Knoppix Hacks

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Even a Knoppix such as me learned a lot from this book.

Highly valuable!

Rating:
Summary: This dude is no "hack"....
Review: I picked this title up after playing with DamnSmallLinux a bit, (one of the hacks covered in this book) as I was intrigued with Knoppix, the "live" CD Linux Distribution on which DamnSmallLinux is based. The OS can run on most machines one would normally encounter at homes or in a work place. So what? What can you do with it? Well... that is what the book covers, and the author, Kyle Rankin, covers it extremely well. There is material here for a novice absolutely unfamiliar with Linux or Unix as well as instructions for the use of advanced tools for IT professionals of every stripe. You want a secure carry along filesystem? Well, you could go out and get a laptop... spending hundreds if not thousands, and get a good padded case to prevent damage to it in your travels. Or... you could buy this book (which includes a Knoppix CD) and a USB storage device, throw them both into a coat pocket or a back pack and head off to where the computers are kept. Once you arrive you can write a novel, encrypt an email to your girl-friend, and as long as you are there, fix a broken Windows operating system. The book and the CD gives you the ability to do all these things and more. Maybe you just want to experiment with Linux. This is perfect! You don't have to abandon your Windows or your BeOS installation, just run Knoppix from the CD and any errors you make will be gone as soon as you reboot... unless you create a persistent file system on writable media (also covered!) Buy this book. Start learning about Knoppix, the most exciting Linux distribution currently out there!

Rating:
Summary: Bootable linux
Review: Knoppix is and surely will only ever be a niche product. But what a niche. To some people, there is a compelling fascination with being able to carry around the essence of a computer in a CD. Much less riskier than losing or damaging an entire computer. Plus the fact that a Knoppix version is usually a sturdy, stable linux, can also be appealing.

If this captures your interest, then many of the hacks will be germane. They show some of the possibilities in booting Knoppix up. Like having your Knoppix desktop environment always with you when you work on a computer.

But the book also shows a second allure of Knoppix. Not to the wandering user, but to the sysadmin. Knoppix gives you a bootable linux that can be used to diagnose and [hopefully] repair linux partitions on a disk. These could be mission critical tasks, and it is really nice to be able to do the hacks in the Repair Linux chapter. Most notably recovering deleted files or retrieving files from damaged disks. There are companies that can do the latter. But usually at exorbitant rates. Knoppix is cheaper as a first pass on that problem.

Rating:
Summary: Wow... this book blew me away...
Review: OK... I'm impressed! I just finished reading Knoppix Hacks by Kyle Rankin (O'Reilly), and I really didn't have a clue as to the power of Knoppix...

Chapter List: Boot Knoppix; Use Your Knoppix Desktop; Tweak Your Desktop; Install Linux With Knoppix; Put Knoppix In Your Toolbox; Repair Linux; Rescue Windows; Knoppix Reloaded; Knoppix Remastered; Index

I'm going to guess I'm like most non-Linux junkies when I say that I had heard of Knoppix and thought I knew what it was. It's a distribution of Linux that runs from a CD, and allows you to load Linux on a computer without installing anything. Just boot from the CD and five minutes later you're running Linux. Remove the CD and reboot, and you're back to your original configuration. A nice safe way to play with Linux and decide if you want to go any further. End of story.

Wrong...

In Knoppix Hacks, Rankin covers 100 "hacks" that you can do with the Knoppix distribution. Beyond just trying out Linux, I quickly learned that a Knoppix CD is like a Swiss Army knife of tools that you can use to do all sorts of cool things. You learn in the first chapter how you can launch Knoppix to load up in a number of different configurations. Using Hack #8, you can use Knoppix to find out if your laptop is going to work well with Linux before loading it for good. But the further you get into the book, the more Knoppix becomes a safety net the likes of which you may never have realized. Hack #41 covers using Knoppix to build an emergency file server, and #42 is how to build an emergency web server. Chapter 6 goes into how Knoppix can be used to repair existing Linux installs, like #59 where you rescue files from damaged hard drives. Even if you're a Windows person, you can use Knoppix to repair Windows installations, like with hack #79 which shows you how to download Window patches securely. He even covers how to build your own custom version of Knoppix with Linux software selections that are important to you. The book comes with a Knoppix CD, so you can try out many of the hacks without having to go hunting for a Knoppix download.

This is probably the first Hacks title that transcends the Hacks philosophy and becomes a "user manual" on Knoppix. There just isn't anything out on the market like this book, and once you read the material you quickly realize how much you've been missing by not having a Knoppix CD in your CD case.

This is an incredible book on an incredible tool that is much more than what meets the eye. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for sysadmins
Review: The publishers' blurb on the back cover describes Knoppix as "a veritable Swiss Army knife in CD form". Knoppix Hacks by Kyle Rankin is no less astounding in revealing the hidden versatility and power inherent in this unassuming tool.
Most Linux players will recognize Knoppix even if they've never given it a whirl but this book goes beyond the simple "how to create and boot from a Knoppix Linux Live CD". Rankin displays the raw power that lies beneath the surface of simply running a clean distro of GNU/Linux free from fear of installation issues.
Proper Knoppix volumes are lacking in the wild, with mere chapters in general Linux books dedicated to larger issues for both the novice and the intermediate user. One or two Knoppix books are out there and one by Samuel Hart is in press (Knoppix Komplete) but what sets Knoppix Hacks apart is not the sheer dearth of books available on the subject but Rankin's skill in exposing the underutilized potential in the Knoppix tool set.

