My Linux Distributions

When I started researching Linux systems I was soon introduced to the concept of Open Source (or Public Domain). I am a strong supporter of the concept, and want to actively support the Open Source movement.

As part of my involvement with open source applications, I re-mastered Linux. What is re-mastering? Taking a particular Linux distribution, and take it apart and put it back together to suit your own needs.

(In chronological order - most recent first)

Recovery.Machine.

- Paul's Personal Collection of Hard Drive Data Recovery Tools

Recovery.Machine. is a re-mastered version of Linux (specifically, it's based on my 'Base Image', which is in turn based on PCFluxboxOS), and contains a selection of tools I use for recovering data from a non functioning PC.

The base image consists of a full version of Linux, a lightweight GUI desktop, and tools I have selected for personal use.

Thus far the distribution (distro) is useful for booting up non booting machines (as long as the user can access the BIOS, the distro should work), accessing the drives (either MS or Linux), accessing desired data, and either pasting it to USB drive, burning it onto a CD, or copying it across the network to another machine (useful if there is a lot of data to be recovered).

As a result the tools it currently contains are disk diagnostic applications, a system information application, some benchmarking tools, quite a few partitioning tools, a Microsoft & Linux compatible file browser, and it will access most Linux and Microsoft networks (domains & workgroups).

It also has a full Linux base, a lightweight GUI, and a few useful applications (Firefox web browser, lightweight word processor, PDF viewer, etc).

There are a few very effective recovery distributions already floating around (UBCD4win). However I find they don't always browse MS domains, or can only access a particular type of file system. What my personal distro does well for me is to browse nearly all file systems, and browse nearly all networks, and enables me to copy large amounts of data from a malfunctioning PC across a network.

I don't anticipate my releasing this as a fully finished, professional product (it is purely a collection of tools I find useful), and I don't see myself knocking up a website or promoting it in any way other than including it here on my personal site. Unless there is a demand for a professional version of it...

Instructions

• Access the BIOS of the machine.

• Ensure it is set to boot from the distro (depending if it is on CD or USB memory stick).

• If booting form memory stick, it is advisable to configure the BIOS to see the USB memory stick as a hard drive.

• During the boot process, keyboard, network, and other settings can be configured.

• At log on screen: enter 'root' for user, and no password.

Instructions for Copying/Installing it to USB Flash Memory

To install and run Recovery.Machine. from a USB flash memory stick, look here.

Note: Substitute 'Recovery.Machine' for 'School.Machine' & 'School.Machine.Kiosk'.

Download

Download Recovery.Machine. from here.

(Please see disclaimer at bottom of page before use)

School.Machine. & School.Machine.Kiosk.

Prior to owning and running a small business, I intended to enter academia (possibly lecture, teach, or if possible, research). However a business opportunity came up that was too good to resist, and since that time I haven't looked back. But I still have an interest in academia, and it seemed to me that designing and producing a Linux distribution for students, and to give I.T. departments another possibility when planning I.T. strategy in schools & colleges, would be both interesting and worthwhile.

Additionally I was approached by Quarry Bay school in Hong Kong to produce a custom version of Linux for them. They had been using my HospitalityMachineKiosk software quite successfully for some time, and wanted another version with a few custom additions. I used the re-mastered Linux distribution I produced for them as a basis for my School.Machine./School.Machine.Kiosk. project.

I therefore made the following two Linux distributions:

1. School.Machine. (for student's personal machines)

Goals

• School.Machine. should be a complete operating system & application suite customized for students.

• School.Machine. should be designed to be used in partnership with School.Machine.Kiosk. (S.M.K. is designed for use within schools, and S.M. is designed for use on students personal machines).

• School.Machine. should be simple to administer and maintain.

• School.Machine. should be compatible with Microsoft networks and file formats, to ease its phasing in on existing Microsoft networks.

• School.Machine. should be lightweight, and run on both new and older hardware.

• School.Machine. should be a  customizable operating system, with full access to the PCLinuxOS repositories.

• School.Machine. should be free.

There is zero cost of software acquisition. Proprietary software for use in schools can be obtained only with per-seat licenses or site licenses, both of which become very expensive for schools that desire to have more than just a few computers. In fact, proprietary software can easily cost more than the hardware on which it operates, and far more when the cost of license renewals and upgrades is factored in.

Students can be provided with legal copies of Linux (S.M. and/or S.M.K.) and other open source software for use at home at no cost to the students or the schools. Schools often require that students use certain proprietary software for their assignments without providing free copies for them to use on their home machines. This frequently results in "software piracy" by students.

School.Machine. includes a set of applications chosen for the 11-18 year old school/college range. The applications are those 'typically needed for everyday work' (see School.Machine.site for full list), and is not intended to include every single esoteric application. However, if an application that isn't included with S.M. is needed, it can simply be downloaded from the PCLinuxOS repositories.

School.Machine.Kiosk. (for machines in schools & colleges)

Goals

• School.Machine.Kiosk. should be a complete operating system & application suite customized for use on school/college machines.

• School.Machine.Kiosk. is designed to be used in partnership with School.Machine.Kiosk. (S.M.K. is designed for use within schools, and S.M. is designed for use on students personal machines.

• School.Machine.Kiosk is designed to be maintenance free. On the rare occasions something goes wrong, simply reboot and everything is reset.

• School.Machine.Kiosk. should be compatible with Microsoft networks and file formats, to ease its phasing in on existing Microsoft networks.

• School.Machine.Kiosk. should be lightweight to aid running from CD, and it should run on both new and older hardware. 

