7 grml-live - build framework based on FAI for generating a grml and Debian based
8 Linux Live system (CD/ISO)
13 grml-live [-a <architecture>] [-c <classe[s]>] [-C <configfile>] [-g
14 <grml_name>] [-i <iso_name> ] [-o <output_directory>] [-r <release_name>] [-s
15 <suite>] [-t <template_directory>] [-v <version_number>] [-U <username>] [
18 CAUTION: Please check out <<current_state,the 'Current state of grml-live with
19 squashfs-tools and kernel' section>> for details about current state of involved
20 tools before starting with grml-live or if you encounter any problems.
25 grml-live provides the build system for creating a grml and Debian based Linux
26 Live-CD. The build system is based on
27 link:http://fai-project.org/[FAI] (Fully Automatic
28 Installation). grml-live uses the "fai dirinstall" feature to generate a chroot
29 system based on the class concept of FAI (see later sections for further
30 details) and provides the framework to be able to generate a full-featured ISO.
31 It does not use all the FAI features by default though and you don't have to
32 know FAI to be able to use it.
34 The use of FAI gives you the flexibility to choose the packages you would like
35 to include on your very own Linux Live-CD without having to deal with all the
36 details of a build process.
38 CAUTION: grml-live does **not** use /etc/fai for configuration but instead
39 provides and uses ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG} which is pointing to /etc/grml/fai by default
40 (unless overriden using the ''-D'' option). This ensures that it does not clash
41 with default FAI configuration and packages, so you can use grml-live and FAI
42 completely independent at the same time!
46 Please notice that you should have a fast network connection as all the Debian
47 packages will be downloaded and installed via network. If you want to use a
48 local mirror (strongly recommended if you plan to use grml-live more than once)
49 checkout mkdebmirror (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/mkdebmirror),
50 debmirror(1), reprepro(1) (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/reprepro/ for a
51 sample configuration), apt-cacher(1) and approx(8). To avoid downloading the
52 base system again and again check out FAI's NFSROOT (see FAQ of this document
60 Clean up output directories before attempting the build. Packs the chroot
61 into a tar archive, and removes chroot and iso build directories before exiting.
65 Use the specified architecture instead of the currently running one. This
66 allows building a 32bit system on a 64bit host (though you can't build a 64bit
67 system on a 32bit system/kernel of course). Please notice that real
68 crosscompiling (like building a ppc system on x86) isn't possible due to the
69 nature and the need of working in a chroot. Currently supported values: i386
74 Build the ISO without updating the chroot via FAI. This option is useful for
75 example when working on stable releases: if you have a working base
76 system/chroot and do not want to execute any further updates (via "-u" option)
77 but intend to only build the ISO.
81 Build the ISO without touching the chroot at all. This option is useful if
82 you modified anything that FAI or grml-live might adjust via grml's FAI
83 scripts. It's like the '-b' option but even more advanced. Use only if you
84 really know that you do not want to update the chroot.
88 Specify the CLASSES to be used for building the ISO via FAI. By default only
89 the classes GRMLBASE, GRML_FULL and I386/AMD64 (depending on system
90 architecture) are assumed, resulting in a small base system (being about ~180MB
91 total ISO size). If using a non-I386 system (like AMD64) you should specify the
92 appropriate architecture as well. Additionally you can specify a class providing
93 a grml-kernel (see <<classes,the 'CLASSES' section in this document>> for
94 details about available classes). So instead of GRML_FULL you can also use
95 GRML_SMALL and GRML_FULL.
98 All class names should be written in uppercase letters. Do not use a dash, use
99 an underscore. So do not use "amd64" but "AMD64", do not use "FOO BAR" but
103 -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::
105 The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
106 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
107 /etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
108 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
109 option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
110 settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
111 Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
112 of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
113 your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
114 notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
115 supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config. Instead use
116 /etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
117 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config.
121 Use specified date as build date information on the ISO instead of the default.
122 The default is the date when grml-live is being executed (retrieved via
123 executing 'date +%Y-%m-%d'). The information is stored inside the file
124 /GRML/grml-version on the ISO, /etc/grml_version in the squashfs file and in all
125 the bootsplash related files. This option is useful if you want to provide an
126 ISO with release information for a specific date but have to build it in
127 advance. Usage example: '-d 2009-10-30'
129 -D **CONFIGURATION_DIRECTORY**::
131 The specified directory is used as configuration directory for grml-live and its
132 FAI. By default /etc/grml/fai is used as default configuration directory. If
133 you want to have different configuration scripts, package definitions, etc. with
134 without messing with the global configuration under /etc/grml/fai provided by
135 grml-live this option provides you the option to use your own configuration
136 directory. This directory is what's being referred to as ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}
137 throughout this documentation.