This book begins with a forward by Klaus Knopper, creator of Knoppix. It's always entertaining and enlightening to read a first hand account of some clever soul's chance involvement with an "experiment" that turned out so wildly successful and this is no exception. The "Knoppix Story" is engaging and leaves the reader with a sense of awe at the ingenuity of this dedicated and resourceful individual.
Rankin has collected a "who's who" of Linux hackers to contribute to this book: John Andrews, creator of Damn Small Linux; Fabian Franz, creator of FreeNX server; Alex de Landgraaf, creator of Morphix; Simon Peter, developer of klik; Wim Vandersmissen, creator of ClusterKnoppix and many others no less accomplished, all of whom have contributed to the future of free software/open source development.
As is expected with the O'Reilly Hacks series of books, the chapters are structured with clean typographical conventions identifying URLs, directory/folder/file names, code examples and excerpts, sample text delineation and cross-references. Tips and warnings are clearly identified with pushpin and screw graphics, respectively, and indented. There are a helpful number of tips without getting too overwhelming or annoying by breaking the flow of the text. The thermometer icons next to each hack indicate the level of expertise required: beginner, moderate and expert. Screen shots are placed where needed but again, the reader isn't left distracted by unnecessary filler.
The nine chapters cover hacks ranging from beginner to expert: Boot Knoppix, Use your Knoppix Desktop, Tweak Your Desktop, Install Linux with Knoppix, Put Knoppix in Your Toolbox, Repair Linux, Rescue Windows, Knoppix Reloaded and Knoppix Remastered. The book includes a CD with v.3.4 of Knoppix (3.6 having just been released but the author wisely chooses to stay with the tried, true and debugged version).
The first two chapters are pitched to beginners, with Chapter 1, Boot Knoppix, leaping directly into downloading Knoppix and creating a bootable CD. It then covers "cheat codes" - options passed at the boot: prompt to work around hardware detection and support failures. Tweaking X settings, desktop and laptop scenarios, language settings and optimizing the Knoppix CD are also included here. Chapter 2 introduces details of the KDE desktop and encourages the reader to become familiar with the Knoppix desktop, the applications included and connecting to the Internet (even via GPRS over Bluetooth!).
Chapter 3 concentrates on saving settings and documents, using Knoppix as a kiosk or terminal server to boot multiple computers over a network from the same Knoppix CD, and how to use the live installer feature to add extra packages directly to ramdisk.
Chapter 4 covers the inevitable situation when you will find yourself using Knoppix so often that you decide to install it onto your hard drive. Rankin includes single and dual boot system installs.
Chapter 5, Put Knoppix in Your Toolbox is where admins should head. The full list of 15 indispensable hacks in this chapter include running remote desktops via rdesktop or xvncviewer, running X remotely with FreeNX, browse Windows shares, create an emergency router, emergency file or web server, wardriving with Knoppix (including how to capture GPS coordinates along with data!), audit network security, check for root kits, collect forensics data, clone hard drives, wipe hard drives, test hardware compatibility, and copy settings to other distributions.
Repair Linux in Chapter 6 is for those of us who spend a lot of time "breaking" things in the course of experimenting and need to recover the system. Rankin shows hacks for repairing both lilo and grub, how to: back up and restore the MBR, find lost partitions, resize linux partitions, repair damaged file systems, recover deleted files, rescue files from damaged hard drives, backup and restore, migrate to a new hard drive, create Linux software RAID, reset Linux passwords, repair Debian and RPM packages, and copy a working kernel. We will always break something along the way and these hacks help minimize the frustration.
Chapter 7, Rescue Windows...well, need I say more?? Put these hacks into practice and you'll probably be using them every day. Use Knoppix to: fix the Windows boot selector, backup files and settings, write to NTFS, resize Windows partitions, reset lost NT passwords, edit the Windows registry, restore corrupted system files, scan for viruses and download Windows patches securely. A must for any systems administrators with ubiquitous Windows machines lurking everywhere.
Knoppix Reloaded, in Chapter 8, takes on Knoppix variants Morphix, Gnoppix, Mediainlinux, Freeduc, Damn, Small Linux, INSERT, L.A.S. Linux, Knoppix-STD, distccKnoppix, ClusterKnoppix, Quantian, GIS Knoppix and KnoppMyth. There is also a well-deserved pitch at the conclusion of this chapter to become a Knoppix developer and contribute to the ongoing work.
The final chapter includes 7 hacks that help the reader create their own customized Knoppix CD. Knoppix Remastered walks the reader through the steps of customizing and personalizing a live CD.

This is one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. A few of the easier hacks can be found on Knoppix.net or elsewhere but I think Rankin has managed to put the majority of Knoppix related material in one book that could be subtitled the "First Knoppix Manual". The admin hacks, in particular, will add a whole new arsenal of Knoppix wonders to an admin's repertoire. Kudos to O'Reilly for publishing such an outstanding volume, to Rankin for compiling some damn useful material and to MacGyver for inspiring many of us to look for simple solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.


Rating:
Summary: Thorough and well written
Review: This book is a lot more about pragmatic uses Knoppix, from virus scanning your Windows installation, to a single CD version of MythTV. That's the reason I like this book so much. It's mainly about the what to use Knoppix for, not about how Knoppix itself works.

There are recipes for doing a root kit, using knoppix for partitioning and boot management. The different flavors of knoppix are also covered. Gnoppix, ClusterKnoppix, Knoppix-STD and more. There is also some material on how to develop your own custom knoppix disc.

A must have book for anyone who wants to make use of Knoppix or a variant.