grml-autoconfig(1) ================== Name ---- grml-autoconfig - main bootup process of a grml system Synopsis -------- None - it is a framework. See grml-autoconfig(8) for information regarding the interface script. Introduction ------------ By using the config framework, it is possible to customize Grml's startup in a multitude of ways. It allows to: - execute one or more scripts on startup - install Debian packages from deb files on startup - unpack configuration on startup The combination of Debs, Configuration and Scripts is called DCS in Grml. DCS can be read from the Live Image itself, from an arbitrary file system on the local system which is marked with the volume label GRMLCFG, or from the file system pointed to by the myconfig boot parameter. The DCS handling is controlled by a number of boot parameters. The scripts save-config and restore-config can be used to create and handle files called 'grml configuration archive', abbreviated GCA. save-config stores the running configuration inside a GCA; restore-config is a script to restore a configuration from a GCA. [TIP] A GCA is a plain bzip2 compressed tar archive. All the files are generated starting from the root-directory '/' so it is easy to handle. You can generate configuration archives manually as well. save-config is just a frontend which should make it easier to use. [IMPORTANT] Starting with Grml release 2009.05 its possible to use root persistency on grml. This means you can store your settings and reuse them on reboot, without having to deal with this config framework. Visit link:http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency for further information. [[current-versions]] include::grml-autoconfig.current.txt[] Permanently adjust boot parameters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you probably know you can adjust boot parameters on the bootprompt. You want to set some boot parameters permanently? That's possible via adding a directory named 'bootparams' to the Grml ISO which has to be located at the root-directory /bootparams/ (note: the directory is known as /live/image/bootparams/ on a _running_ Grml system then). Place a textfile inside the directory containing the boot parameters which should be appended to default ones (this corresponds to booting without any special parameters). mkdir bootparams echo lang=de > bootparams/my_bootparams Then burn a multisession CD where directory bootparams is located in the root directory of the CD. [NOTE] Not all boot parameters can be used via /bootparams/. This is a limitation of the way the kernel and userspace retrieve boot parameters. Boot parameter regarding the kernel definitely do *NOT* work. Boot parameter related to grml-autoconfig (the main part of the boot process in Grml running in userspace, being all the stuff after startup of udev) are expected to work. Boot parameter related to initrd/initramfs (the part between 'Searching for GRML file' and startup of udev) are *NOT* covered by /bootparams/ as well yet. TIP: the application k3b (not available on the live-CD but available through the Debian repositories) provides an easy to use interface for doing the multisession task. [[X7]] Usage scenarios --------------- Personal configuration files ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You are a fan of the editor vim? Great. You probably have your own ~/.vimrc and want to use it on the Grml system. You also don't like the default zsh configuration and want to use your own ~/.zshrc? How to procede? Copy your .vimrc and .zshrc to $HOME of user 'grml'. Place additional files in $HOME/config. Now create a configuration for your files running: save-config -home -configdir Now you should have a file named config.tbz containing your configuration files. You can copy the archive to a webserver and restore it via downloading during reboot using the following commandline on bootprompt: grml netconfig=server.tld/path/to/config.tbz You don't have network access but own a floppy drive? Copy the file to a floppy disk and boot with: grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Floppy is to small or to slow? Ok, let's use a usb device: grml myconfig=/dev/sda1 Network configuration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You need a specific network setup and want to use your own /etc/network/interfaces by default? Generate the configuration archive running the following command as user root: save-config -etc Now you should have a file named config.tbz containing your configuration files. If you want to use it with a floppy disk copy the file to a floppy and boot via using the following command on bootprompt: grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Floppy is to small or to slow? Ok, let's use a usb device: grml myconfig=/dev/sda1 You do have an existing harddisk installation and want to use its configuration? Let's say the debian system is located in /dev/sda2. You want to use the directory /etc/network. This directory is activated by default in /etc/grml/partconf so we don't have to do any further work. We just need to activate it via using the following commandline on bootprompt: grml partconf=/dev/sda2 Automatic installation of debian packages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You have a specified debian package named 'foobar.deb' and want to use it with (therefore: install it on) Grml by default? Notice: this feature is useful especially for grml-small (a ~100 MB ISO). If you want to use it with the large version of Grml you might have to overburn the ISO. Let's assume you have burned the Grml iso to a CD-RW using a commandline like: cdrecord dev=/dev/hdc -v -multi -tao grml_0.5.iso Now create a directory named debs and place foobar.deb in it: mkdir debs/ && cp foobar.deb debs/ Notice: This directory will be located in /live/image after burning the second session. Now create the second session containing this directory: mkisofs -M grml_0.5.iso -C `cdrecord -msinfo dev=/dev/hdc` -R -o 2nd_session.iso debs Finally append the second session to the cd using: cdrecord dev=/dev/hdc -v -multi -tao 2nd_session.iso TIP: the application k3b (not available on the live CD but available through the Debian repositories) provides an easy to use interface for doing the multisession task. Now boot from your new personalized Grml CD using the debs parameter: grml debs Run your own commands on startup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You know that booting with 'grml service=foobar' executes /etc/init.d/foobar when booting Grml. But you want to setup a more complex network configuration, adjust some other stuff and so on on your own? Just write a script named grml.sh which does the job and use own of the mentioned bootparams. Let's say you have placed grml.sh on your usb device (usb stick) then use the following commandline on bootprompt: grml myconfig=/dev/sda1 Or even better: create a floppy disk with label GRMLCFG running: fdformat /dev/fd0 # format the floppy disk if not done already mkfs.ext2 -L GRMLCFG /dev/fd0 # now create ext2 filesystem with label GRMLCFG on it: TIP: several filesystems provide the possibility to provide a label. For example FAT provides this through: 'mkfs.vfat -n GRMLCFG /dev/sda1' (attention: this will destroy data on /dev/sda1 of course!). Take a look at the documentation/manpage of the filesystem you want to use. Now place your configuration archive (see save-config and the other usage scenarios) and the script grml.sh on the floppy disk. Now you can boot your system without specifying any bootparameters on bootprompt because devices labeled with GRMLCFG are mounted readonly and used by default. If you did not label your device you can use the device anyway using 'grml myconfig=/dev/ice' on the bootprompt. Debug remote systems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You are responsible for a customer's system in her data center. The system has failed and you need to debug from remote, and the remote hands available in the data center do not have enough knowledge to get Grml booted and configure the network without external help? If the hard disk of the system is still available, you hopefully have saved a configuration file with IP address, netmask and default gateway somewhere on that hard disk. Grml can use the information found on a partition. Take a look at the 'partconf' boot parameter. Usage example: 'grml partconf=/dev/sda2' copies files defined in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/sda2 to the Grml system. As /etc/network is predefined in /etc/grml/partconf the configuration from /dev/sda2 will be taken. Or you use a standard Grml medium and have grml read IP address, netmask and default gateway from another medium like a floppy or an USB stick. Take a look at the script saveconfig and the boot parameter myconfig. Or you put a grml.iso file on your hard disk (maybe in /boot/grml) or on an USB stick, use grub to boot from there and place debs, configuration scripts or Grml configuraton archives alongside the .iso. Bugs ---- If you find a bug please report it. See link:http://grml.org/bugs/ for details about how to report bugs. See also -------- grml-autoconfig(8), restore-config(1), save-config(1) Author ------ (c) 2005++, Michael Prokop