The LiveCD for system administrators
The LiveCD for system administrators |
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Finnix is a self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution ("LiveCD") for system administrators, based on Debian testing. You can mount and manipulate hard drives and partitions, monitor networks, rebuild boot records, install other operating systems, and much more. Finnix includes the latest technology for system administrators, with Linux kernel 2.6, LVM2, encrypted partitions, etc. And above all, Finnix is small; currently the entire distribution is over 300MB, but is dynamically compressed into a bootable image under 100MB. Finnix is not intended for the average desktop user, and does not include any desktops, productivity tools, or sound support, in order to keep distribution size low. Finnix is freely distributable under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Download
Finnix has the following system requirements:
Note: Finnix pre-releases do not include an optimized CD layout; files needed by the init scripts are not arranged at the beginning of the physical CD. As such, the CD may perform slightly slower. Final versions are optimized.
NewsNews items are pulled from SourceForge project page via RSS, and are sometimes truncated for length. For the story's full post, click on its link. Finnix 93.0 Released (2009-08-11 01:05) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 93.0 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 92.1 Released (2008-12-04 12:30) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Finnix 92.0 Released (2008-06-28 23:01) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 92.0 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 91.1 Released (2008-03-04 00:19) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 91.1 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 91.0 Released (2008-01-28 13:53) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 91.0 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 90.0 Released (2007-10-23 10:28) On October 23, 2005, Finnix 86.0 was released, marking the revival of Finnix. Now, two years and 9 releases later, Finnix 90.0 has been released for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Finnix 89.2 Released (2007-07-27 11:06) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 89.2 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 89.1 Released (2007-04-13 21:57) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 89.1 for the x86/AMD64, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 89.0 Released (2007-01-21 22:52) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 89.0 for the x86 (and now AMD64), PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 88.0 Released (2006-08-02 14:04) Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 88.0 for the x86, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. SupportTo report bugs or suggest new features, please use the Finnix Bug Tracking System at SourceForge. For general Finnix discussion, please use the finnix-general list. Starting with version 86.1, Finnix now includes a utility called "finnix-hwsubmit" that lets you submit details about your hardware platform to me for consideration. Finnix-hwsubmit includes pieces of information (Finnix version, loaded modules, lspci output and dmesg), and lets you add details about your system, including any problems (undetected hardware, etc). Any information submitted is voluntary and optional, and may eventually be viewed by the public, so don't include any information you don't want the world to see. Please consider running finnix-hwsubmit, even if everything booted up fine, as it lets me see what kind of hardware Finnix has been run on. Known issues with Finnix 86.0
Known issues with Finnix 86.0-pre3:
Finnix for PowerPCStarting with version 86.1, Finnix has been available as a LiveCD for PowerPC-based computers. Finnix-PPC is supported on any G4 (any G4 PowerMac, PowerBook, iBook or iMac, as well as Mac Mini) or NewWorld G3 (Blue and White G3 and iMac G3). OldWorld G3 (Beige G3) probably also works through BootX, but has not been tested and is not supported. Finnix-PPC also includes a G5 kernel (type "finnix64" at the boot prompt), but has not been tested, as I have no G5 equipment. Keyboard input is supported through either ADB or USB. While this site was written with the x86 distribution in mind, most of the content still applies to it. Finnix-PPC requires 32MB memory to run, or 192MB to run completely within RAM. Finnix for User Mode Linux/XenFinnix can be booted as a guest under User Mode Linux and Xen virtualization systems. Details about Finnix for UML/Xen are available on a separate page. HistoryFinnix was born in 1999. At the time, very few LiveCD distributions existed; the phrase LiveCD wasn't even coined yet. Linuxcare had released its "Bootable Toolbox", a set of utilities in a 50MB businesscard CD. However, not many people had access to this, as it was primarily given out in trade shows, and not available for download until later in its life. While working at an ISP and having access to several test machines and CD burners (back before CD burners were plentiful), I took a Red Hat 6.0 installation and modified it to be able to be run directly from a CD. Version 0.01 was only distributed to 2 other people. 0.02 had some minor modifications, and was used mostly by the office staff. Finnix 0.03 was updated to reflect Red Hat 6.1, and in February 2000, it was released to the world. By today's standards, Finnix 0.03 was rather primitive. While the distribution could use swap and set up network devices automatically, it could not "find itself". You had to tell Linux the location of your CDROM drive (IE, "finnix root=/hdc"). The ISO was 320MB, which while half of a CD, it was still rather large for its purpose. The boot progress wasn't "pretty". Booting required 32MB of RAM, which was not uncommon, but still a decent amount. Nonetheless, Finnix 0.03 became a success nearly overnight. Over 10,000 confirmed copies were downloaded (5,000 from the main site, and 5,000 from SourceForge). CheapBytes, the source for people who could not burn Linux CDs themselves, carried Finnix, first as a "we'll burn it to CD for you" product, then as a full pressed CD. Sadly, an update was never released. Finnix version 1.0 was announced, and was supposed to be based on Linux From Scratch, but that didn't get far. Over the next few years, I gave up on Finnix, and instead myself used Knoppix and/or LNX-BBC for system administration work. In mid-2005, frustrated that Knoppix did not have LVM2 or dm-crypt packages as part of the default CD, I followed a "Knoppix Remaster HOWTO" document and made my own version of Knoppix 3.8.1, with LVM2 and