141 Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.
145 Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
146 Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
147 GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.
151 Display short usage information and exit.
155 Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
158 -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::
160 Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
161 the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
162 in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.
166 Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
167 the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.
171 Bootstrap the chroot without building bootloader, squashfs, or finalizing the
172 ISO. Use this option if installation of some packages fails, you want to run
173 custom commands or similar.
174 The main use of this option is to save time by skipping stages which aren't
175 necessary for bootstrapping the chroot and which would get executed more than
176 once when iterating through the initial bootstrapping.
177 Alternatively, use this option as a test run of grml-live. Once you are
178 satisfied with the state of your grml_chroot, use grml-live **-u** to build the
179 remaining stages and finalize the ISO.
181 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
183 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
184 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
185 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
186 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
190 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
191 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
192 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
196 Build the ISO without generating a netboot package.
200 Specify name of the release.
204 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
205 "squeeze" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny,
206 squeeze, sid. Debian "squeeze" requires a recent base.tgz
207 (${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz) or a recent version of
210 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
212 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
213 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
215 -T **CHROOT_ARCHIVE**::
217 Unpack chroot tar archive before starting. Most useful in combination with
222 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
223 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
227 Sets ownership of all build output files to specified username before exiting.
229 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
231 Specify version number of the release.
235 Increase verbosity in the build process.
239 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA/XZ compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
245 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
246 as build and output directory just run:
250 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
251 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
253 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64 -o /home/mika/grml-live
255 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for amd64
256 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
258 # grml-live -s sid -a amd64 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_FULL,AMD64
260 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
261 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
262 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
264 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
268 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
269 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
270 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
271 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
272 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
273 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
276 Main features of grml-live
277 --------------------------
279 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
281 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
283 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
285 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
288 * native support of FAI features
290 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
296 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
297 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
298 losing the simplicity in the build process.
300 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
301 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
302 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
303 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
304 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
305 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
307 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
308 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
309 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
310 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
311 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
313 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
316 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
317 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
318 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
319 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64,FOOBAR" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local
320 or invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
321 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64,FOOBAR ...".
323 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
324 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
331 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
332 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
333 example in ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
334 selected. The following classes are predefined:
336 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
338 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
339 defining a Grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
340 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
343 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml as
344 introduced in november 2011 (~350MB ISO size).
346 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, used to be known as grml-medium
347 until november 2011 (~220MB ISO size).
349 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small (~110MB ISO
352 * GRML_XL: large size Grml version, used to be known as "full grml" until
353 november 2011 (~700MB ISO size).
355 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
356 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
358 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
359 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
361 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
362 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
365 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
368 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
369 official grml release
371 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
372 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
374 * SOURCES: retrieve Debian source packages after installation. Files will be
375 placed in the output directory under grml_sources.
377 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
384 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
385 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
386 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
387 fai-client) grml uses ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/fai.conf instead. For more details see
388 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
389 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
390 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
391 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
395 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
397 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
399 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
400 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
401 configuration instead.
403 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
405 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
406 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are preferred
407 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
408 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
411 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/fai.conf
413 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
414 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default the configuration
415 variables are FAI_CONFIG_SRC=file:///etc/grml/fai/config and
416 GRML_FAI_CONFIG=/etc/grml/fai/config - both pointing to a directory shipped by
417 grml-live out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this
420 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
422 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
423 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
426 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/NFSROOT
428 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
430 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/apt/sources.list
432 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
433 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
434 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
435 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
436 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/apt/sources.list
437 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
438 use FAI's fcopy command with ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/files instead.
440 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/
442 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
444 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/class/
446 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
449 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/debconf/
451 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
454 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/hooks/
456 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
457 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
458 installation process.
460 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config/
462 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
463 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
464 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
465 GRML_SMALL and and AMD64 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
466 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
467 AMD64 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
468 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
469 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
470 reasonable package configuration.
472 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/
474 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
476 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/live-initramfs/
478 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
485 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set PRESERVE_LOGFILE
486 in your grml-live configuration the file is cleared on each new invocation of
489 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
490 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
492 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
493 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.log.
495 If you want to store build information in a database just install the
496 grml-live-db Debian package. Further details available in the grml-live-db
500 Requirements for the build system
501 ---------------------------------
503 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
504 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
505 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
506 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
507 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
508 on a plain, original Debian system.
