Kanotix
Encyclopedia
Kanotix, also referred to as KANOTIX, is an operating system
Live CD
based on Debian
, with advanced hardware detection. It can run from an optical disc drive or other media i.e. USB-stick without using a hard disk drive.
Kanotix used K Desktop Environment 3 as the default desktop environment
; the current release uses KDE4
. Other window manager
s can be downloaded using APT
. The name "Kanotix" is derived from the founder's nickname
"Kano". Kanotix's mascot is a fangtooth
.
Kanotix also provides an optimized kernel (using Ubuntu
-recompiled) with additional patches.
Kanotix includes about 1,000 software packages, including:
, hard disk
, and USB-stick
) and includes an installation tool for installing Kanotix to the hard drive. With an improved hardware detection system, Kanotix is an ideal tool for testing, data rescue, or for working and safe surfing and mailing on different machines e.g. in an Internet cafe.
and aufs
-support one can "install" additional packages by using APT (via an Internet connection). So a customized live-mode can be used for working. With Kanotix it is also possible to set up a "persistent home directory", where documents or settings are written to the user's home directory. The data file (kanotix.img) on the hard drive or removable medium, such as a USB flash drive
, can be automatically mounted on bootup.
The Kanotix-Thorhammer.iso can be booted with the cheatcode "fromiso=/(path)/" from harddisk, Excalibur by extracting and copying the "live" folder to HD. Using USB flash drive (when supported by BIOS), is of course much faster than booting from CD or DVD.
The acritoxinstaller is a KDE/Qt frontend and a bash backend and comes with a user-friendly interface and several advanced features: e.g. LVM support, dmraid support, automatic partitioning (including ntfsresize-support), installation to USB-HDDs.
-Forum (no longer available). The distribution derived from "Kano's Scriptpage for Knoppix". He wrote about Knoppix: "I like it much, but I had to improve it :)". One of the main differences from Knoppix was the support of hard disk installation.
The first "Kanotix"-preview was released at 24 December 2003 "KANOTIX XMAS 2003 PREVIEW".
In 2004 and 2005 KANOTIX was a popular distribution ranking in the top 20 of distrowatch.com. In 2004 the releases were named "Bug Hunter" (Bug Hunter-01-2004 - X-2004).
After problems with the stability in 2006 Jörg "Kano" Schirottke decided to move from Debian Sid to a less volatile basis.
The co-developer and other of the Kanotix-Team wanted to stay with Debian-Sid and left the project, to start sidux
, a new distribution based on Debian sid. The last Kanotix release based on Debian Sid was 2006-01-RC4.
-Release in April 2007 Kanotix was no longer compatible with Debian Sid. So a Howto was given, "Steps to update right", to move a KANOTIX-installation to the new base by dist-upgrade.
After 3 months of development and several beta Releases the new Kanotix-2007-Thorhammer-RC6 was publicly available for download.
The last published version was Kanotix-2007-Thorhammer-RC7.
The development in 2008 featured continuously kernel-updates and a lot of backports in the Thorhammer-repository.
Some of the additional packages were adaptations for netbook
s and notebooks. A highlighted additional backport was OpenOffice.org 3.2.x
2010.
An updated version Kanotix-Hellfire 2011-05 is released with the project's presentation at LinuxTag 2011 in Berlin.
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
Live CD
Live CD
A live CD, live DVD, or live disc is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive...
based on Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
, with advanced hardware detection. It can run from an optical disc drive or other media i.e. USB-stick without using a hard disk drive.
Kanotix used K Desktop Environment 3 as the default desktop environment
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
; the current release uses KDE4
KDE4
KDE Software Compilation 4 is the current series of releases of KDE Software Compilation. The first major version of this series was released on 11 January 2008, and the latest major version was released on 27 July 2011...
. Other window manager
Window manager
A window manager is system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface. Most window managers are designed to help provide a desktop environment...
s can be downloaded using APT
Advanced Packaging Tool
The Advanced Packaging Tool, or APT, is a free user interface that works with core libraries to handle the installation and removal of software on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and its variants...
. The name "Kanotix" is derived from the founder's nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"Kano". Kanotix's mascot is a fangtooth
Fangtooth
Fangtooths are beryciform fish of the family Anoplogastridae that live in the deep sea. The name is from Greek anoplo meaning "unarmed" and gaster meaning "stomach"...
.