• School.Machine.Kiosk. utilizes a locked down desktop, with an internet browser configured to run much like a 'kiosk', when the browser is closed nothing is saved between sessions. When the browser is opened it always has an empty history, no passwords, etc.

• School.Machine.Kiosk. should be free.

Live CD versions of Linux are very useful, and lend themselves to implementing a kiosk type environment. However there are security risks with the browser unless it's specifically locked down. An unlocked browser, even on a live CD, can still store passwords, etc. It can also be opened and 'hidden' on a separate desktop off the screen. By doing this it will still keep the session open. If a user hides a browser window using this method, any subsequent browser sessions, when closed, don't actually empty the cache. The original user can come back to the machine, reveal the hidden browser window, and access all the history, passwords, etc, from previous user's sessions. School.Machine.Kiosk is configured to avoid this. All browser sessions are forced to open in the same window. It is impossible to close a browser session and not close ALL and EVERY browser session simultaneously, regardless of their possible hidden status. In addition to this there are various other extensions and configuration changes to harden the browser into a kiosk strength environment. Even if the user forgets to log off, his/her browsing history is unavailable to the next user.

Live CDs also don't lend themselves to multiple user accounts. However with the nature of the locked down desktop and the kiosk browser, a single account is sufficient. The single user account includes a network application (LinNeighborhood) that enables network browsing. If the school/college has an existing Microsoft network, it can still be accessed, and it's resources can be used.

The applications include OpenOffice.org (a Microsoft compatible Office suite). Using LinNeighbourhood and OpenOffice.org (and various other MS compatible applications), the student can work on existing MS documents on existing MS servers.

And lastly, School.Machine.Kiosk. is configured for USB key access. Due to S.M.K. running from CD it cannot save to CD, but instead saves to USB key.

Website

As part of the School.Machine./School.Machine.Kiosk. project I also designed a website explaining more, and offering downloads. Click here to go to www.school-machine.org.uk.

Updates

Update (Nov/08): I was commissioned by Quarry Bay School in Hong Kong to re-master Linux for them. They had been using my HospitalityMachineKiosk software successfully for some time, and wanted something a bit more custom.  The finished result is loosely based on my School.Machine.kiosk. software. Go to this page to see some of the feedback.

(Please see disclaimer at bottom of page before use)

HospitalityMachine & HospitalityMachineKiosk

Due to my position of owning a hospitality based business, and knowing how busy venue owners are, and (wisely!) not wanting to spend money needlessly, I think this is the most suitable area for me to both write I.T. related articles and compile targeted applications.

1. HospitalityMachine (for venue back office tasks)

 

- "the one stop hospitality trade Operating System!"

Goals

• HospitalityMachine should be an operating system and application suite, consisting of all the applications the owner/manager of a hospitality based business typically needs.

• HospitalityMachine should be similar in appearance and function to Microsoft Windows.

• HospitalityMachine should be compatible with Microsoft file formats, networks, etc.

• HospitalityMachine should consist of open source software.

This would be useful for clubs, bars, pubs, cafes, etc. The aim is to offer a complete, FREE (no operating system, application or licensing costs) suite of applications so a venue owner can install a file server, perform automated backups, perform office duties, design a website, design flyers, print posters - and be completely compatible with Microsoft Windows networks and file formats.

The finished version is all this, and more. It can RUN from CD, without installing anything to the hard drive, so the user can 'see if they like it', and if they do, they can install it.

2. HospitalityMachineKiosk (to supply internet access in a kiosk type environment)

 

- "Internet terminals for your customers! And no worries, hassles or fees for you!"

Goals

• HospitalityMachineKiosk should be a stripped down version of Linux, with few extraneous applications, and it should have a lightweight GUI.

• The only accessible main application should be a fully equipped. locked down, resettable browser. It should include Java, a PDF reader, Flash, and a media player.

• Other smaller applications are to include a volume control, and a few other applications that suit an internet cafe type environment (i.e. a 'chat' application)

• This 'base' version should be further developed into 3 further versions. The first should have a closable browser, thus giving access to other applications. The second should have the browser open again immediately after closing - in keeping with most other current kiosk applications. And the last should have all passwords removed therefore enabling other developers to take this further.

• HospitalityMachineKiosk should consist of open source software.

These goals will enable anyone who runs a hospitality business to offer their customers internet access without any concerns about maintenance, configuration, viruses, etc. Any problems - simply reboot the PC!

I almost completed this when I stumbled upon KioskCD. This did all the above and also included a customisation kit (to change homepage, resolution, menu buttons, etc). Further research led me to BoothBox/BoothCD. This too was customised rather than remastered. But neither of these had media players to play Quicktime/Realplayer files. I went back to PCLinuxOS and performed a true remaster to include these applications (and more!).

Website

As part of the HospitalityMachine project I also designed a website explaining more, and offering downloads. Click here to go to www.HospitalityMachine.co.uk.

Updates

• Update (Nov/08): I completed an update to HospitalityMachineKiosk. Current version is now v2.1, and features an improved GUI, improved browser configuration, cloud based applications targeted towards internet cafes, clubs, bars, etc, another browser profile for opening cloud based applications, one hour reset instead of five minutes, and more. Go to www.HospitalityMachine.co.uk for more.

• Update (Dec/07): I'm currently working hard on HospitalityMachine v2.0 and HospitalityMachineKiosk v2.1. HM will be based on Ubuntu, due to Ubuntu receiving regular updates (PCLinuxOS, which is the basis if HospitalityMachine, v1.0 doesn't receive updates). Additionally Ubuntu has a simpler install process than PCLinuxOS. HMK will have more applications suited to people who want to offer the public free internet access, and an improved GUI.

(Please see disclaimer at bottom of page before use)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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