510 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
511 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
512 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
513 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
514 total free disk space
516 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
517 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
520 For further information see next section.
524 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
525 ---------------------------------------------------------
527 Use squashfs-tools >=4.2-1 (available from Grml repositories as well as from
528 Debian/unstable) to build Grml (based) ISOs featuring kernel version
531 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
532 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools, squashfs-lzma-tools4 and squashfs-tools
533 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
535 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
536 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
537 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
539 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
540 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
541 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools[4] had to be introduced and maintained by the Grml
542 team. Different kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats. Kernel
543 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64] used the 3.x file format but those outdated
544 kernels aren't supported by grml-live automatically anymore nowdays (manual
545 handling through SQUASHFS_BINARY possible though). Kernel versions
546 2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64] use openwrt's squashfs lzma file format
547 version 4. Kernel versions starting with 2.6.35-grml[64] use the mainline ondisk
548 file format version 4.
550 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
552 * squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-x: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-comp lzma'
553 option (enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (mainline
554 version), package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for current
555 grml-live builds featuring kernels >=2.6.35-grml[64]
557 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-lzma' option
558 (enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (openwrt style),
559 package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for any grml-live builds
560 with kernel versions 2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64]
562 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-x: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
563 version 4, package maintained and available from Debian, recommended only for
564 ZLIB-only builds of any grml-live builds with kernel versions >=2.6.31-grml[64]
568 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
571 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma'
572 option, file format version 3
574 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma' option,
575 file format version 3
577 Now, depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
578 of squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools[4]. Yes, that's a mess (don't ask how much
579 this sucks for us developers) - though we're putting lots of effort into our
580 toolchain to automatically handle this for you through the grml-live build
581 system and provide proper documentation. The situation is supposed to calm down
582 with the recent integration of the squashfs file format 4 in the mainline
583 kernel. Support for LZMA is pending and as soon as it's available mainline this
584 should dramatically simplify the situation for developers as well as users.
587 If you want to force usage of a specific mksquashfs binary just set the
588 SQUASHFS_BINARY configuration/environment variable. Set SQUASHFS_OPTIONS for
589 customizing the options that should be used by the mksquashfs binary during
592 Using squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 on the build system
593 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
595 squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
596 the mksquashfs-lzma4 and unsquashfs-lzma4 binaries. The package does NOT
597 conflict with neither Debian's squashfs-tools package nor Grml's
598 squashfs-lzma-tools package, so you can install all of them at the same time and
599 the build system will try to figure out the best matching binary automatically
602 The packages can be downloaded from
603 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/]
605 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (as available in
606 mainline, so *not* the one being used by squashfs-lzma-tools and kernel
607 2.6.33-grml) and therefore requires kernel versions starting with
608 2.6.35-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just use the
609 defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to use
610 ZLIB compression instead.
612 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
613 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
614 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression
615 * Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression
618 squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 and/or squashfs-lzma-tools4 are the recommended package
619 for building up2date ISOs with grml-live! Please use other squashfs-* packages
620 only if you want to build live systems providing kernel versions older than
621 2.6.35-grml*. Use squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 or squashfs-lzma-tools4 from Grml if
622 you want to remaster any Grml releases MORE RECENT than 2010.04.
624 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
625 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
627 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
628 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
629 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
632 The packages can be downloaded from
633 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
635 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (based on openwrt
636 patches, this is *not* the mainline file format that's being used by kernel
637 2.6.35-grml and squashfs-lzma-tools4!) and therefore requires kernel versions
638 newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just
639 use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to
642 * Kernel \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
643 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
644 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works
645 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works for ZLIB compression, fails for LZMA
648 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml only if you want to remaster
649 Grml releases 2009.10 and 2010.04 or live systems with their according kernel
652 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-X on the build system
653 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
655 squashfs-tools >=1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
656 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT conflict
657 neither with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package nor with the
658 squashfs-lzma-tools4 package (so you can install all of them at the same time).
660 The packages can be downloaded from
661 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/]
663 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
664 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
666 It does NOT support LZMA compression (dropped with
667 link:http://packages.debian.org/changelogs/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/current/changelog[version
668 1:3.3-4] and not yet re-integrated yet, see
669 link:http://bugs.debian.org/594595[#594595]). If you need LZMA support please
670 use Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools[4] (see sections above) instead.
672 * Kernels \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
673 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
674 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
675 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
676 * Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
679 Please use squashfs-tools between 4.0-1 and 4.1-1 only if you want to remaster
680 Grml releases starting with 2009.10 using the ZLIB compression, please use other
681 squashfs packages otherwise instead.