dm-crypt included. This was given the name "Finnix version 84". (84 was picked for no good reason; besides, how many projects do you know (besides Emacs) with versions above 10?) A couple months later, I dusted off the remastering hat, and made version 85.0, based on Knoppix 4.0.2-CD. Several "point releases" were made (but not actually released to anyone other than my friends), with the last version, 85.3, down to about 180MB and included some Finnix branding. But at that point, I hit a wall. There's only so much you can remove while chopping away at a distribution that's intended for graphical use. Finnix 86.0 was started by taking a fresh Debian testing installation and adding hundreds of sysadmin-related utilities to it. Then, using Knoppix as a reference (and even taking some code from Knoppix), hardware autodetection, ramdisk, and CD booting support were added. The result is the best of all worlds: a fast, small, bootable CD with excellent hardware detection and many sysadmin-releated utilities. Once booted into Finnix, you will be hard-pressed to find many differences between Finnix and a normal Debian testing computer, loaded with utilities. The original version of the Finnix homepage, for version 0.03, has been preserved for your nostalgic pleasure. Frequently Asked Questions
I get a message during bootup about i8042, then my PS/2 keyboard stops working. Why?This is due to conflicts in later Linux 2.6 kernels, and is related to your motherboard's USB Legacy mode. This post gives you a good idea of the problem. There are several fixes to try, in order of preference:
Why the name "Finnix"? Is it related to "Knoppix"?Finnix actually predates Knoppix. It is a play on my name, Ryan Finnie, combined with Linux. Is the Finnix distribution a derivative of Knoppix? The bootup looks similar.I wouldn't consider it a derivative. Finnix is based on Debian, but uses scripts modified from Knoppix to do hardware autodetection. In addition, Finnix uses some of the same base tools as Knoppix, such as Unionfs for merging the CD with a ramdisk. However, Finnix is (IMHO) more true to Debian than Knoppix. In most cases, you can bring the CD up to date via a simple "apt-get -u dist-upgrade". What are the differences between Finnix and Knoppix?
What are the differences between Finnix and Debian?Finnix is essentially Debian testing, modified to run in a small environment on a CD. The key modifications are:
So what do you have against Knoppix? Why are you stealing code from it?I have nothing against Knoppix! It is a fine distribution and I still use it in many places. Finnix is just more of a specialized distribution. In fact, I am grateful for Klaus Knopper; his excellent work, particularly on the autodetection tools has essentially made the reincarnation of Finnix possible. (I hope nobody actually asks this question in real life.) What is squashfs?If Finnix were released without squashfs, the ISO would be over 300MB. The squashfs module lets you mount a compressed image, and the relevant data is decompressed on the fly in chunks. This allows for a 3:1 compression ratio in many cases. What is Unionfs?Unionfs is a stackable filesystem, allowing you to "merge" several different filesystems together. In Finnix's case, a ramdisk is merged with the read-only CD filesystem. The net effect is you can modify any file or create new files anywhere on the system, even on the CD portion of the filesystem. The changes are transparently written to the ramdisk, and lost after reboot. I've heard that Knoppix is faster than most LiveCDs because the CD filesystem is "optimized" before it is mastered. Does Finnix have this feature?Yes. Nearly all files needed during initial bootup are placed at the beginning of the filesystem, near the inner loop of the CD. Why is Finnix based on Debian? Why not Fedora/SuSE/Slackware/my favorite distro?While it would have been almost as easy to base Finnix on another distribution (remember, the first released version was based on Red Hat 6.1), my strongest experience currently lies with Debian. It has a small footprint (base setup is about 100MB) and a nice package management system. Warum du die Übersetzungen für meine Lieblingssprache entfernten? (Why did you remove translations for my favorite language?)Sorry, but one of the main goals of Finnix is a small size, and localization documents (manpages and locales) take up a lot of space, about 40MB compressed, on a 100MB compressed filesystem. Can you include Program XYZ in the next version of Finnix?Please feel free to suggest software to be included with future versions of Finnix, particularly if they are useful to a system admistrator. Programs that require X are out of the question, as are very large programs. The overall goal is to keep Finnix at a size where it will fit on a Mini-CD (under 185MB), but if it gets that high, it better be over a long period of time. Adding a 70MB package to a ~100MB distribution probably won't fly. What editors are available in Finnix? What about servers?The default editor is nvi, a small implementation of vi/vim. Also available are zile (a small emacs clone), nano (hey, I was introduced to pine/pico over 10 years ago and can't get away from them), and joe. SSH can be used to get files on/off the machine (a new server key is generated during each boot), and also included is thttpd, a small web server. A Samba client is included for connecting to Windows fileservers. What kind of kernel is packaged with the Finnix CD?The kernel that Finnix boots is a nearly vanilla Linux kernel, with several patches applied. All patches are available in the files/ directory of this site. x86/PowerPC patches
x86-only patches
May I remaster Finnix?Of course. All components of the Finnix distribution are released under free licenses. However, Finnix is sufficiently different from Knoppix that you cannot use a Knoppix remaster guide to remaster Finnix. Instead, I have made the scripts that I use to build the CDs available in the files/ directory of this site, particularly the stage1 and stage2 scripts. (The build process is broken up into two stages because the first stage, building the compressed loopback filesystem, can take awhile. This way, if you are just making changes to the initrd or CD itself, you can just execute stage2 and save some time.) How do I boot Finnix from a non-ATAPI CDROM drive?Because most systems these days include an ATAPI CDROM drive, Finnix will only attempt to boot from an ATAPI CDROM drive by default, to save on bootup time. However, SCSI CDROM drives, USB CDROM drives, and USB keys are supported:
MerchandiseFinnix is available free of charge to download, and can be easily burned to a CD. However, if you feel the need to pull out the wallet:
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