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>] [-bBFnNquVz]
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://fai-project.org/[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.
90 All class names should be written in uppercase letters. Do not use a dash, use
91 an underscore. So do not use "amd64" but "AMD64", do not use "FOO BAR" but
95 -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::
97 The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
98 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
99 /etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
100 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
101 option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
102 settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
103 Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
104 of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
105 your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
106 notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
107 supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at /etc/grml/fai/config. Instead use
108 /etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
109 /etc/grml/fai/config.
113 Use specified date as build date information on the ISO instead of the default.
114 The default is the date when grml-live is being executed (retrieved via
115 executing 'date +%Y-%m-%d'). The information is stored inside the file
116 /GRML/grml-version on the ISO, /etc/grml_version in the squashfs file and in all
117 the bootsplash related files. This option is useful if you want to provide an
118 ISO with release information for a specific date but have to build it in
119 advance. Usage example: '-d 2009-10-30'
123 Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.
127 Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
128 Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
129 GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.
133 Display short usage information and exit.
137 Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
140 -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::
142 Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
143 the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
144 in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.
148 Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
149 the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.
153 Bootstrap the chroot without building bootloader, squashfs, or finalizing the
154 ISO. Use this option if installation of some packages fails, you want to run
155 custom commands or similar.
156 The main use of this option is to save time by skipping stages which aren't
157 necessary for bootstrapping the chroot and which would get executed more than
158 once when iterating through the initial bootstrapping.
159 Alternatively, use this option as a test run of grml-live. Once you are
160 satisfied with the state of your grml_chroot, use grml-live **-u** to build the
161 remaining stages and finalize the ISO.
163 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
165 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
166 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
167 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
168 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
172 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
173 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
174 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
178 Specify name of the release.
182 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
183 "squeeze" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny,
184 squeeze, sid. Debian "squeeze" requires a recent base.tgz
185 (/etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz) or a recent version of
188 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
190 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
191 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
195 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
196 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
198 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
200 Specify version number of the release.
204 Increase verbosity in the build process.
208 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA/XZ compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
214 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
215 as build and output directory just run:
219 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
220 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
222 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live
224 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
225 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
227 # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386
229 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
230 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
231 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
233 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
237 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
238 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
239 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
240 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
241 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
242 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
245 Main features of grml-live
246 --------------------------
248 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
250 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
252 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
254 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
257 * native support of FAI features
259 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
265 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
266 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
267 losing the simplicity in the build process.
269 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
270 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
271 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
272 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
273 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
274 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
276 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
277 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
278 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
279 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
280 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
282 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
285 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
286 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
287 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
288 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local
289 or invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
290 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".
292 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
293 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
300 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
301 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
302 example in /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
303 selected. The following classes are predefined:
305 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
307 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
308 defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
309 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
312 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.
314 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium
316 * GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
319 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small
321 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
322 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
324 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
325 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
327 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
328 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
331 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
334 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
335 official grml release
337 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
338 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
340 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
347 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
348 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
349 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
350 fai-client) grml uses /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf instead. For more details see
351 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
352 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
353 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
354 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
358 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
360 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
362 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
363 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
364 configuration instead.
366 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
368 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
369 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are preferred
370 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
371 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
374 /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf
376 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
377 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default the configuration
378 variables are FAI_CONFIG_SRC=file:///etc/grml/fai/config and
379 FAI_CONFIGDIR=/etc/grml/fai/config - both pointing to a directory shipped by
380 grml-live out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this
383 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
385 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
386 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
389 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
391 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
393 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
395 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
396 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
397 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
398 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
399 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
400 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
401 use FAI's fcopy command with /etc/grml/fai/config/files instead.
403 /etc/grml/fai/config/
405 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
407 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
409 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
412 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
414 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
417 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
419 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
420 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
421 installation process.
423 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
425 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
426 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
427 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
428 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
429 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
430 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
431 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
432 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
433 reasonable package configuration.
435 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
437 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
439 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
441 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
448 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set PRESERVE_LOGFILE
449 in your grml-live configuration the file is cleared on each new invocation of
452 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
453 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
455 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
456 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
458 If you want to store build information in a database just install the
459 grml-live-db Debian package. Further details available in the grml-live-db
463 Requirements for the build system
464 ---------------------------------
466 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
467 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
468 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
469 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
470 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
471 on a plain, original Debian system.
