6 grml-debootstrap - wrapper around debootstrap for installing plain Debian
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 very fast and easy.
20 All you have to do is adjust a few variables in the configuration file
21 /etc/debootstrap/config or specify some command line options and invoke
22 grml-debootstrap. If invoked without any configuration modifications or command
23 line options a dialog based frontend will be available to control some basic
24 configuration options.
26 A plain and base Debian system will be installed on the given device, directory
27 or virtual image file then. Customization of this process is possible as well.
29 CAUTION: The Grml team does not take responsibility for loss of any data!
31 Options and environment variables
32 ---------------------------------
34 *--arch* _architecture_::
36 Set target architecture you want to install. Defaults to the architecture
37 you are currently running. If you're running an amd64 kernel and want to
38 deploy an i386 system use this option. Note: deploying amd64 from an i386
39 kernel does *not* work. Example: "_--arch i386_"
43 Enable Debian's Backports repository (http://backports.debian.org/) via the
44 /etc/apt/sources.list.d/backports.list configuration file. This provides the
45 option to install Debian packages from Debian's backports repository.
47 *--bootappend* _appendline-for-the-kernel_::
49 Specify appendline for the kernel.
52 *-c*, *--config* _file_::
54 Use specified configuration file, defaults to /etc/debootstrap/config.
56 *--chroot-scripts* _directory_::
58 Execute chroot scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation
59 of the chroot setup, the executable script(s) present in the given directory
60 are executed at the end of the chroot procedure.
61 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/chroot-scripts/
65 Enable the 'contrib' repository in COMPONENTS. By default only
66 the 'main' repository is enabled.
68 *-d*, *--confdir* _path_::
70 Place of configuration files for debootstrap, defaults to /etc/debootstrap.
74 Use specified file for preseeding Debian packages instead of using
75 the default <confdir>/debconf-selections.
79 Extra parameters passed to the debootstrap command.
83 Execute in very verbose way. Useful for debugging possible problems
84 with grml-debootstrap or identify what's actually executed.
86 *--filesystem* _filesystem_::
88 Filesystem that should be created when installing to a partition.
89 If unset defaults to ext4. Valid values are all filesystems that
90 can be created through mkfs._filesystem_.
94 Skip user acknowledgement and do not prompt for user input.
98 Enable Grml.org's Debian repository (http://deb.grml.org/) via the
99 /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grml.list configuration file. This provides the
100 option to install Debian packages from Grml's repository.
104 Device where grub should be installed to. Note that only the MBR (master
105 boot record) can be used (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb,...). Partitions (like
106 /dev/sda1, /dev/sdb2,...) are NOT supported because grub2 doesn't support
107 installation into the PBR (partition boot record) anymore. Usage example:
108 '--grub /dev/sda'. Note: just do not set this option to avoid installation
113 Show summary of options and exit.
115 *--hostname* _hostname_::
117 Use specified hostname instead of the default (being $HOSTNAME or if unset 'grml').
119 *-i*, *--iso* _/mntpoint_::
121 Specify mount point where you have a Debian ISO mounted loopback.
122 Using this option instead of the mirror option gives you the possibility
123 to install the base-system without network access. Make sure you
124 mounted the according Debian-ISO to the given _/mntpoint_. See section
125 'Usage examples' for a demonstration.
129 Do not overwrite user provided /etc/apt/sources.list.
131 *-m*, *--mirror* _URL_::
133 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude.
134 Corresponding with configuration variable MIRROR.
138 Skip debootstrap, only do configuration to the target.
142 Do not copy /etc/network/interfaces from host system to the target.
143 This option is automatically enabled when using --vm or --vmfile.
147 Skip installation of default kernel images. This option might be
148 interesting for you if you want a Debian system which doesn't
149 need to provide regular boot, e.g. a system which provides
150 ISOs for booting via GRUB using grml-rescueboot.
154 Enable the 'non-free' repository in COMPONENTS. By default only
155 the 'main' repository is enabled.
159 Skip installation of packages defined in /etc/debootstrap/packages.
163 Do not prompt for the root password. Note: Use the '--password' option if
164 you want to set the root password during an automatic installation but don't
165 want to use the interactive dialog.
