Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About VLinux 1.0
How to use the CDROM?
What are the system requirements?
What if the CD doesn't boot
How to read and write files?
I can't find Package 'X' in the CD?
How to shutdown/restart the computer?
Disclaimer

About VLinux 1.0

VLinux is a Linux distribution based on Knoppix. It contains a compilation of Free/Open Source Bioinformatics software, run completely from CD. It automatically recognizes and supports many types of graphic cards, sound cards, SCSI devices and other peripheral devices.It is made to provide an easy introduction to the most commonly used open-source bioinformatics tools.It is not necessary to install anything on fixed disk.

How to use the CDROM?

The BIOS must be set to boot from the CDROM. During startup, press the DEL key (may vary) to bring up the BIOS setup menu. In the BOOT section, select CDROM as the first boot device followed by hard disk and others.Restart with the VLinux CD in the CD-ROM drive.

What are the system requirements

Intel-compatible CPU (i486 or better),
20 MB of ram for text mode, and at least 82 MB for graphic mode with KDE. (128 MB is recommended),
A bootable CD-ROM/DVD drive, or alternatively, a boot floppy and a standard CD-ROM/DVD drive (IDE/ATAPI or SCSI),
A standard SVGA-compatible graphics card,
A standard serial or PS/2 mouse, or IMPS/2-compatible USB Mouse.

What if the CD doesn't boot?

Look in your computer's BIOS to see whether it's set to boot from CD
(on most computers you need to push the "delete" key during the RAM test and from the boot section make sure the CDROM is the first option).
If this is already set, your computer may not be able to read the CD (some
notebooks have problems with black-coated CD's, for example). Some
computers will only use the new BIOS settings after a hard reset.

How to read and write files?

Floppy and CDROM drives will be directly accessible from the desktop.To access files from a floppy disk, insert the floppy and use the following command from a terminal

mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

Before ejecting the floppy, be sure to unmount it by the command umount /mnt/floppy. This is done to unmount the floppy properly and save all cached data to it.

If you wish to replace your floppy by another one then just unmount the first one (umount /mnt/floppy), then eject the disc and insert another one, then do mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

All the commands I wrote have to be executed at the command line, or in terminal emulator (konsole, xterm, etc), or by using K-menu/Run command.

Similarly files present on the hard disk will also be mounted autmatically during boot.Each disk drive will be associated with a device /dev/hda , /dev/hdb and so on.Also each partition will be numbered starting from 1.For example, for a system with a single hard disk, the first partition (C: under Windows) will be hda1.The first extended partition will be hda5 (D: drive in Windows) and so on.

I can't find Package 'X' in the CD?

As this is the first version, the number of packages has been limited to the most commonly used ones and those that are freely available.Future versions will include many more packages.

How to shutdown/restart the computer?

Select K-Menu-->Logout
After the messages scroll up and display a Powerdown, the system can be turned off.
Another way to do this --From a terminal window type
shutdown -h now (for shutdown)
shutdown -r now (for reboot)

Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL SOFTWARE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAY THE AUTHOR BE HELD LIABLE FOR DAMAGE TO HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE, LOST DATA OR OTHER DAMAGE EITHER DIRECT OR INDIRECT CAUSED BY USING THIS SOFTWARE.
OTHERWISE, IT IS SUBJECT TO THE USUAL RULES OF THE GPL LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES, YOU MAY NOT USE OR DISSEMINATE THIS SOFTWARE.