Re: [Devil-Linux-discuss] TimeDicer

[Dominic R. <dl...@ed...>]

  On 06/11/2010 11:50, Dick Middleton wrote:
>
> I'm not familiar with thinstation.  A quick read suggests they load apps
> after booting. My idea is to create custom CDs - before booting. But
> that's the general idea.
Thinstation is for thin clients that use network booting. But the 
TS-O-Matic website allows you to build your thin client online and then 
download it to use. It may not be technically the same as having a 
DL-build-your-own website but it is the same idea. At a practical level 
a DL-O-Matic would probably need to produce a diff file which could then 
be applied to a standard bootcd.iso.
> You can run DL off the CD/usb stick or you can load the entire root
> filesystem from the CD into ramdisk.  I use the latter, it's snappier
> and saves having a cd drive or a dongle sticking out all the time.  It
> means you can have the config file and the iso on the same stick and
> retain the protection that's DL's main feature.  It needs a ramdisk that
> is big enough to hold the entire root filesystem plus enough ram to run
> the system.  So obviously even unused components consume ram.
Ah yes, in that case. Better for you that DL should be a barebones 
system and all apps should be built-on by the user (to minimise RAM 
use). Though 450MB RAM is pretty cheap these days. Running from flash 
drive is pretty fast, too.

I'm interested in the security aspect of running from ramdisk. Do you 
boot the system and then remove the cd/flash drive? Is this safer than 
having boot system and config on CD, or on flash drive with a physical 
lock (whether or not config is on the boot partition)? (In all cases it 
is vulnerable to someone with physical access to the machine.)

Dominic