Content
Kanotix is based on the newest Debian stable (the last published version is Kanotix 2011-05 "Hellfire," based on Debian 6 "Squeeze"). It also provides its own packages and scripts and many backports.Kanotix also provides an optimized kernel (using Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
-recompiled) with additional patches.
Kanotix includes about 1,000 software packages, including:
- KDE Software Compilation 4, the default desktop environment
- Amarok, Video Disk RecorderVideo Disk RecorderVDR is an open source application for Linux designed to allow any computer to function as a digital video recorder, in order to record and replay TV programming using the computer's hard drive. The computer needs to be equipped with a digital TV tuner card. VDR can also operate as an mp3 player...
- Internet access software, including KDE Network ManagerNetwork managerNetwork manager may refer to:* Network administrator, profession*NetworkManager, software utility for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems...
replaced WicdWICDWICD is the ABC-affiliated television station for Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from a transmitter west of Fairmount along the Vermilion and Champaign County line. The station can also be seen on Mediacom channel 5 and Comcast...
, KPPP dialer, Wireless LANWireless LANA wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
-driver (with patched Ubuntu-Kernel) and NdisWrapperNdisWrapperNDISwrapper, is a free software driver wrapper that enables the use of Windows XP drivers for network devices , on Linux only operating systems. NDISwrapper works by implementing the Windows kernel and NDIS APIs, and dynamically linking the Windows drivers to this implementation... - IceweaselIceweaselIn 2006, a branding issue developed when Mike Connor, representing the Mozilla Corporation, requested that the Debian Project comply with Mozilla standards for use of the Thunderbird trademark when redistributing the Thunderbird software...
-web browser, Icedove Mail/News Client, PidginPidginA pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
instant messenger - K3bK3bK3b is a CD and DVD authoring application by KDE for Unix-like computer operating systems. It provides a graphical user interface to perform most CD/DVD burning tasks like creating an Audio CD from a set of audio files or copying a CD/DVD, as well as more advanced tasks such as burning eMoviX...
, for CD (and DVD) authoring and backup - GIMPGIMPGIMP is a free software raster graphics editor. It is primarily employed as an image retouching and editing tool and is freely available in versions tailored for most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux.In addition to detailed image retouching and...
, an image-manipulation program - GpartedGPartedGParted is a GTK+ front-end to GNU Parted and the official GNOME Partition Editor application.It is used for creating, deleting, resizing, moving, checking and copying partitions, and the file systems on them...
and other tools for data rescue and system repair - Network analysis and administration tools
- LibreOfficeLibreOfficeLibreOffice is a free and open source office suite developed by The Document Foundation as a fork of OpenOffice.org. It is largely compatible with other major office suites, including Microsoft Office, and available on a variety of platforms...
, an office suite - Programming and development tools
- NTFS-3GNTFS-3GNTFS-3G is an open source cross-platform implementation of the Microsoft Windows NTFS file system with read-write support. NTFS-3G often uses the FUSE file system interface, so it can run unmodified on many different operating systems. It is runnable on Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenSolaris, BeOS,...
used by default - Automatic installation of graphic-drivers with nvidiaNVIDIANvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
and fglrx-scripts with dkms support. - Scripts for additional multimedia support (current mplayer-versions)
- WineWineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
(Software) updated to newest versions
Usage
Kanotix is designed for multiple-purpose usage so that it can be used in live mode on different types of media (CD (older versions), DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
, and USB-stick
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
) and includes an installation tool for installing Kanotix to the hard drive. With an improved hardware detection system, Kanotix is an ideal tool for testing, data rescue, or for working and safe surfing and mailing on different machines e.g. in an Internet cafe.
Live mode
The live mode allows it to work without any installation. As Kanotix comes with unionfsUnionFS
UnionFS is a filesystem service for Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD which implements a union mount for other file systems. It allows files and directories of separate file systems, known as branches, to be transparently overlaid, forming a single coherent file system...
and aufs
Aufs
aufs implements a union mount for Linux file systems.Developed by Junjiro Okajima in 2006 aufs is a complete rewriting of the earlier UnionFS...
-support one can "install" additional packages by using APT (via an Internet connection). So a customized live-mode can be used for working. With Kanotix it is also possible to set up a "persistent home directory", where documents or settings are written to the user's home directory. The data file (kanotix.img) on the hard drive or removable medium, such as a USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
, can be automatically mounted on bootup.
