Chapter 4. Understanding How Live Linux CDs Work

From the moment you turn on your computer to the time when the operating system and services are up and running from your live CD, a lot of activities take place. As someone who wants to create and use live CDs, you can mold nearly every aspect of that process.

By learning how live Linux CDs work, you enter some of the magical areas of how BIOSes and boot loaders operate before Linux even starts up. Seemingly no less magic, however, are special live CD scripts (such as linuxrc) that enable the features needed to set up the environment in which the live CD will run.

Following along with the process of how a live CD boots up takes you on the road to creating your own live CD. To get beyond point-and-click ...

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