167 *-p*, *--mntpoint* _/mntpoint_::
169 Specify mount point that should be used for mounting the target system.
170 Corresponding with configuration variable MNTPOINT.
171 Note: this option has no effect if option -t is given and represents a
174 *--packages* _file_::
176 Use specified file as list for packages that should be installed instead of
177 the default package list file <confdir>/packages.
179 *--password* _password_::
181 Use specified password as password for user root. Use with caution, as your
182 command line might be visible in the process list and the shell history.
183 It's meant for automatic installation only.
185 *--post-scripts* _directory_::
187 Execute scripts from specified directory after executing the chroot script.
188 This allows customisation of the system after the chroot has been set up.
189 The environment variable $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for
190 direct access of the chroot.
191 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/post-scripts/
193 *--pre-scripts* _directory_::
195 Execute scripts from specified directory before executing the chroot
196 script. This allows customisation of the system before the chroot has
197 been set up. The environment variable $MNTPOINT is available inside the
198 scripts for direct access of the chroot.
199 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/pre-scripts/
201 *-r*, *--release* _releasename_::
203 Specify release of new Debian system. Supported releases names: lenny,
204 squeeze, wheezy, jessie, stretch (note: requires a recent version of debootstrap)
205 and sid. Corresponding with configuration variable RELEASE.
209 Delete grml-debootstrap configuration files (/etc/debootstrap/*) from installed
210 system. Useful for reproducible builds or if you don't want to leak information.
212 *-t*, *--target* _target_::
214 Target partition (/dev/...) or directory (anything else without /dev at the
223 Set up a Virtual Machine on an existing block device, which will be
225 This allows deployment of a Virtual Machine. The options needs to be
226 combined with the --target option.
227 Usage example: --vm --target /dev/mapper/your-vm-disk
231 Set up a Virtual Machine using a regular file instead of installing to a
232 partition/block device or directory. This allows deployment of a Virtual
233 Machine. The options needs to be combined with the --target option
234 ('qemu-img create -f raw ...' is executed on the specified target).
235 Usage example: --vmfile --target /mnt/sda1/qemu.img
239 Use specified size for size of Virtual Machine disk file. If not specified it
240 defaults to 2G (being 2GB). Syntax as supported by qemu-img (see manpage
241 qemu-img(1) for details.
242 Usage example: --vmsize 3G
246 Show version of program and exit.
248 WARNING: the command line parsing of grml-debootstrap usually does not validate
249 the provided arguments for the command line options. Please be careful and check
250 docs and /etc/debootstrap/config for further information.
255 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda
257 Install default Debian release (jessie) on /dev/sda1 and install bootmanager
258 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition.
260 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda6 --grub /dev/sda --release sid
262 Install Debian unstable/sid on /dev/sda6, install bootmanager Grub in MBR
263 (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda6 as system partition.
265 mount /dev/sda1 /data/chroot
266 grml-debootstrap --target /data/chroot
268 Install default Debian release (jessie) in directory /data/chroot (without
271 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda3 --grub /dev/sda --mirror ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
273 Install default Debian release (jessie) on /dev/sda3 and install bootmanager
274 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda3 as system partition.
275 Use specified mirror instead of the default (http://httpredir.debian.org/debian) one.
277 mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
278 grml-debootstrap --vmfile --vmsize 3G --target /mnt/sda1/qemu.img
280 Install default debian release (jessie) in a Virtual Machine file with
281 3GB disk size (including Grub as bootmanager in MBR of the virtual disk file):
283 mount -o loop /mnt/sda6/debian-CD-1.iso /mnt/iso
284 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda --iso file:/mnt/iso/debian/
286 Install Debian on /dev/sda1 using the loopback mounted Debian-ISO
287 for the base-system and install bootmanager Grub in MBR (master boot record) of
288 /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition. Please notice, that the chroot
289 system requires network access for all packages which are not part of the
295 /etc/debootstrap/config
297 Main configuration file. Adjust it according to your needs if you want to
298 execute grml-debootstrap in the non-interactive mode without any special command
301 /etc/debootstrap/chroot-script
303 The script executed within the new Debian system as soon as the main system
304 has been installed via [c]debootstrap.