473 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
474 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
475 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
476 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
477 total free disk space
479 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
480 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
483 For further information see next section.
487 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
488 ---------------------------------------------------------
490 Use squashfs-tools >=4.2-1 (available from Grml repositories as well as from
491 Debian/unstable) to build Grml (based) ISOs featuring kernel version
494 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
495 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools, squashfs-lzma-tools4 and squashfs-tools
496 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
498 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
499 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
500 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
502 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
503 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
504 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools[4] had to be introduced and maintained by the Grml
505 team. Different kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats. Kernel
506 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64] used the 3.x file format but those outdated
507 kernels aren't supported by grml-live automatically anymore nowdays (manual
508 handling through SQUASHFS_BINARY possible though). Kernel versions
509 2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64] use openwrt's squashfs lzma file format
510 version 4. Kernel versions starting with 2.6.35-grml[64] use the mainline ondisk
511 file format version 4.
513 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
515 * squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-x: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-comp lzma'
516 option (enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (mainline
517 version), package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for current
518 grml-live builds featuring kernels >=2.6.35-grml[64]
520 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-lzma' option
521 (enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (openwrt style),
522 package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for any grml-live builds
523 with kernel versions 2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64]
525 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-x: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
526 version 4, package maintained and available from Debian, recommended only for
527 ZLIB-only builds of any grml-live builds with kernel versions >=2.6.31-grml[64]
531 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
534 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma'
535 option, file format version 3
537 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma' option,
538 file format version 3
540 Now, depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
541 of squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools[4]. Yes, that's a mess (don't ask how much
542 this sucks for us developers) - though we're putting lots of effort into our
543 toolchain to automatically handle this for you through the grml-live build
544 system and provide proper documentation. The situation is supposed to calm down
545 with the recent integration of the squashfs file format 4 in the mainline
546 kernel. Support for LZMA is pending and as soon as it's available mainline this
547 should dramatically simplify the situation for developers as well as users.
550 If you want to force usage of a specific mksquashfs binary just set the
551 SQUASHFS_BINARY configuration/environment variable. Set SQUASHFS_OPTIONS for
552 customizing the options that should be used by the mksquashfs binary during
555 Using squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 on the build system
556 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
558 squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
559 the mksquashfs-lzma4 and unsquashfs-lzma4 binaries. The package does NOT
560 conflict with neither Debian's squashfs-tools package nor Grml's
561 squashfs-lzma-tools package, so you can install all of them at the same time and
562 the build system will try to figure out the best matching binary automatically
565 The packages can be downloaded from
566 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/]
568 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (as available in
569 mainline, so *not* the one being used by squashfs-lzma-tools and kernel
570 2.6.33-grml) and therefore requires kernel versions starting with
571 2.6.35-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just use the
572 defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to use
573 ZLIB compression instead.
575 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
576 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
577 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression
578 * Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression
581 squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 and/or squashfs-lzma-tools4 are the recommended package
582 for building up2date ISOs with grml-live! Please use other squashfs-* packages
583 only if you want to build live systems providing kernel versions older than
584 2.6.35-grml*. Use squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 or squashfs-lzma-tools4 from Grml if
585 you want to remaster any Grml releases MORE RECENT than 2010.04.
587 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
588 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
590 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
591 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
592 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
595 The packages can be downloaded from
596 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
598 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (based on openwrt
599 patches, this is *not* the mainline file format that's being used by kernel
600 2.6.35-grml and squashfs-lzma-tools4!) and therefore requires kernel versions
601 newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just
602 use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to
605 * Kernel \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
606 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
607 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works
608 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works for ZLIB compression, fails for LZMA
611 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml only if you want to remaster
612 Grml releases 2009.10 and 2010.04 or live systems with their according kernel
615 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-X on the build system
616 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
618 squashfs-tools >=1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
619 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT conflict
620 neither with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package nor with the
621 squashfs-lzma-tools4 package (so you can install all of them at the same time).
