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Tiny Core

Install Tiny Core While Connected to the Internet

Install Tiny Core Without Being Connected to the Internet

Window Managers

Install on a USB Drive

Encrypted Home

Additional Users

Install Programs

Root Terminal

Root File Manager

Root Text Editor

Mount a Drive or Partition

Backup

Iptables Firewall

Copy and Paste with the Mouse

Change the Screen Resolution

Background Image

Workspaces

Printer

Make a live CD with Programs

Dial Up Modems

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Current Version of Tiny Core

Tiny Core 1.X

Encrypted Home

To set up an encrypted home, do the following in conjunction with installing Tiny Core While Connected to the Internet or Without Being Connected to the Internet.


Grub Commands

Use the following Grub commands. If installing Tiny Core on a partition other than sda1, use appropriate partition information.

title   Tiny Core
root   (hd0,0)
kernel   /boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 crypyohome=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd   /boot/tinycore.gz

Create Encrypted Home File

To create an encrypted home file, while running Tiny Core, from the menu (right click), select Tools -> Make Crypto Home File.

You will see a new window. Select the partition for the encrypted home file, and press "Enter."

You will see a new window. Enter the size for the encrypted home file, and press "Enter." Creating the encrypted home file may take some time.

When finished, enter the password, then press "Enter."

After setting up the encrypted home, to access it, each time you start Tiny Core, you need to enter the password.

If you don't enter the password, or get it wrong, Tiny Core will start, but you won't have access to the encrypted home file.


Exclude Directory(s) from Backup

If you use an encrypted home and backup, there are two copies of your personal files, one in the encrypted home file, and the other in backup. Personal files could still be accessed from the backup file. To prevent this, exclude private directory(s) from backup.

Add "home/tc/(private directory)" to /opt/.xfiletool.lst. For more information, see Backup.


Home and Encrypted Home

Tiny Core can be installed with both home and encrypted home. When you want to access private files, you can log in to encrypted home, and when you don't you can log in to home. To do this, have two entries in Grub like this.

title   Tiny Core
root   (hd0,0)
kernel   /boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 home=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd   /boot/tinycore.gz

title   Tiny Core Encrypted Home
root   (hd0,0)
kernel   /boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 crypyohome=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd   /boot/tinycore.gz

There are many situations where this may be handy. For example, if a another person wants to use your computer, you can let them log in to home, and they can't access your private files. You could log in to home when you use the internet, so if someone was to hack in to your computer, they could not access your private files.

When logged in using home, don't use any of the directory names you have listed in .xfiletool.lst.

When deleting, renaming or moving directories or files, login using encrypted home, and also delete the appropriate directories or files in /mnt/(partition)/home/tc.

Another option is to just have encrypted home, and use backup to save files when not using encrypted home. If you don't enter your password when starting Tiny Core, you can run it without access to your encrypted home.


Saving Personal Files

Files you don't want others to access may be saved in encrypted home but not in backup. Save these files in a directory listed in .xfiletool.lst.

Files which others may access, may be saved in encrypted home and backup. Save these files in a directory not listed in .xfiletool.lst. Having backup reduces the likelihood of loss if something goes wrong. If you use home and encrypted home, you can access these files when logged in to home or encrypted home.


Saving Elsewhere

There may be some things you want to save in your computer, not in encrypted home or backup. For example, if you download large files from the internet, such as new versions of programs.

If you use home, you can save them in /home instead of /home/tc.

If you don't use home, you can save them in /mnt/(partition). Enter appropriate partition information where it says (partition).

To save files in /mnt/(partition) without needing root permission, create a directory where you will save files and change the owner to "tc," and the group to "staff."

To find out the owner and group, type:

ls -l

To change the owner to "tc," and the group to "staff," in the Root Terminal type:

cd (path)
chown tc:staff (directory)

For example, if you want to save files in sda1/downloads, type:

cd /mnt/sda1
chown tc:staff downloads

For more information see File Ownership.


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© Copyright Guy Shipard 2009