306 /etc/debootstrap/locale.gen
308 Defines the default locales used for generating locales via locale-gen.
310 /etc/debootstrap/packages
312 Defines the software packages which should be installed in the new
313 Debian system by default.
315 /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages/
317 Debian Packages dropped in this directory will be installed into the new Debian
318 system by default (Control variable: EXTRAPACKAGES)
323 You can control execution of grml-debootstrap via adjusting
324 /etc/debootstrap/config for some main stuff or via setting some selected
325 variables via command line. The packages which should be installed in the new
326 Debian system can be defined via the file /etc/debootstrap/packages. If you
327 want to put existing files to the new Debian system you can place them into the
328 (by default non-existing) directories boot, etc, share, usr and var in
329 /etc/debootstrap/. Every existing directory will be copied to the new Debian
330 system then. If you want to install additional packages that are not available
331 via the Grml or Debian mirror drop them into /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages and
332 make sure that EXTRAPACKAGES is set to "yes".
334 Automatic installation
335 ----------------------
337 If environment variable AUTOINSTALL is set grml-debootstrap can be executed in a
338 full automatic mode. While this mode isn't really useful for interactive
339 execution (just configure /etc/debootstrap/configure or specify the relevant
340 variables on the command line instead) it is meant for use via boot option
341 debian2hd on the Grml live system. The boot option debian2hd (more precise: the
342 kernelname at the bootprompt) supports the following boot options (they
343 correspond with the command line options mentioned above):
347 The target partition/directory of the new Debian system. Usage example:
352 Where do you want to install grub to? Usage example: grub=/dev/sda
356 Specify release of new Debian system. Defaults to Debian jessie. Supported
357 releases: lenny, squeeze, wheezy, jessie, stretch and sid. Usage example: release=sid
361 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude instead
362 of the default one (http://httpredir.debian.org/debian).
363 Usage example: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
367 Set password of user root without prompting for it but set it to the given
368 argument. Usage example: password=AiTh5ahn
370 Usage example for automatic installation
371 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
373 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
375 You have to enter this command line at the bootprompt of the Grml live system.
376 Please make sure that /dev/sda1 is the partition where you really want to
377 install your new Debian system.
380 Automatic installation within booting process is done in grml-autoconfig via
381 setting environment variable AUTOINSTALL and creation of
382 /usr/bin/grml-debootstrap_noninteractive with the available and relevant
383 boot options for grml-debootstrap.
388 include::releasetable.txt[]
392 ================================================================================
393 [1] Please notice that lenny is an unsupported release within Debian nowadays.
394 grml-debootstrap can handle the release but you really should not use lenny
395 anymore unless you really know what you are doing. Choose Debian 8.0 (jessie) or
396 something newer instead.
398 Notice that you need to specify a mirror providing the lenny release, the
399 default (http://httpredir.debian.org/debian) doesn't provide it any longer nowadays.
400 Set the mirror to e.g. http://archive.debian.org/debian/ if you don't have
401 your own lenny mirror.
403 You also need to specify a filesystem that's supported by lenny, e.g.
404 '--filesystem ext3' since grml-debootstrap's current default (ext4) isn't
407 Also when debootstrapping lenny on a live system with a kernel version
408 like "3.16-1-grml-amd64" lenny's libc will fail to install with:
411 /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: line 265: [: 3.16-1-grml-amd64: integery expression expected
412 /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: line 231: 3.16-1-grml-amd64: syntax error: invalid arithemtic operator (error token is ".16-1-grml-amd64")
413 dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.7-18lenny7_amd64.deb (--install):
416 To workaround this either debootstrap from a system with an according
417 kernel version or use the "fake uname" workaround (just google for it).
419 When installing lenny to a new mdraid, grml-debootstrap will use md metadata
420 format version 0.90. This limits the device to a maximum size of 2TB, but has
421 the advantage of grub-legacy actually being able to boot from it.
422 ================================================================================
425 .unstable and testing releases
426 ================================================================================
427 [2] Please notice that Debian/testing and Debian/unstable (sid) might
428 not be always installable due to their nature. What _might_ work instead is
429 deploying a stable release and upgrade it after installation finished.
430 ================================================================================
435 Probably. Please send bugreports to Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>.
440 debootstrap (8), cdebootstrap (1).
444 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>