623 The packages can be downloaded from
624 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/]
626 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
627 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
629 It does NOT support LZMA compression (dropped with
630 link:http://packages.debian.org/changelogs/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/current/changelog[version
631 1:3.3-4] and not yet re-integrated yet, see
632 link:http://bugs.debian.org/594595[#594595]). If you need LZMA support please
633 use Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools[4] (see sections above) instead.
635 * Kernels \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
636 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
637 * Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
638 * Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
639 * Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
642 Please use squashfs-tools between 4.0-1 and 4.1-1 only if you want to remaster
643 Grml releases starting with 2009.10 using the ZLIB compression, please use other
644 squashfs packages otherwise instead.
648 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
649 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
651 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the Grml repository supports kernel
652 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
655 The packages can be downloaded from
656 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
659 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 only if you want to remaster Grml releases
662 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
663 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
665 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
666 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
667 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
668 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
670 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
671 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
672 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
673 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
674 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
676 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
677 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
679 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
680 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
682 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
683 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
685 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
688 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
690 or directly via downloading the files
691 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
692 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
694 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
695 option in grml-live cmdline):
697 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
698 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
699 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
701 Using with LZMA compression:
703 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
704 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
705 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
706 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
707 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
708 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
715 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
716 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
718 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install Grml or
719 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
720 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
721 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
723 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
725 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
726 architecture using grml-live.
730 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
731 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
737 # adjust sources.list:
738 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
740 # grml stable repository:
741 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
742 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
744 # grml testing/development repository:
745 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
746 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
749 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
750 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
752 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
755 Package: squashfs-tools
756 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
760 # get keyring for apt:
762 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
764 # optionally(!) install basefile so we don't have to build basic
765 # chroot from scratch, grab from http://daily.grml.org/
766 # mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
767 # mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
768 # mv base64.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/AMD64.tar.gz
770 # install relevant tools
771 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
772 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-tools
774 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
775 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
776 ## want a faster build process and don't need smaller ISOs?
777 ## if so use zlib compression
778 # SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-comp gzip -b 256k"
779 ## want to use a specific squashfs binary?
780 # SQUASHFS_BINARY='/usr/bin/mksquashfs'
781 # install local files into the chroot
782 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
783 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
784 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
785 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
787 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
788 # PRESERVE_LOGFILE='1'
789 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
791 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
792 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
793 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
797 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
798 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
800 deb http://fai-project.org/download lenny koeln
803 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
804 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
806 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
808 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
809 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
811 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
813 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
816 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
817 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
819 wget http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
820 http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
821 http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
822 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
824 or check out the link:http://fai-project.org/[FAI-homepage] for
828 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
829 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
831 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
832 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
833 description to <mika@grml.org>:
835 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
836 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
837 /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf \
838 /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
839 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
841 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
842 grml-live you can get commercial support via
843 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
846 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
847 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
849 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
851 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2"]
852 |============================================================
853 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |ZLIB
854 |grml_sid |666M | 771M
855 |grml_squeeze |659M | 761M
856 |grml_lenny |624M | 723M
857 |grml64_sid |677M | 791M
858 |grml64_squeeze |671M | 785M
859 |grml64_lenny |639M | 745M
860 |grml-medium_sid |208M | 236M
861 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | 234M
862 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | 220M
863 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | 245M
864 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | 244M
865 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | 231M
866 |grml-small_sid |102M | 118M
867 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | 117M
868 |grml-small_lenny |97M | 112M
869 |grml64-small_sid |103M | 120M
870 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | 120M
871 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | 116M
872 |============================================================
874 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
875 to get the ratio between the different options):
877 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
878 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
879 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
880 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
882 [[install-local-files]]
883 How do I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
884 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
886 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
887 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
888 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
891 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
892 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
893 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
894 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
897 [[local-debian-mirror]]
898 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
899 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
901 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
902 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
903 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
904 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
906 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
907 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
910 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
911 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
912 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
913 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
915 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
916 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's preferred over
917 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
918 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
920 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
921 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
922 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
924 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
926 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
930 another_name_of_a_debian_package
934 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
936 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
938 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
939 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
940 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
942 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
943 what you are searching for just run:
945 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
946 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
950 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
951 good chance to start using it now. Check out
952 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/]
953 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
955 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
956 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
957 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
959 First of all build the chroot system:
961 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
962 debootstrap squeeze /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
965 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
967 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
968 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
970 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
971 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
973 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
975 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
976 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
978 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
979 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
983 Calling task_extrbase
984 Unpacking Debian base archive
985 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
989 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
992 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
993 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
997 Existing base.tgz can be found at http://daily.grml.org/
1000 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
1001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1003 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
1006 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
1009 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
1010 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
1011 deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
1014 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free"
1016 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
1017 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
1018 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
1021 Set up approx for use with grml-live
1022 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1024 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
1027 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
1030 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
1031 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
1032 deb http://localhost:9999/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
1034 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:9999/debian"
