6 grml-debootstrap - wrapper around debootstrap for installing plain Debian via grml
10 grml-debootstrap [ _options_ ]
12 image:images/screenshot.png[Screenshot]
17 grml-debootstrap is a wrapper suite around debootstrap (and cdebootstrap if you
18 want) for installing a plain Debian system via grml very fast and easy.
20 All you have to do is adjust a few variables in configuration file
21 /etc/debootstrap/config (or specify some variables via commandline) and invoke
22 grml-debootstrap without any further options then.
24 A plain and base Debian system will be installed on the given device (or
25 directory) then. Customization of this process is possible as well.
27 CAUTION: The grml team does not take responsibility for loss of any data!
29 Options and environment variables
30 ---------------------------------
32 *--arch* <_architecture_>::
34 Architecture you want to bootstrap. Currently only i386 is supported.
35 Defaults to the architecture that is currently running on your system. If
36 you're running an amd64 system and want to deploy a i386 system use this option.
37 Note: deploying amd64 from a i386 system won't work.
39 *--bootappend* <_appendline for the kernel_>::
41 Specify appendline for the kernel.
44 *-c*, *--config* <_file_>::
46 Use specified configuration file, defaults to /etc/debootstrap/config.
48 *--chroot-scripts* <_directory_>::
50 Execute chroot scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation
51 of the chroot setup, the executable script(s) present in the given directory
52 are executed at the end of the chroot procedure.
53 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/chroot-scripts/
55 *-d*, *--confdir* <_path_>::
57 Place of configuration files for debootstrap, defaults to /etc/debootstrap.
59 *--debconf* <_file_>::
61 Use specified file for preseeding Debian packages instead of using
62 the default <confdir>/debconf-selections.
64 *--debopt* <_params_>::
66 Extra parameters passed to the debootstrap command.
70 Device where grub should be installed to. Note that only the MBR (master
71 boot record) can be used (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb,...). Partitions (like
72 /dev/sda1, /dev/sdb2,...) are NOT supported because grub2 doesn't support
73 installation into the PBR (partition boot record) anymore. Usage example:
74 '--grub /dev/sda'. Note: just do not set this option to avoid installation
79 Show summary of options and exit.
81 *--hostname* <_hostname_>::
83 Use specified hostname instead of the default (being 'grml').
85 *-i*, *--iso* <_/mntpoint_>::
87 Specify mountpoint where you have a Debian ISO mounted loopback.
88 Using this option instead of the mirror option gives you the possibility
89 to install the base-system without network access. Make sure you
90 mounted the according Debian-ISO to the given <_/mntpoint_>. See section
91 'Usage examples' for a demonstration.
95 Do not overwrite user provided /etc/apt/sources.list.
97 *-m*, *--mirror* <_URL_>::
99 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude.
100 Corresponding with configuration variable MIRROR.
104 Skip debootstrap, only do configuration to the target.
106 *-p*, *--mntpoint* <_/mntpoint_>::
108 Specify mountpoint that should be used for mounting the target system.
109 Corresponding with configuration variable MNTPOINT.
110 Note: this option has no effect if option -t is given and represents a
113 *--packages* <_file_>::
115 Use specified file as list for packages that should be installed instead of
116 the default package list file <confdir>/packages.
118 *--password* <_password_>::
120 Use specified password as password for user root. Use with caution, as your
121 commandline might be visible in the process list and the shell history.
122 It's meant for automatic installation only.
124 *-r*, *--release* <_releasename_>::
126 Specify release of new Debian system. Supported releases names: lenny,
127 squeeze (note: requires current version of debootstrap) and sid.
128 Corresponding with configuration variable RELEASE.
130 *--scripts* <_directory_>::
132 Execute scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation of
133 the system after the chroot has been set up. The environment variable
134 $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for direct access of the chroot.
135 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/scripts/
137 *-t*, *--target* <_target_>::
138 Target partition (/dev/...) or directory (anything else without /dev at the
139 beginning). To install grub using *--grub* make sure to use a _device_
140 instead of a directory as _target_ (installation of grub as bootloader when
141 using directories is NOT supported).
147 Show version of program and exit.
149 WARNING: the commandline parsing of grml-debootstrap does not validate the provided
150 arguments for the commandline options. Please be careful and check docs and
151 /etc/debootstrap/config for further information.
156 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda
158 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda1 and install bootmanager
159 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition.
