It is possible to change the mklivecd script to create a livecd.sqfs file that contains e.g. an ext2 instead of a union file system (I believe the default is union but I might be wrong...)? Or is squashfs its own file system, and in order to create an ext2-based remaster I would have to give up the compression feature and use mkfs.ext2 instead of mksquashfs in the script?

squashfs = compressed fs

unionfs is the overlay fs.

It is not possible with mcnlive to get a working uncompressed live system. squashfs is the heart of the system.

It is possible to start the live cd without unionfs: livecd unionfs=no
--> result, most dirs are not writable and the system is slower.

And it isn't possible to use a different overlay file system instead of union?

Everything is possible.
Compile your own kernel, compile your own (overlay) modules, re-write all mklivecd scripts for this purpose.

I don't know how to do this.
And it has nothing to do with your ext2 question :-)



livecd.sqfs does not contain any unionfs filesystem.

I think my problem is that I don't know enough about this to ask intelligent questions, but I am trying....



Well, if unionfs is the overlay fs (the fs that you end up working with and are able to make temporary changes to - since squashfs is read-only), then my question was if I can use ext2 instead of union as the overlay fs in MCNlive?

Chris, I booted with the unionfs=no option and the system is indeed slower, do you know why?

One funny problem occurs when I boot without unionfs: the KDE keyboard manager can't set my keyboard layout. When I try to do it manually using setxkbmap then I get "Error loading new keyboard description". Also, my KDE screensaver settings are reset. Strange...

What is unionfs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UnionFS

What is squashfs: http://squashfs.sourceforge.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SquashFS

I can't explain filesystems.

Keyboards: a certain directory needs to be writable, without unionfs it is read-only.

Q: why do you want ext2?

What I read answered my own question, the unionfs is inherently an overlay fs while ext2/3 are not. Why am I interested in it? Because it has extended attributes, and I was just curious how it all works and what is possible. I'm a curious person .