Web site: runt.mybox.org
Origin: USA
Category: Desktop
Desktop environment: CLI
Architecture: x86
Based on: Slackware
Wikipedia: RUNT Linux
Media: Live
The last version | Released: 5.0 | February 1, 2007
RUNT Linux (ResNet USB Network Tester) – a Slackware Linux live distribution, designed originally to run off of a 128 MB or more USB pen drive.
As of version 5.0, it now requires a 256 MB drive. It consists only of a zip file, and optionally a floppy image, similar to zipslack. It is intended to be a fairly complete Linux installation for use as a testing tool capable of booting on any x86 computer with a bootable USB port or any USB port and a bootable floppy drive. The kernel is slackware’s bare.i kernel. RUNT also contains an initial ramdisk to load usb-storage related modules and pause for 5 seconds, allowing the USB drive to initialize.
The zip file contains a UMSDOS filesystem designed to be extracted onto a 256 MB pen drive with an msdos filesystem using 4K clusters. (Larger cluster sizes are required for drives larger than 256 MB) The package set is based off of Slackware’s zipslack, but contains other commonly used networking components not available in the zipslack distribution.
RUNT was originally designed for use at North Carolina State University by the ResNet department. ResNet regularly provides support to students in University Housing using their personal computers on the NC State network. RUNT automatically probes for network cards on startup and configures them using DHCP. Although RUNT was was intended for use on the NC State network, there is nothing peculiar preventing RUNT from being a useful tool on any network.
What’s required?
A USB 256 MB pen drive with an msdos filesystem using 4K clusters. Larger drives are also acceptable and will require a larger cluster size. Most any pen drive will work. Sandisk and Lexar make some of the most popular ones, and they are known to work well. RUNT can also work with any USB storage device such as flash card readers, cameras, watches, etc… Those are the weird ones people have sent in to me. Theoretically RUNT can run off of any FAT16 or FAT32 formatted drive accessible by the kernel. The bootdisk provided will work with fast USB drives or IDE drives. a USB zip drive takes longer to initialize, and the disk below doesn’t provide adequate time. If you wish to boot RUNT off of SCSI or some other interface, another bootdisk will probably be required. Find or make a Slackware boot disk to meet your needs.
If you can’t boot off of USB, you’ll need a blank floppy.
To boot it you’ll need any x86 based computer cable of USB booting or with a bootable floppy drive and a USB port.