161 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda6 --grub /dev/sda --release sid
163 Install Debian unstable/sid on /dev/sda6, install bootmanager Grub in MBR
164 (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda6 as system partition.
166 mount /dev/sda1 /data/chroot
167 grml-debootstrap --target /data/chroot
169 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) in directory /data/chroot (without
172 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda3 --grub /dev/sda --mirror ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
174 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda3 and install bootmanager
175 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda3 as system partition.
176 Use specified mirror instead of the default (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian) one.
178 mount -o loop /mnt/sda6/debian-40r0-i386-CD-1.iso /mnt/iso
179 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda --iso file:/mnt/iso/debian/
181 Install Debian stable/lenny on /dev/sda1 using the loopback mounted Debian-ISO
182 for the base-system and install bootmanager Grub in MBR (master boot record) of
183 /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition. Please notice, that the chroot
184 system requires network access for all packages which are not part of the
190 /etc/debootstrap/config
192 Main configuration file. You have to adjust it according to your needs
193 before you are able to run grml-debootstrap.
195 /etc/debootstrap/chroot-script
197 The script executed within the new Debian system as soon as the main system
198 has been installed via [c]debootstrap.
200 /etc/debootstrap/locale.gen
202 Defines the default locales used for generating locales via locale-gen.
204 /etc/debootstrap/packages
206 Defines the software packages which should be installed in the new
207 Debian system by default.
209 /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages
211 Debian Packages dropped here will be installed into the new Debian system by
212 default (Controlvariable: EXTRAPACKAGES)
214 /etc/debootstrap/stages/
216 The default directory for storing information about executed stages. Every
217 single function of grml-debootstrap will write 'done' to the stages directory
218 into a file named as the function itself if it has been executed successfully.
219 You can adjust the location of the directory via configuration variable STAGES
220 via /etc/debootstrap/config. Please notice that you have to remove the stages
221 directory on your own if you want to re-execute grml-debootstrap after running it
222 successfully once. This should avoid recurrent execution by error of
223 grml-debootstrap (which might delete present data).
228 You can control execution of grml-debootstrap via adjusting
229 /etc/debootstrap/config for some main stuff or via setting some selected
230 variables via commandline. The packages which should be installed in the new
231 Debian system can be defined via the file /etc/debootstrap/packages. If you
232 want to put existing files to the new Debian system you can place them into the
233 (by default non-existing) directories boot, etc, share, usr and var in
234 /etc/debootstrap/. Every existing directory will be copied to the new Debian
235 system then. If you want to install additional packages that are not available
236 via the grml or debian mirror drop them into /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages and
237 make sure that EXTRAPACKAGES is set to "yes".
239 Automatic installation
240 ----------------------
242 If environment variable AUTOINSTALL is set grml-debootstrap can be executed in a
243 full automatic mode. While this mode isn't really useful for interactive
244 execution (just configure /etc/debootstrap/configure or specify the relevant
245 variables on the commandline instead) it is meant for use via bootoption
246 debian2hd. The bootoption debian2hd (more precise: the kernelname on bootprompt)
247 supports the following bootoptions (they correspond with the commandline options
252 The target partition/directory of the new Debian system. Usage example:
257 Where do you want to install grub to? Usage example: grub=/dev/sda
261 Specify release of new Debian system. Defaults to Debian stable. Supported
262 relases: lenny, squeeze and sid. Usage example: release=sid
266 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude instead
267 of the default one (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian).
268 Usage example: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
272 Set password of user root without prompting for it but set it to the given
273 argument. Usage example: password=AiTh5ahn
275 Usage example for automatic installation:
276 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
278 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
280 You have to enter this commandline at the bootprompt of grml. Please make sure
281 that /dev/sda1 is the partition where you really want to install your new Debian
285 Automatic installation within booting process is done in grml-autoconfig via
286 setting environment variable AUTOINSTALL and creation of
287 /usr/bin/grml-debootstrap_noninteractive with the available and relevant
288 bootoptions for grml-debootstrap.
293 include::releasetable.txt[]
297 ================================================================================
298 [1] Please notice that Etch is the current old-stable within Debian.
299 grml-debootstrap can handle the release but you really should not use Etch
300 anymore unless you really know what you are doing. Choose Lenny instead.
301 ================================================================================
306 Probably. Please send bugreports to Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>.
311 debootstrap (8), cdebootstrap (1).
315 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>