1 Behavior in current Grml versions
2 ---------------------------------
4 This section applies to all Grml versions newer than release 2009.05.
6 The central concept of grml-autoconfig is the DCS directory which holds debs,
7 configuration and scripts which are used during system startup.
9 Determination of DCS directory
10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12 The DCS directory defaults to the root directory of the GRML live image. If a
13 file system labeled GRMLCFG is found, the DCS directory is the root directory of
14 that file system. Alternatively, the myconfig boot parameter can be used to
15 directly specify a device which is then taken as DCS directory
16 (myconfig=/dev/sda1, for example). If your device is labeled different to
17 GRMLCFG the proper label can be set via the autoconfig boot parameter
18 (autoconfig=SOMELABEL, for example).
20 Without any additional boot parameters, the GCA at DCSDIR/config.tbz is
21 automatically unpacked and DCSDIR/scrips/grml.sh is automatically executed on
22 system startup. The 'noautoconfig' boot parameter disables this automatic
28 The following boot parameters are supported. Use them at the (isolinux)
29 bootprompt as documented here.
33 This parameter directly sets DCSDIR to the root directory of the specified
34 device. Usage examples:
36 myconfig=/dev/sda1 => read DCS from usb-device
37 myconfig=/dev/fd0 => read DCS from floppy-disk
41 This parameter specifies the label used to determine the DCS device.
42 If undefined the label GRMLCFG is used to find the DCS device.
44 autoconfig=SOMELABEL => search for device labeled SOMELABEL to use as
49 This parameter is for setting a specific partition as home directory. Usage
52 home=/dev/sda3 => use /dev/sda3 as the homepartition
53 home=scan => scan through the available partitions and search
58 This parameter mounts the specified device in read-only mode and tries to
59 copy all files specified in /etc/grml/partconf to the Grml system. This
60 provides the possibility to use the configuration of a harddisk
61 installation. For example using the network configuration (which is
62 specified in /etc/network) is possible using this boot parameter. Usage
65 partconf=/dev/sda2 => try to mount /dev/sda2 and copy files specified
66 in /etc/grml/partconf to the booted Grml system
70 Use this parameter to restore configuration using wget to download a GCA
71 from the specified destination. You can also add variables to change the
72 file name depending on the host configuration. Predefined and useful
73 variables are $ARCH, $HOSTNAME and $KERNEL. Usage example:
75 netconfig=server.tld/path/to/config.tbz => restore configuration using wget to download file config.tbz
76 netconfig=server.tld/config-$ARCH.tbz => download config for specified architecture
79 Use this parameter to download and run a script from specified destination:
80 You can also add variables to change the file name depending on the host
81 configuration. Predefined and useful variables are $ARCH, $HOSTNAME and
82 $KERNEL. The environment variable NETSCRIPT is set to the specified URI.
83 This can be used to detect if the script is executed via the netscript bootoption.
86 netcript=server.tld/path/to/script => download and run script/executable from server
87 netscript=server.tld/script-$HOSTNAME => download and run script/executable for specific host
91 Extract specific directories from the GCA which needs to be specified by
94 extract=/home/grml => extract only /home/grml from archive
95 extract=/etc => extract only /etc from archive
96 extract=/home/grml/config => extract only $HOME/config from archive
100 This parameter executes scripts. If an optional path is given, it is
101 relative to DCSDIR. If the path points to a file, this single file is
102 executed. If no path is given, it defaults to scripts/grml.sh.
103 If the given name points to a directory, all scripts inside it are
104 executed, but the run-parts name restrictions apply: script names must
105 consist entirely of upper and lower case letters, digits, underscores,
106 and hyphens. Usage examples:
108 scripts => run script DCSDIR/scripts/grml.sh
109 scripts=foobar.sh => run script foobar.sh in DCSDIR
110 scripts=foobar => run all scripts inside DCSDIR/foobar directory
114 This parameter restores a configuration using a GCA. If an optional path is
115 given, it is relative to DCSDIR. If no path is given, it defaults to
116 DCSDIR/config.tbz. Usage examples:
118 config => restore configuration using file DCSDIR/config.tbz
119 config=config_foobar.tbz => restore configuration using file DCSDIR/config_foobar.tbz
123 This parameter allows automatic installation of deb packages while booting.
124 The path is relative to DCSDIR, not optional and is a shell wildcard. All
125 Files matching the wildcard are installed in a single dpkg --install call.
126 For backwards compatibility, if no slash is contained in the path, it is
127 taken relative to DCSDIR/debs.
131 debs=*.deb => install all debian packages (suffix .deb) from directory DCSDIR/debs/
132 debs=foo/01*.deb => install all debian packages (suffix .deb) starting with 01 in the filename from directory DCSDIR/foo
136 Search all local partitions and dm devices for file /etc/network/interfaces and
137 copy the directory /etc/network to the grml system and restart networking.
141 Deactivate automounting. By default the scripts try to mount a device with
142 label 'GRMLCFG'. If you specify the noautoconfig bootparam this automounting
145 noautoconfig => disables auto mounting of label 'GRMLCFG'
148 Permanently adjust boot parameters
149 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
151 As you probably know you can adjust boot parameters on the bootprompt. You want
152 to set some boot parameters permanently? That's possible via adding a directory
153 named 'bootparams' to the Grml ISO which has to be located at the root-directory
154 /bootparams/ (note: the directory is known as /live/image/bootparams/ on a
155 _running_ Grml system then). Place a textfile inside the directory containing
156 the boot parameters which should be appended to default ones (this corresponds
157 to booting without any special parameters).
160 echo lang=de > bootparams/my_bootparams
162 Then burn a multisession CD where directory bootparams is located in the root
166 Not all boot parameters can be used via /bootparams/. This is a limitation of
167 the way the kernel and userspace retrieve boot parameters. Boot parameter
168 regarding the kernel definitely do *NOT* work. Boot parameter related to
169 grml-autoconfig (the main part of the boot process in Grml running in userspace,
170 being all the stuff after startup of udev) are expected to work. Boot parameter
171 related to initrd/initramfs (the part between 'Searching for GRML file' and
172 startup of udev) are *NOT* covered by /bootparams/ as well yet.
174 TIP: the application k3b (not available on the live-CD but available through the
175 Debian repositories) provides an easy to use interface for doing the