Ubuntu :: Speed Up - LiveCD By Adding A ToRAM Feature

Have you ever wanted the Ubuntu LiveCD to have a ToRAM feature like knoppix? I know I have. Looking around online, a HOWTO that focuses on this exact topic is [url] . [url] hasn't been updated since Ubuntu 9.10 was released however, and some things it mentions no longer work as it describes (especially things dealing with the bootloader). It also isn't the easiest HOWTO to follow (maybe that's just me) mainly because of the multiple things that need to be mounted and kept track of. This is why I spent a few days developing a script that will take an Ubuntu ISO, and add a ToRAM feature to it. I used [url]and [url]as my two main sources of information so thanks to the authors of both those pages for making this script possible.

What is a ToRAM feature?

A ToRAM feature is something that copies the entire CD to RAM before running the live environment. I first saw this done by knoppix, one of the first linux distributions I've ever tried, and now this can be done with Ubuntu as well.

Why do this?

There are several reasons:

Speed: A LiveCD environment is usually considered to be slower than a regular install of Ubuntu. This is because instead of running from the hard drive, the LiveCD runs right from your CD, and since CDs are slower than hard drives, this results in a slower Ubuntu then you may be used to. A ToRAM feature addresses this issue. This is because when the LiveCD environment runs from your RAM, it is not only faster than a regular hard drive install (due to RAM's insane speeds), it is also faster than any SSD.

Getting your CD Drive back: If you boot into a LiveCD environment from a CD, Ubuntu needs that CD to operate. If you have a single CD drive (like most of us do), you can no longer use that drive. If this is a problem for you, the ToRAM feature addresses this as well since it doesn't need the Ubuntu CD to operate, allowing you to remove it and replaces it with any other CD.

Fast Install: Although Ubuntu's install process is fast, it can still take a while before it finishes. If you install Ubuntu often, and don't have the patience to wait for it to finish every time, you can speed up the process by using the ToRAM feature. As an added bonus, if you are installing Ubuntu on many machines at once (like in a library or a computer room), the ToRAM feature allows you to do this in parallel since you won't need the CD for 99% of the installation (only to start it).

What will this work on?

This should work for Ubuntu 10.10 x86 or amd64, but keep in mind:

Quote:

Originally Posted by [url]

The architecture (Amd64 or i386) to be stored on the LiveCD should be the same as the architecture used to perform the customization, or the LiveCD may not run. It is not trivial to customize an AMD64 LiveCD using an i386 operating system, for example.

Word of Warning

Although I try to build safeguards into any script I upload to the internet to keep them from doing anything unexpected, including this one, you may want to run this script in a VM where it's safe. You could also try running it from a live CD where, if it goes rouge for some reason, it won't kill anything.