1038 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
1040 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
1041 grml http://deb.grml.org/
1043 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
1044 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
1047 How do I revert the manifold feature from an ISO?
1048 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1050 The so called manifold feature Grml ISOs use by default allows one to use the same
1051 ISO for CD boot and USB boot. If you notice any problems when booting just
1052 revert the manifold feature running:
1054 % dd if=/dev/zero of=grml.iso bs=512 count=1 conv=notrunc
1056 To switch from manifold to isohybrid mode (an alternative approach provided by
1057 syslinux) then just execute:
1059 % isohybrid grml.iso
1062 How do I create a base tar.gz (I386.tar.gz or AMD64.tar.gz)
1063 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1065 Execute the following commands (requires root):
1067 ARCH='amd64' # replace with i386 if necessary
1068 SUITE='squeeze' # using the current stable release should always work
1069 debootstrap --arch "$ARCH" --exclude=info,tasksel,tasksel-data "$SUITE" "$ARCH" http://debian.netcologne.de/debian
1071 rm var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb
1072 tar zcf ../"${ARCH}".tar.gz *
1074 And finally place the generated tarball in /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/ (note
1075 that it needs to be uppercase letters matching the class names, so: AMD64.tar.gz
1076 for amd64 and I386.tar.gz for i386).
1079 How do I set up an autobuild environment?
1080 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1082 If you want to set up a system like link:http://daily.grml.org/[daily.grml.org]
1083 the Debian package grml-live-buildd provides all you need to start. Start with
1084 figuring out the cron job script /usr/share/grml-live/buildd/cronjob.sh.
1086 If you want to automatically update the grml-live Debian package on your build
1087 system based on the git tree of grml-live (so you get bleeding edge of
1088 development which might is interesting for services like daily.grml.org) the
1089 provided release_helper.sh script provides everything you need. Execute as root:
1091 echo "deb file:/home/grml-live-git/grml-live.build-area/ ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grml-live.list
1092 adduser --disabled-login --disabled-password grml-live-git
1094 Execute 'visudo' to update sudo configuration and add the following line:
1096 grml-live-git ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/apt-get
1098 Switch to user grml-live-git and configure the rest:
1101 mkdir grml-live.build-area
1102 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live.git
1103 git config --global user.name "Grml-Live Git Autobuild"
1104 git config --global user.email "grml-live-git@$(hostname)"
1106 Finally install a cron job (as user grml-live-git) like:
1108 30 00 * * * cd /home/grml-live-git/grml-live.git/ && env AUTOBUILD=1 scripts/release_helper.sh >/home/grml-live-git/grml-live-build.log
1110 Tip: To find out the build date of the installed grml-live package just execute:
1112 % apt-cache policy grml-live | grep 'Installed.*autobuild'
1113 Installed: 0.13.1~autobuild1300450381
1115 and run "date -ud @$STRING" where $STRING is the number behind the "autobuild",
1118 % date -ud @1300450081
1119 Fri Mar 18 12:08:01 UTC 2011
1122 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
1123 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1125 Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>
1128 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
1129 ------------------------------------------------
1131 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
1132 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
1133 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
1134 current development tree), just execute:
1136 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
1144 The source of grml-live is available at
1145 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
1151 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1157 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1158 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1164 The most recent grml-live documentation is available online at
1165 http://grml.org/grml-live/ and for offline reading also available
1166 in different formats:
1168 * http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.epub
1169 * http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.pdf
1174 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
1176 /////////////////////////////////////
1177 // vim:ai tw=80 ft=asciidoc expandtab
1178 /////////////////////////////////////