Next Generation Linux live distributions concepts
A live operating system allows booting from a removable medium, such a USB key, without the need of being installed to the hard drive.
None of the existing ISO9660-based live operating systems provide a kernel update feature: the kernel and the initrd are the only components that a live operating system cannot update, because they lay outside of the data persistence partition and the system partition is ISO9660-formatted, so not writeable - which is the best option for a live, because of its strength against data corruption. This will soon lead to an outdated operating system, particularly unsafe if used as a desktop-replacement or for security-critical activities.
The aim of the liveng project is to give the Community a set of best practices in order to turn a common (Debian Stretch) Linux live into a live(ng) operating system which features:
- native encrypted persistence;
- kernel update (on a live ISO 9660 filesystem);
- UEFI, with UEFI Secure Boot compatibility, with a real efi partition.
This Github repository hosts all the source documentation files for Read the Docs, see https://liveng.readthedocs.io.