Types of MyDSL extensions
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Category:MyDSL
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.dsl extensions
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loaded into RAM. They may write their files anywhere. Any part of the
filesystem that these extensions write their files to must also be unpacked
to RAM, and so these extensions can eat a lot of RAM.
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.tar.gz extensions
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safer to use on low ram systems, because they only write to /home and /opt,
which are already writable anyway.
Note that if you load DSL toram, a .dsl uses no more than an equivalent
.tar.gz, unless you use Persistent home or opt directories, in which case a
.tar.gz will write its files to a physical drive, and use less RAM that way.
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.uci extensions
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compressed cloop files that are mounted rather than unpacked. These
extensions are mounted into a directory under opt. These are the safest
extensions to use on low ram systems. If a .uci is stored on the hard drive,
it will use almost no RAM.
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.unc extensions
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similar to .uci. They are also compressed cloop files that are
mounted. However, whereas .uci files can only mount into /opt, .unc can
mount into anywhere. This is accomplished via the magic of unionfs. .unc
extensions require unionfs be enabled, using the bootcode: unionfs.
Loading Extensions at Boot
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/MyDSL:_Loading_Extensions_at_Boot
MyDSL extensions can be made to install automatically during the boot process.
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The default location for all DSL versions back to 0.7 is the top level of
your DSL installation. This top level, whether it be a mkmyDSL cd or on a
fixed disk, is the place where the "KNOPPIX" and "boot" directories were
installed.
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In DSL versions 2.3 and newer, the system will also scan for a directory
named "mydsl" in the top level of each available device.
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As an alternative, you can store your myDSL extensions in the location of
your choice, and tell DSL where to look for them with a boot option. For
example, you can put your extensions in a directory called
/mnt/hda1/home/dsl/mydsl and use the boot option
mydsl=hda1/home/dsl/mydsl.
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You can also create a directory called "optional" in the same location as
your myDSL extensions. Extensions that are stored under this directory
will not be automatically loaded, but instead will be added to the "MyDSL"
desktop menu under the category "Install Optional Extensions". This will
give you quick access to installing these extensions at any time during
your session.
This page was last modified 30 August 2006
documented on: 2007.01.21
