage 2
    kiwi-proses-2
  3. Booting the ISO
    kiwi-proses-3
  4. openSUSE 11.1 KDE 3.5 LiveCD
    kiwi-proses-4

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About The Author

Vavai

Traveller, Open Source Enthusiast & Book Lover. Works as Independent Worker & Self-Employer.

Latest Comments

  2. Bart Geesink January 4, 2009

    Useful article, thanks for that! I didn’t know about the kiwi-config-openSUSE, that’s quite helpful! We still use KDE 3.5 here, and we use the liveCD to distribute openSUSE in Khmer, the language of Cambodia. LiveCD’s are a great way of distributing localised software!

    Reply
  4. Pingback: First openSUSE-Id HackFest January 6, 2009
  8. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 22, 2009

    Hi!

    I’m followin this tutorial but i have a simple question, does kiwi (zypper) manage packages dependencies ?? i mean, if i add a package in config.xml, do i have to add all dependencies manually ?? or kiwi take care of it ?

    thanks and greetings !

    Reply
  9. Vavai January 22, 2009

    @Daniel Dario Morales Salas,

    Yes, Zypper take care the dependencies automatically. Kiwi will ended with error if the dependencies doesn’t exist on the specified repositories. It’s not difficult to debug because kiwi log will issue a row entry like “package bla-bla-bla is not found”

    As an example, I only need specified a package or pattern name on config.xml (ie : MozillaThunderbird) , the rest will be taken by Zypper.

    Reply
  10. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 22, 2009

    WOW, amazing !!!!, so it’s very easy to build a personalized version of opensuse, great.

    Right now i’m in stage 1 of my first build of opensuse livecd, i will try it in virtualbox and if everything is ok, i will build a better one.

    Thanks !!!!

    Reply
  11. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 22, 2009

    Hi, me again. I had created an ISO with KDE 4.2 following this tutorial. I have NO errors in creating the iso file. I’ve running my iso with virtualbox and it boots ok, but it cannot start KDE, it says “Could not load kdeinit4. Check your installation”.

    I’ve added the KDE repos to my live system and updated with “zypper -t up” command and then tried an “startx” but the same error appears.

    Do you know what could be happening ??

    I was reading that the kdeinit4 error is because of non fully updated kde files (maybe when kiwi downloaded all the packages following the list in config.xml), but i’m not sure, i have not seen any error, even in both kiwi stages i get an beautiful kiwi sucessfully.

    Please help.

    Thanks and Greetings !!!

    Reply
  12. Vavai January 22, 2009

    Hi Daniel,

    Error message : “Could not load kdeinit4. Check your installation” occurred if KDE 4 could not find the library for starting the desktop.

    Solution :

    1. Click OK 🙂 . KDE 4 will be back to konsole
    2. Type : startx and ENTER
    3. Read the error message carefully. KDE 4 will show the error message and the missing library.
    4. You may find the missing library and what’s package provided the library using YAST | Software Management and thick the “RPM Provides” on search option (look at filter option at the left side of YAST Software Management)

    5. In my case, I must installing gamin package, because this package provide the missing library.

    6. You may find the gamin package from packman repositories or http://software.opensuse.org/search

    7. You may tested the solution as describe above by installing gamin within your iso image with yast or :

    zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/j-engel/openSUSE_11.1 gamin

    zypper ref && zypper in gamin

    and then re-run step 2 (startx, ENTER)

    8. Rebulding the iso

    Please keep in mind that gamin package required because the error message pointing to library on gamin. It’s may different on your side but I think it would be. I got similar message while building modified openSUSE 11.1 KDE 4 LiveDVD

    Reply
  13. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 22, 2009

    Hi, after i write startx in console, it says libfam.so.0 could not be found or something like that. Right now i see in yast (the options you said) and you are right, gamin is the package i need (or maybe fam package??). I’m doing all over again because i want to make it better (write an ordered config.xml with the applications i need).

    Thanks por reply. I will tell you as it were to me.

    Greetings !!

    Reply
  14. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 23, 2009

    Sometimes, repositories fail, not all the packages are downloaded, how can we re-download just the missing packages without start all over again (i mean without removing /tmp/kde-source and starting dowloading all of the packages again) ??

    Thanks !!!

    Reply
  15. Daniel Dario Morales Salas January 23, 2009

    It doesn’t matter, upgrade option is what i needed

    kiwi -u /tmp/kde-source

    and that’s it.

    Greetings !!!

    Reply
  16. Jean January 27, 2009

    Hye,

    I’m on a 64-bit system and I wish to make a 32 bit live CD. I use the option “–target-arch i586” but my config.xml is a selection of packages for 64-bit version. How can I find it in 32 bit? Removing all the *32bit* package is not enough… other apear like numact1, linux32…

    Have you got an idea?

    Reply
  17. Kiran Manandhar April 7, 2009

    am using Grub to make bootable usb Drive. I have three partitions on USB key. Two are DOS partition of 60 MBs.
    1.First partition-syslinux configured for Offline Windows NT 2K XP password Administration
    2.Second Partition- Windwos 98 DOS systems for Ghost, Partition magic, DOS network boot
    3.Third Partition – the GRUB boot partition.

    I have copied OpenSuse11.1 to the third partition and followed all changes including initrdud. I get
    thfollowing error:

    cddev /dev/sda1: /dev/sdb1
    —> Mounting live boot drive …
    —> Couldn’t find Live image configuration file
    —> ShellException: providing shell …

    The Grub menu.lst contains

    title OpenSuse 11.1 Live
    root (hd0,2)
    kernel /boot/i386/loader/kernel root=/dev/sdb3 kiwidebug=1 ramdisk_size=512000 ramdisk_blocksize=4096 splash=silent showopts
    initrd /boot/i386/loader/initrdud

    Any suggestion will be highly appreciated.

    Reply
  18. agus June 4, 2009

    Hallo Mr.Vavai,I am from Indonesia
    I want to ask you,if i generate this script “kiwi –prepare /usr/share/openSUSE-kiwi/livecd-kde3 –root /tmp/kde35-source –logfile terminal”,I have error message like this
    Trace Level 1 at /usr/share/kiwi/modules/KIWIManager.pm line 321
    KIWIManager::setupScreenCall(‘KIWIManager=HASH(0x90a0f8c)’) called at /usr/share/kiwi/modules/KIWIManager.pm line 1576
    KIWIManager::setupRootSystem(‘KIWIManager=HASH(0x90a0f8c)’, ‘bundle-lang-common-en’, ‘filesystem’, ‘glibc-locale’, ‘kernel-default’, ‘openSUSE-release’, ‘udev’) called at /usr/share/kiwi/modules/KIWIRoot.pm line 360
    KIWIRoot::init(‘KIWIRoot=HASH(0x90a0edc)’) called at /usr/sbin/kiwi line 369
    main::main() called at /usr/sbin/kiwi line 2088
    Trace Level 2 at /usr/sbin/kiwi line 370
    main::main() called at /usr/sbin/kiwi line 2088
    what should I do??
    hank you very much…

    Reply
  19. Michal Papis February 3, 2010

    Now there is a lot easier option, and allows KDE 3.5 on opensuse 11.2 http://niczsoft.com/2010/02/opensuse-11_2-kde-3_5/

    Reply

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