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.
132 Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
133 the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.
135 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
137 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
138 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
139 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
140 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
144 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
145 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
146 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
150 Specify name of the release.
154 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
155 "lenny" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny, sid.
156 Debian "squeeze" (current Debian/testing) requires base.tgz
157 (/etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/....tar.gz) or a recent version of debootstrap.
159 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
161 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
162 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
166 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
167 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
169 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
171 Specify version number of the release.
175 Increase verbosity in the build process.
179 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
185 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
186 as build and output directory just run:
190 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
191 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
193 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live
195 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
196 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
198 # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386
200 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
201 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
202 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
204 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
208 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
209 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
210 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
211 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
212 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
213 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
216 Main features of grml-live
217 --------------------------
219 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
221 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
223 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
225 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
228 * native support of FAI features
230 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
236 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
237 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
238 losing the simplicity in the build process.
240 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
241 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
242 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
243 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
244 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
245 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
247 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
248 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
249 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
250 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
251 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
253 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
256 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
257 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
258 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
259 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local or
260 invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
261 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".
263 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
264 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
271 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
272 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
273 example in /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
274 selected. The following classes are predefined:
276 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
278 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
279 defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
280 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
283 * GRML_FORENSIC: tools for forensic investigations which has been created
284 by people from link:http://www.forensic-geeks.org/[forensic-geeks.org].
286 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.
288 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium
290 * GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
293 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small
295 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
296 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
298 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
299 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
301 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
302 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
305 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
308 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
309 official grml release
311 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
312 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
314 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
321 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
322 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
323 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
324 fai-client) grml uses /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf instead. For more details see
325 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
326 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
327 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
328 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
332 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
334 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
336 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
337 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
338 configuration instead.
340 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
342 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
343 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are prefered
344 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
345 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
348 /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf
350 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
351 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default it is set to
352 FAI_CONFIGDIR=/etc/grml/fai/config, a directory shipped by grml-live
353 out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this file.
355 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
357 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
358 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
361 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
363 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
365 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
367 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
368 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
369 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
370 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
371 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
372 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
373 check out /etc/grml/fai/files/etc/apt instead.
375 /etc/grml/fai/config/
377 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
379 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
381 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
384 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
386 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
389 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
391 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
392 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
393 installation process.
395 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
397 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
398 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
399 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
400 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
401 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
402 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
403 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
404 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
405 reasonable package configuration.
407 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
409 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
413 This directory provides files used inside the scripts of
414 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/*. For a full documentation what happens with the
415 files please refer to the source of the scripts.
417 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
419 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
426 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set ZERO_LOGFILE in
427 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf the output is appended to the file. If you set the
428 ZERO_LOGFILE configuration option the logfile will be truncated on each new
429 invocation of grml-live.
431 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
432 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
434 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
435 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
438 Requirements for the build system
439 ---------------------------------
441 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
442 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
443 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
444 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
445 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
446 on a plain, original Debian system.
448 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
449 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
450 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
451 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
452 total free disk space
454 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
455 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
458 For further information see next section.
462 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
463 ---------------------------------------------------------
465 To make it easier to track problems this section documents current state of
466 grml-live playing together with squashfs-tools / squashfs-lzma-tools (for
467 building the compressed file) and the kernel version. Documentation of this
468 section is up2date by 7rd of september 2009, please report any bugs you
471 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools and squashfs-tools
472 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
474 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
475 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
476 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
478 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
479 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
480 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools had to be introduced by the Grml team. Different
481 kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats (version 3.x for kernel
482 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64], since kernel 2.6.31-grml[64] it's the 4.x
485 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
487 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
490 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
493 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma
494 option, file format version 3
496 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via -lzma option,
497 file format version 4
499 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma option,
500 file format version 3
502 Depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
503 squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools. Yes, that's pretty a mess (don't ask how
504 much this sucks for us developers) - though this is supposed to calm down with
505 the recent integration of squashfs file format 4 in the mainline kernel. Support
506 for LZMA is pending and should dramatically simplify the situation for
507 developers as well as users as soon as it's available mainline.
509 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
510 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
512 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the grml repositories. It provides
513 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
514 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
517 The packages can be downloaded from
518 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
520 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
521 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as
522 ZLIB compression. Just use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's
523 '-z' option if you want to use ZLIB instead.
525 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
526 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
527 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
528 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
530 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
533 Do NOT use a blocksize different than the default (131072 / 128kb). The kernel
534 will very probably oops then - so please do not touch the '-b' option of
536 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
540 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml if you want to remaster any
541 grml release being MORE RECENT than 2009.05.
543 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 on the build system
544 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
546 squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
547 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT
548 conflict with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package (you can install both of
549 them at the same time).
551 The packages can be downloaded from
552 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/]
554 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
555 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
557 It does NOT support LZMA compression. If you need LZMA support please use
558 Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above) instead.