685 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
686 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
688 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the Grml repository supports kernel
689 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
692 The packages can be downloaded from
693 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
696 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 only if you want to remaster Grml releases
699 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
700 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
702 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
703 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
704 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
705 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
707 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
708 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
709 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
710 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
711 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
713 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
714 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
716 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
717 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
719 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
720 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
722 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
725 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
727 or directly via downloading the files
728 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
729 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
731 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
732 option in grml-live cmdline):
734 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
735 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
736 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
738 Using with LZMA compression:
740 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
741 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
742 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
743 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
744 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
745 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
752 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
753 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
755 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install Grml or
756 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
757 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
758 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
760 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
762 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the amd64
763 architecture using grml-live.
767 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
768 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
774 # adjust sources.list:
775 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
777 # grml stable repository:
778 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
779 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
781 # grml testing/development repository:
782 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
783 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
786 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
787 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
789 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
792 Package: squashfs-tools
793 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
797 # get keyring for apt:
799 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
801 # optionally(!) install basefile so we don't have to build basic
802 # chroot from scratch, grab from http://daily.grml.org/
803 # mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
804 # mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
805 # mv base64.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/AMD64.tar.gz
807 # install relevant tools
808 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
809 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-tools
811 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
812 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
813 ## want a faster build process and don't need smaller ISOs?
814 ## if so use zlib compression
815 # SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-comp gzip -b 256k"
816 ## want to use a specific squashfs binary?
817 # SQUASHFS_BINARY='/usr/bin/mksquashfs'
818 # install local files into the chroot
819 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
820 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
821 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
822 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
824 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_FULL,AMD64"
825 # PRESERVE_LOGFILE='1'
826 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
828 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
829 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
830 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
834 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
835 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
837 deb http://fai-project.org/download lenny koeln
840 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
841 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
843 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
845 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
846 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
848 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
850 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
852 [[grml_fai_config_variable]]
853 What is $GRML_FAI_CONFIG?
854 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
856 The variable '$GRML_FAI_CONFIG' is pointing to the directory /etc/grml/fai by
857 default. To provide you a maximum of flexibility you can set up your own
858 configuration directory (e.g. based on /etc/grml/fai) and use this directory
859 running grml-live with the '-D <config_dir>' option. Now '$GRML_FAI_CONFIG'
860 points to the specified directory instead of using /etc/grml/fai and all the
861 configuration files, scripts and hooks will be taken from your
862 '$GRML_FAI_CONFIG' directory.
865 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
866 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
868 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
869 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
870 description to <mika@grml.org>:
872 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
873 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
874 /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf \
875 /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
876 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
878 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
879 grml-live you can get commercial support via
880 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
883 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
884 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
886 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
888 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2"]
889 |============================================================
890 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |ZLIB
891 |grml_sid |666M | 771M
892 |grml_squeeze |659M | 761M
893 |grml_lenny |624M | 723M
894 |grml64_sid |677M | 791M
895 |grml64_squeeze |671M | 785M
896 |grml64_lenny |639M | 745M
897 |grml-medium_sid |208M | 236M
898 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | 234M
899 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | 220M
900 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | 245M
901 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | 244M
902 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | 231M
903 |grml-small_sid |102M | 118M
904 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | 117M
905 |grml-small_lenny |97M | 112M
906 |grml64-small_sid |103M | 120M
907 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | 120M
908 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | 116M
909 |============================================================
911 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
912 to get the ratio between the different options):
914 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
915 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
916 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
917 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
919 [[install-local-files]]
920 How do I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
921 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
923 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
924 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
925 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
928 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
929 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
930 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
931 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
934 [[local-debian-mirror]]
935 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
936 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
938 Yes. Set up an according sources.list configuration as class file in
939 ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/files/etc/apt/sources.list.d/ and adjust the variable
940 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside
941 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf[.local]. If you're setting up your own class file don't
942 forget to include the class name in the class list (grml-live -c ...).
944 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally then
945 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf[.local] as well.
