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>] [-bBFhquVz]
17 CAUTION: Please check out <<current_state,the 'Current state of grml-live with
18 squashfs-tools and kernel' section>> for details about current state of involved
19 tools before starting with grml-live or if you encounter any problems.
24 grml-live provides the build system for creating a grml and Debian based Linux
25 Live-CD. The build system is based on
26 link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI] (Fully Automatic
27 Installation). grml-live uses the "fai dirinstall" feature to generate a chroot
28 system based on the class concept of FAI (see later sections for further
29 details) and provides the framework to be able to generate a full-featured ISO.
30 It does not use all the FAI features by default though and you don't have to
31 know FAI to be able to use it.
33 The use of FAI gives you the flexibility to choose the packages you would like
34 to include on your very own Linux Live-CD without having to deal with all the
35 details of a build process.
37 CAUTION: grml-live does **not** use /etc/fai for configuration but instead
38 provides and uses /etc/grml/fai. This ensures that it does not clash with
39 default FAI configuration and packages, so you can use grml-live and FAI
40 completely independent at the same time!
44 Please notice that you should have a fast network connection as all the Debian
45 packages will be downloaded and installed via network. If you want to use a
46 local mirror (strongly recommended if you plan to use grml-live more than once)
47 checkout mkdebmirror (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/mkdebmirror),
48 debmirror(1), reprepro(1) (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/reprepro/ for a
49 sample configuration), apt-cacher(1) and approx(8). To avoid downloading the
50 base system again and again check out FAI's NFSROOT (see FAQ of this document
58 Use the specified architecture instead of the currently running one. This
59 allows building a 32bit system on a 64bit host (though you can't build a 64bit
60 system on a 32bit system/kernel of course). Please notice that real
61 crosscompiling (like building a ppc system on x86) isn't possible due to the
62 nature and the need of working in a chroot. Currently supported values: i386
67 Build the ISO without updating the chroot via FAI. This option is useful for
68 example when working on stable releases: if you have a working base
69 system/chroot and do not want to execute any further updates (via "-u" option)
70 but intend to only build the ISO.
74 Build the ISO without touching the chroot at all. This option is useful if
75 you modified anything that FAI or grml-live might adjust via grml's FAI
76 scripts. It's like the '-b' option but even more advanced. Use only if you
77 really know that you do not want to update the chroot.
81 Specify the CLASSES to be used for building the ISO via FAI. By default only
82 the classes GRMLBASE, GRML_MEDIUM and I386 are assumed, resulting in a small base
83 system (being about ~180MB total ISO size). If using a non-I386 system (like
84 amd64) you should specify the appropriate architecture as well. Additionally you
85 can specify a class providing a grml-kernel (see
86 <<classes,the 'CLASSES' section in this document>> for details about available classes).
87 So instead of GRML_MEDIUM you can also use GRML_SMALL and GRML_FULL.
89 -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::
91 The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
92 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
93 /etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
94 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
95 option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
96 settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
97 Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
98 of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
99 your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
100 notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
101 supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at /etc/grml/fai/config. Instead use
102 /etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
103 /etc/grml/fai/config.
107 Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.
111 Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
112 Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
113 GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.
117 Display short usage information and exit.
121 Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
124 -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::
126 Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
127 the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
128 in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.
130 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
132 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
133 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
134 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
135 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
139 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
140 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
141 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
145 Specify name of the release.
149 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
150 "lenny" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny, sid.
151 Debian "squeeze" (current Debian/testing) requires base.tgz
152 (/etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/....tar.gz) or a recent version of debootstrap.
154 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
156 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
157 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
161 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
162 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
164 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
166 Specify version number of the release.
170 Increase verbosity in the build process.
174 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
180 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
181 as build and output directory just run:
185 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
186 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
188 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live
190 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
191 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
193 # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386
195 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
196 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
197 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
199 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
203 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
204 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
205 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
206 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
207 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
208 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
211 Main features of grml-live
212 --------------------------
214 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
216 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
218 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
220 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
223 * native support of FAI features
225 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
231 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
232 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
233 losing the simplicity in the build process.
235 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
236 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
237 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
238 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
239 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
240 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
242 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
243 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
244 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
245 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
246 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
248 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
251 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
252 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
253 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
254 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local or
255 invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
256 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".
258 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
259 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
266 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
267 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
268 example in /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
269 selected. The following classes are predefined:
271 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
273 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
274 defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
275 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
278 * GRML_FORENSIC: tools for forensic investigations which has been created
279 by people from link:http://www.forensic-geeks.org/[forensic-geeks.org].
281 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.
283 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium
285 * GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
288 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small
290 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
291 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
293 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
294 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
296 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
297 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
300 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
303 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
304 official grml release
306 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
307 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
309 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
316 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
317 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
318 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
319 fai-client) grml uses /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf instead. For more details see
320 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
321 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
322 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
323 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
327 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
329 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
331 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
332 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
333 configuration instead.
335 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
337 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
338 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are prefered
339 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
340 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
343 /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf
345 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
346 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default it is set to
347 FAI_CONFIGDIR=/etc/grml/fai/config, a directory shipped by grml-live
348 out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this file.
350 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
352 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
353 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
356 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
358 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
360 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
362 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
363 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
364 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
365 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
366 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
367 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
368 check out /etc/grml/fai/files/etc/apt instead.