560 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
561 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
562 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
563 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
566 Please use squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 only if you want to remaster grml releases
567 MORE RECENT than 2009.05 using the ZLIB compression.
569 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
570 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
572 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the grml repository supports kernel
573 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
574 compression. It's the recommended package for building ISOs with grml-live
577 The packages can be downloaded from
578 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
581 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 if you want to remaster grml release
584 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
585 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
587 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
588 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
589 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
590 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
592 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
593 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
594 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
595 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
596 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
598 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
599 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
601 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
602 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
604 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
605 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
607 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
610 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
612 or directly via downloading the files
613 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
614 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
616 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
617 option in grml-live cmdline):
619 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
620 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
621 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
623 Using with LZMA compression:
625 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
626 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
627 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
628 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
629 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
636 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
637 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
639 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install grml or
640 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
641 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
642 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
644 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
646 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
647 architecture using grml-live.
651 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
652 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
658 # adjust sources.list:
659 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
661 # grml stable repository:
662 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
663 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
665 # grml testing/development repository:
666 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
667 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
670 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
671 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
673 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
676 Package: squashfs-tools
677 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
680 Package: squashfs-lzma-tools
681 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
685 # get keyring for apt:
687 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
689 # install basefile so we don't have to build basic chroot from scratch:
690 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
691 mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
693 # install relevant tools
694 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
695 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-lzma-tools
697 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
698 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
699 # consider using LZMA only for space reasons (resulting in longer
700 # build time but smaller ISO):
701 SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-nolzma"
702 # install local files into the chroot
703 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
704 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
705 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
706 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
708 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
710 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
712 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
713 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
714 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
718 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
719 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
721 deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
724 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
725 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
727 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
729 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
730 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
732 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
734 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
737 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
738 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
740 wget http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
741 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
742 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
743 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
745 or check out the link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI-homepage] for
749 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
750 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
752 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
753 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
754 description to <mika@grml.org>:
756 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
757 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
758 /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
759 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
761 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
762 grml-live you can get commercial support via
763 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
766 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
767 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
769 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
771 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2,^2"]
772 |============================================================
773 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |LZMA (128kB bs)|ZLIB
774 |grml_sid |666M | WIP | 771M
775 |grml_squeeze |659M | WIP | 761M
776 |grml_lenny |624M | WIP | 723M
777 |grml64_sid |677M | WIP | 791M
778 |grml64_squeeze |671M | WIP | 785M
779 |grml64_lenny |639M | WIP | 745M
780 |grml-medium_sid |208M | WIP | 236M
781 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | WIP | 234M
782 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | WIP | 220M
783 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | WIP | 245M
784 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | WIP | 244M
785 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | WIP | 231M
786 |grml-small_sid |102M | WIP | 118M
787 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | WIP | 117M
788 |grml-small_lenny |97M | WIP | 112M
789 |grml64-small_sid |103M | WIP | 120M
790 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | WIP | 120M
791 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | WIP | 116M
792 |============================================================
794 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
795 to get the ratio between the different options):
797 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
798 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
799 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
800 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
802 [[install-local-files]]
803 How to I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
804 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
806 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
807 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
808 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
811 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
812 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
813 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
814 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
817 [[local-debian-mirror]]
818 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
819 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
821 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
822 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
823 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
824 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
826 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
827 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
830 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
831 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
832 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
833 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
835 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
836 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's prefered over
837 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
838 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
840 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
841 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
842 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
844 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
846 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
850 another_name_of_a_debian_package
854 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
856 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
858 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
859 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
860 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
862 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
863 what you are searching for just run:
865 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
866 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
870 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
871 good chance to start using it now. Check out
872 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/]
873 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
875 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
876 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
877 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
879 First of all build the chroot system:
881 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
882 debootstrap lenny /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
885 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
887 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
888 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
890 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
891 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
893 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
895 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
896 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
898 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
899 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
903 Calling task_extrbase
904 Unpacking Debian base archive
905 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
909 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
912 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
913 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
917 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
918 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
920 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
923 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
926 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
927 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
928 deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free
931 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free"
933 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
934 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
935 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
938 Set up approx for use with grml-live
939 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
941 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
944 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
947 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
948 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
949 deb http://localhost:9999/debian lenny main contrib non-free
951 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:9999/debian"
955 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
957 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
958 grml http://deb.grml.org/
960 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
961 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
964 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
965 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
967 Don't hesitate to ask on IRC (channel #grml on irc.freenode.org) or just drop me
968 a mail: <mika@grml.org>
971 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
972 ------------------------------------------------
974 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
975 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
976 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
977 current development tree), just execute:
979 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
987 The source of grml-live is available at
988 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
994 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1000 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1001 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1006 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
1008 /////////////////////////////////////
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1010 /////////////////////////////////////