The Kanotix-Thorhammer.iso can be booted with the cheatcode "fromiso=/(path)/" from harddisk, Excalibur by extracting and copying the "live" folder to HD. Using USB flash drive (when supported by BIOS), is of course much faster than booting from CD or DVD.
Installation
Kanotix can be installed to the hard disk using the (graphical) acritoxinstaller, which, depending on optical drive, hard disk and processor speed, can take around 10 – 20 minutes.The acritoxinstaller is a KDE/Qt frontend and a bash backend and comes with a user-friendly interface and several advanced features: e.g. LVM support, dmraid support, automatic partitioning (including ntfsresize-support), installation to USB-HDDs.
History (2003-2006)
In 2003 Jörg Schirottke was known with the nickname "Kano" in the former KnoppixKnoppix
Knoppix, or KNOPPIX , is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD or a USB key , one of the first of its kind for any operating system. Knoppix was developed by Linux consultant Klaus Knopper. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium...
-Forum (no longer available). The distribution derived from "Kano's Scriptpage for Knoppix". He wrote about Knoppix: "I like it much, but I had to improve it :)". One of the main differences from Knoppix was the support of hard disk installation.
The first "Kanotix"-preview was released at 24 December 2003 "KANOTIX XMAS 2003 PREVIEW".
In 2004 and 2005 KANOTIX was a popular distribution ranking in the top 20 of distrowatch.com. In 2004 the releases were named "Bug Hunter" (Bug Hunter-01-2004 - X-2004).
After problems with the stability in 2006 Jörg "Kano" Schirottke decided to move from Debian Sid to a less volatile basis.
The co-developer and other of the Kanotix-Team wanted to stay with Debian-Sid and left the project, to start sidux
Sidux
aptosid is a desktop-oriented operating system based on the "unstable" branch of Debian, which uses the codename Sid. It was known as sidux until September 2010. The distribution consists of a Live CD for the x86 architecture installable to a hard drive through a graphical installer...
, a new distribution based on Debian sid. The last Kanotix release based on Debian Sid was 2006-01-RC4.
Kanotix-Thorhammer-Release 2007
The first Release based on Debian-stable was the Kanotix-Thorhammer in 2007. After the Debian-EtchEtch
Etch may refer to:*Etch : an open source, cross-platform, multi-language framework for building network services released by Cisco Systems into the Apache Software Foundation*Etch, a character from the film Toy Story, based on the Etch A Sketch...
-Release in April 2007 Kanotix was no longer compatible with Debian Sid. So a Howto was given, "Steps to update right", to move a KANOTIX-installation to the new base by dist-upgrade.
After 3 months of development and several beta Releases the new Kanotix-2007-Thorhammer-RC6 was publicly available for download.
The last published version was Kanotix-2007-Thorhammer-RC7.
The development in 2008 featured continuously kernel-updates and a lot of backports in the Thorhammer-repository.
Some of the additional packages were adaptations for netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...
s and notebooks. A highlighted additional backport was OpenOffice.org 3.2.x
Kanotix-Excalibur-2010
The (old) stable Release 2010 Kanotix-Excalibur was based on Debian 5 ("Lenny") and had compared to Thorhammer some basic changes (based on Debian-Live, bootloader Grub2). Furthermore Kanotix-Excalibur was available for 32-Bit and 64-Bit architecture and a 2in1 iso with both. Additionally there are Kanotix Excalibur 2010 KDE4 (KDE SC 4.3.2) versions available and a "all-in-one"-DVD.iso. Kanotix-Excalibur contains the more up-to-date Ubuntu-kernels 2.6.32-BFS with special patches. During the development most of the Kanotix-Excalibur-test.iso were not published but accessible to the community. A first "Preview"-Version was published on December,27 2009. The final Kanotix-Excalibur-2010 was released on 8 June 2010, just in time for LinuxTagLinuxTag
LinuxTag is a Free Software expo with an emphasis on Linux , held every summer in Germany. It is relatively large, claiming that it is the largest expo of this kind in Europe, drawing visitors from many countries....
2010.
Kanotix-Hellfire-2011
The current version, code-name Kanotix-Hellfire is based on Debian 6 ("Squeeze"). It ships with KDE Software Compilation 4 for 32-Bit and 64-Bit architecture and a complete new branding stuff, new kernel (2.6.38), LibreOffice 3.3.2 and more.An updated version Kanotix-Hellfire 2011-05 is released with the project's presentation at LinuxTag 2011 in Berlin.
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