370 /etc/grml/fai/config/
372 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
374 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
376 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
379 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
381 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
384 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
386 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
387 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
388 installation process.
390 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
392 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
393 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
394 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
395 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
396 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
397 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
398 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
399 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
400 reasonable package configuration.
402 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
404 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
408 This directory provides files used inside the scripts of
409 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/*. For a full documentation what happens with the
410 files please refer to the source of the scripts.
412 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
414 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
421 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set ZERO_LOGFILE in
422 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf the output is appended to the file. If you set the
423 ZERO_LOGFILE configuration option the logfile will be truncated on each new
424 invocation of grml-live.
426 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
427 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
429 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
430 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
433 Requirements for the build system
434 ---------------------------------
436 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
437 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
438 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
439 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
440 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
441 on a plain, original Debian system.
443 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
444 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
445 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
446 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
447 total free disk space
449 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
450 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
453 For further information see next section.
457 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
458 ---------------------------------------------------------
460 To make it easier to track problems this section documents current state of
461 grml-live playing together with squashfs-tools / squashfs-lzma-tools (for
462 building the compressed file) and the kernel version. Documentation of this
463 section is up2date by 04nd of august 2009, please report any bugs you
466 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
467 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
469 squashfs-lzma-tools from the grml repository supports kernel 2.6.26-grml[64] and
470 2.6.28-grml[64] using both lzma and zlib (-nolzma) compression. It's the
471 recommended package for building ISOs with grml-live currently!
473 The packages can be downloaded from
474 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
477 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 if you want to remaster grml release
480 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
481 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
483 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available via the official Debian/unstable and
484 Debian/testing (Lenny) pool running:
486 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.3-7
488 or directly via downloading the files
489 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
490 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
491 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
493 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
494 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
495 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
496 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
497 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
499 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
500 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
502 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
503 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
505 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
506 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
508 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
511 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
513 or directly via downloading the files
514 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
515 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
517 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
518 option in grml-live cmdline):
520 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
521 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
522 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
524 Using with LZMA compression:
526 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
527 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use zlib mode instead or switch
528 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above).
529 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use zlib mode instead or switch
530 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above).
537 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
538 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
540 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install grml or
541 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
542 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
543 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
545 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
547 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
548 architecture using grml-live.
552 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
553 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
559 # adjust sources.list:
560 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
562 # grml stable repository:
563 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
564 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
566 # grml testing/development repository:
567 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
568 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
571 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
572 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
574 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
577 Package: squashfs-tools
578 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
581 Package: squashfs-lzma-tools
582 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
586 # get keyring for apt:
588 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
590 # install basefile so we don't have to build basic chroot from scratch:
591 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
592 mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
594 # install relevant tools:
595 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-lzma-tools
597 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
598 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
599 # consider using lzma only for space reasons (resulting in longer
600 # build time but smaller ISO):
601 SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-nolzma"
602 # install local files into the chroot
603 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
604 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
605 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
606 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/"
608 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
610 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
612 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
613 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
614 deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
618 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
619 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
621 deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
624 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
625 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
627 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
629 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
630 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
632 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
634 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
637 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
638 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
640 wget http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
641 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
642 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
643 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
645 or check out the link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI-homepage] for
649 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
650 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
652 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
653 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
654 description to <mika@grml.org>:
656 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
657 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
658 /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
659 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
661 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
662 grml-live you can get commercial support via
663 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
665 [[install-local-files]]
666 How to I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
667 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
669 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
670 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
671 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
674 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
675 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
676 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
677 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
680 [[local-debian-mirror]]
681 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
682 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
684 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
685 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
686 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
687 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
689 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
690 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
693 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
694 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
695 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
696 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
698 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
699 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's prefered over
700 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
701 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
703 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
704 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
705 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
707 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
709 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
713 another_name_of_a_debian_package
717 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
719 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
721 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
722 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
723 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
725 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
726 what you are searching for just run:
728 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
729 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
733 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
734 good chance to start using it now. Check out
735 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/]
736 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
738 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
739 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
740 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
742 First of all build the chroot system:
744 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
745 debootstrap lenny /tmp/nfsroot/ http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian
748 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
750 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
751 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
753 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
754 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
756 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
758 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
759 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
761 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
762 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
766 Calling task_extrbase
767 Unpacking Debian base archive
768 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
772 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
775 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
776 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
780 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
781 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
783 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
786 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
789 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
790 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
791 deb http://localhost:3142/ftp.de.debian.org/debian lenny main contrib non-free
794 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:3142/ftp.de.debian.org/debian lenny main contrib non-free"
796 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
797 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
798 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
801 Set up approx for use with grml-live
802 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
804 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
807 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
810 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
811 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
812 deb http://localhost:9999/debian lenny main contrib non-free
814 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:9999/debian"
818 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
820 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
821 grml http://deb.grml.org/
823 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
824 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
827 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
828 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
830 Don't hesitate to ask on IRC (channel #grml on irc.freenode.org) or just drop me
831 a mail: <mika@grml.org>
834 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
835 ------------------------------------------------
837 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
838 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
839 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
840 current development tree), just execute:
842 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
850 The source of grml-live is available at
851 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
857 Check out link:http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=grml-live[grml-live in the grml-wiki]
864 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
865 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
870 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
872 /////////////////////////////////////
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874 /////////////////////////////////////