This page documents the files available at ibiblio.org (and its mirrors) and puppylinux.com.
Internally, Puppy uses 3-digit version numbering, and this is version
'430'. In official announcements we stick in dots, but they are
cosmetic only. For example 4.3, 4.3.0, or even 4.30 all refer to the
same version.
This is the main guy. Puppy version 4.3 live-CD, with 2.6.30.5 kernel, heaps of drivers and applications.
split-pup
Are
you on dialup? Look in the 'split-pup' folder, pup-430.iso is split
into 8 separate files for easy download. See instructions below.
devx_430.sfs
89.8MB
SFS files are "application combo
packs". This one provides everything you need to turn Puppy into a
complete C/C++/Vala/Genie compiling environment.
split-devx
Are
you on dialup? Look in the 'split-devx' folder, devx_430.sfs is split
into 10 separate files for easy download. After download, concatenate
them together. See instructions below.
woof-20090917.tar.gz
10.2MB
Build
your own custom puppy live-CD from PET packages. This requires some
expertise with the Linux commandline and a hard drive partition with a
Linux filesystem. Broadband Internet access required. Please read http://puppylinux.com/woof/
Special puppies
These are all version 4.3, but with some variation. Please monitor the
forum and you will find many more, created by Puppy enthusiasts.
A word of advice
if you try more than one .iso file, be sure to delete
all traces of the previous one before testing the next. When you
shutdown the first time and save the session to hard drive (to what we
call the "pupsave" file), one or two files off the CD are also copied
to the hard drive: pup-430.sfs (and maybe zp430305.sfs). The easiest
way to cleanup is to boot the next live-CD with the boot parameter
"puppy pfix=ram" (which starts up with Puppy running totally in RAM)
and after bootup take a look on the hard drive and delete those
previous files.
However, if you shutdown without saving a session, then the above
problem will not occur. Thus, for quick evaluation of these live-CDs,
run each one without saving the session, so nothing gets left behind on
the hard drive.
pup-430-small.iso
96.2MB
This is in all respects the same
as 'pup-430.iso' except that it has less drivers. In particular, less
modem drivers. It will still satisfy 95% of users though, and is a good
choice for situations where Puppy is required to run totally in RAM --
such as the multisession-CD/DVD mode and diskless workstations.
pup-430-k2.6.25.16.iso
103.4MB
This is very similar to
'pup-430.iso', except has an older kernel. The 2.6.25.16 kernel is the
same as used in Puppy 4.1x and 4.2x. You might find this one works
better on some old hardware.
pup-430-k2.6.25.16-scsi.iso
104.5MB
Same as above, except also has SCSI drivers, enabling this one to not just recognise SCSI drives but also boot from them.
pup-430-k2.6.21.7.iso
101.6MB
This is built with an even older kernel. The 2.6.21.7 kernel goes back to Puppy 3.x.
devx-SFS3_430.sfs
89.8MB
The 2.6.25.16 and 2.6.21.7
kernels use Squashfs version 3.x, whereas the latest 2.6.30.5 kernel
uses Squashfs 4.0. The SFS files are not compatible, so I have to
provide this "devx" file especially for the older kernels.
Instructions for split files
If you are a newcomer to Puppy and on dialup, the split files are an easy way to download the live-CD.
You will need to check the integrity of the downloaded files -- see the 'md5sum.exe' program on the download page http://puppylinux.com/download/.
The split files are named xaa, xab, xac, xad, etc.
If you are running Linux, you can combine the pieces like this:
> cat x* > pup-430.iso
If you are running Windows, you need to open a DOS-box:
You will then have to use the 'cd' (change directory) command to navigate to the folder in which you have downloaded the files.
Then you can do this to recombine them:
> copy /b x* pup-430.iso
However, Puppy forum member MattN has made this comment:
You have to be careful when you use wildcards in DOS. If you have any
fragmentation you will get the files as DOS wants to get them. The best
way is to specify each file as it is to be put in place (i.e. COPY /b
xaa+xab+xac+xad+xae pup-430.iso).
There are various Windows file splitting and joining programs. One of them is HJ-Join:
...note that if you want to use this to join the files, they have to be
renamed. I haven't tested it (I haven't used Windows for ages). If you
find any Windows GUI app that works, let me know.
Forum member 'adi' informed me that Total Commander is able to join files:
On the otherhand, modern download managers have a resume feature, so
even if you can't download a 100MB file in one go, you can log back in
and resume the download. So, you might not need to download all those
pieces!
...actually, I would like some feedback on that. Were the split files useful to you? Comment at my blog: http://puppylinux.com/blog/
Once you have got a running Puppy, future upgrades are much easier, as
Puppy 4.3 has the Xdelta file difference manager. This is a tool that
enables us to create a single file that has the differences between two
versions of Puppy. Thus to upgrade from Puppy 4.3 to 4.3.1 you will
only need to download one small "difference file".
Old kernels
The 2.6.25.16 kernel has been a workhorse used in Puppy for over a
year, from version 4.1 up to 4.2x. We do find sometimes that a
particular older kernel works for certain older hardware, that might
not be supported properly in a later kernel. Generally the 2.6.30.5
kernel works well with old hardware, but there might be some exceptions.
As the 2.6.25.16 kernel has been in use for so long, there have been a
lot of upgraded drivers compiled for it. This forum thread is one place
to find them:
...note that I have incorporated many of those drivers into the 4.3
build with 2.6.25.16 kernel, but in the second half to final third of
the thread probably not.
You will find other updated and new drivers posted on the forum. For
example 'Patriot' posted upgraded ALSA (sound) drivers here:
Puppy 4.1x was has a "retro" build with the 2.6.21.7 kernel. An even
older kernel, but once again there might be some quirky old hardware
out there that works best with this kernel. So, I have also built Puppy
4.3 with this kernel.
Actually, the 2.6.21.7 kernel goes back aways. It was used in the Puppy
3.x series, two years ago. You may also find some upgraded drivers for
it on the forum.
Note that you can find the patched sources and also source SFS files for all the kernels at:
Please note that these older builds are provided on an as-is basis, and
I am unlikely to put in much effort to finding any bugs in them --
especially if the bug does not exist in Puppy built with the latest
kernel. However, there are enthusiasts of the older kernels on the
forum who may be interested in providing ongoing support.