947 If you want to use a HTTP Proxy (like apt-cacher-ng), set APT_PROXY. Example:
949 APT_PROXY="http://localhost:3142/"
951 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
952 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
953 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
955 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
957 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
961 another_name_of_a_debian_package
965 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
967 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,AMD64,MIKA
969 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
970 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
971 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
973 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
974 what you are searching for just run:
976 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
977 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
981 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
982 good chance to start using it now. Check out
983 link:http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2007/03/14/maintain-etc-with-mercurial-on-debian/[http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2007/03/14/maintain-etc-with-mercurial-on-debian/]
984 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
986 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
987 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
988 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
990 First of all build the chroot system:
992 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
993 debootstrap squeeze /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
996 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
998 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
999 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
1001 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
1002 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
1004 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
1006 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
1007 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
1009 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
1010 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
1014 Calling task_extrbase
1015 Unpacking Debian base archive
1016 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
1020 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
1023 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
1024 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
1028 Existing base.tgz can be found at http://daily.grml.org/
1031 Set up apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
1032 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1034 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.local provides according APT_PROXY and
1037 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.local
1039 APT_PROXY="http://localhost:3142/"
1041 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free"
1043 Make sure apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart').
1044 That's it. All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
1047 Set up approx for use with grml-live
1048 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1050 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
1053 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
1056 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
1057 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
1058 deb http://localhost:9999/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
1060 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:9999/debian"
1064 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
1066 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
1067 grml http://deb.grml.org/
1069 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
1070 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
1073 How do I revert the manifold feature from an ISO?
1074 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1076 The so called manifold feature Grml ISOs use by default allows one to use the same
1077 ISO for CD boot and USB boot. If you notice any problems when booting just
1078 revert the manifold feature running:
1080 % dd if=/dev/zero of=grml.iso bs=512 count=1 conv=notrunc
1082 To switch from manifold to isohybrid mode (an alternative approach provided by
1083 syslinux) then just execute:
1085 % isohybrid grml.iso
1088 How do I create a base tar.gz (I386.tar.gz or AMD64.tar.gz)
1089 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1091 Execute the following commands (requires root):
1093 ARCH='amd64' # replace with i386 if necessary
1094 SUITE='squeeze' # using the current stable release should always work
1095 debootstrap --arch "$ARCH" --exclude=info,tasksel,tasksel-data "$SUITE" "$ARCH" http://debian.netcologne.de/debian
1097 rm var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb
1098 tar zcf ../"${ARCH}".tar.gz *
1100 And finally place the generated tarball in /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/ (note
1101 that it needs to be uppercase letters matching the class names, so: AMD64.tar.gz
1102 for amd64 and I386.tar.gz for i386).
1105 How do I set up an autobuild environment?
1106 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1108 If you want to set up a system like link:http://daily.grml.org/[daily.grml.org]
1109 the Debian package grml-live-buildd provides all you need to start. Start with
1110 figuring out the cron job script /usr/share/grml-live/buildd/cronjob.sh.
1112 If you want to automatically update the grml-live Debian package on your build
1113 system based on the git tree of grml-live (so you get bleeding edge of
1114 development which might is interesting for services like daily.grml.org) the
1115 provided release_helper.sh script provides everything you need. Execute as root:
1117 echo "deb file:/home/grml-live-git/grml-live.build-area/ ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grml-live.list
1118 adduser --disabled-login --disabled-password grml-live-git
1120 Execute 'visudo' to update sudo configuration and add the following line:
1122 grml-live-git ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/apt-get
1124 Switch to user grml-live-git and configure the rest:
1127 mkdir grml-live.build-area
1128 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live.git
1129 git config --global user.name "Grml-Live Git Autobuild"
1130 git config --global user.email "grml-live-git@$(hostname)"
1132 Finally install a cron job (as user grml-live-git) like:
1134 30 00 * * * cd /home/grml-live-git/grml-live.git/ && env AUTOBUILD=1 scripts/release_helper.sh >/home/grml-live-git/grml-live-build.log
1136 Tip: To find out the build date of the installed grml-live package just execute:
1138 % apt-cache policy grml-live | grep 'Installed.*autobuild'
1139 Installed: 0.13.1~autobuild1300450381
1141 and run "date -ud @$STRING" where $STRING is the number behind the "autobuild",
1144 % date -ud @1300450081
1145 Fri Mar 18 12:08:01 UTC 2011
1148 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
1149 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1151 Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>
1154 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
1155 ------------------------------------------------
1157 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
1158 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
1159 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
1160 current development tree), just execute:
1162 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
1170 The source of grml-live is available at
1171 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
1177 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1183 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1184 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1190 The most recent grml-live documentation is available online at
1191 http://grml.org/grml-live/ and for offline reading also available
1192 in different formats:
1194 * http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.epub
1195 * http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.pdf
1200 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
1202 /////////////////////////////////////
1203 // vim:ai tw=80 ft=asciidoc expandtab
1204 /////////////////////////////////////