1 CHEATCODES AND HINTS FOR GRML
2 ==============================================================================
4 Isolinux bootprompt options:
5 ----------------------------
7 These options work from the isolinux bootprompt of Grml based (live) systems.
8 (Do NOT use them as 'grml $OPTION', use them as '$OPTION'!):
10 grml Use default settings (same as just pressing return)
11 grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and
12 run from there (compare with 'grml toram')
13 memtest Run Memtest86+ instead of Linux
14 fb1280x1024 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (1)
15 fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: Grml's default]
16 fb800x600 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (3)
17 nofb Disable framebuffer
18 floppy Boot from floppydisk
19 hd / hd1 / hd2 / hd3 Boot from (local) primary / secondary /... harddisk
20 debug Get shells during process of booting for debugging
21 forensic Do not touch any harddisks during hardware recognition
22 serial Activate ttyS0 and start a getty
23 grub Boot Grub bootloader (special all-in-one-image)
25 hdt Boot Hardware Detection Tool (from syslinux project)
27 Further documentation regarding the boot process can be found at:
28 * http://git.grml.org/?p=live-initramfs-grml.git;a=blob_plain;f=manpages/live-initramfs.en.7.txt;hb=HEAD
29 * https://manpages.debian.org/live-boot-doc/live-boot.7.en.html
30 * https://manpages.debian.org/initramfs-tools-core/initramfs-tools.7.en.html
31 * https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.html
33 The following boot options can be combined.
34 Notice: not all of them are available on all the Grml flavours.
35 For example the X window system is not part of grml-small.
39 grml lang=at|de|cn|da|es|fr|it Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
40 grml lang=nl|pl|ru|sk|tr|tw|us Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
41 grml utc Hardware Clock is set to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
42 grml localtime Hardware Clock is set to local time (LOCAL), this is the default
43 grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use specified timezone for TZ, defaults to TZ=UTC
44 grml keyboard=us Use different keyboard layout
46 Configuration settings:
47 -----------------------
48 grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Set the DCS dir (debs, config, scripts) to the root of this device
49 DCS dir defaults to the live image or a device labeled GRMLCFG
50 If a file /config.tbz exists, it is extracted from there.
51 /dev/fd0 for floppy disk
52 /dev/sda1 for USB-stick/first SCSI-device
53 grml autoconfig=SOMELABEL Set the DCS dir to the root of the device labeled with SOMELABEL.
54 If undefined search for a device labeled with GRMLCFG.
55 grml netconfig=server/config.tbz Download file and extract configuration archive
56 grml netscript=server/file Download and execute file
57 grml partconf=/dev/sda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/sda2
58 to booting grml system
59 grml file=foobar.tbz Use specified file as name for configuration archive
60 instead of the default one (config.tbz)
61 grml extract=/etc Extract only /etc from configuration archive,
62 use it in combination with myconfig or netconfig
63 grml persistence Enable persistency feature, more details available at
64 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency
65 grml hostname=... Set hostname to given argument
66 grml hostname Set a random hostname
67 [Note: only available with releases newer than 2010.04]
68 grml nonetworking Do not create/overwrite /etc/network/interface during startup
69 grml distri=... Set distribution name to given argument. If a jpg file named like the
70 given distri name can be found in directory desktop on the ISO
71 (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
72 grml debnet Search through local partitions for file /etc/network/interfaces,
73 copy /etc/network to local system and restart networking then
74 grml dns=8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4 Set DNS resolvers during boot and for live system.
75 grml ip=... Standard Linux kernel ip= boot option. Arguments:
76 clientip:nfsserverip:gwip:netmask:hostname:device:autoconf
77 Valid values for autoconf: off, on, dhcp, bootp, rarp, both.
78 Almost everything is optional. Most common form: ip=dhcp
79 grml mypath=... Add specified option into $PATH of Zsh
80 For example when using "grml mypath=/foobar" then /foobar
81 will be added to the end of $PATH inside Zsh
82 grml debs Install all Debian packages from the "debs" directory of your DCS
83 directory (see myconfig=, typically the root of your ISO image).
84 grml debs=path-name-wildcard Install Debian packages from DCS directory (see myconfig=,
85 typically the root of your ISO image). If path does not contain a
86 "/" the package(s) will be installed from directory "debs" of the
87 DCS directory instead. The "path-name-wildcard" can contain
88 wildcards (e.g. debs=rat* will install a packages starting with "rat"
89 from directory debs/).
90 grml scripts=path-name Execute script (defaulting to grml.sh) inside DCS dir. Path names
91 allowed. If path-name points to a directory, all scripts found in
92 the directory are executed.
93 grml config=path-name Unpack archive that path-name points to
94 grml noautoconfig Disable searching for device labeled GRMLCFG
95 grml nobeep Disable welcome chime, sounded before grml-quickconfig starts.
97 Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and 'man 1 grml-autoconfig'
98 for more information regarding the configuration framework of Grml.
100 Booting related options:
101 ------------------------
102 grml toram Copy the whole CD/medium to RAM and run from there
103 grml toram=filename.squashfs Copy the specified file to RAM and run from there
104 Usage example: grml toram=grml-medium.squashfs
105 Notice: grml2ram is an alias for this option which
106 corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default
107 grml tohd=/dev/sda1 Copy Grml's squashfs file to harddisk partition for later
108 use via "grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1"
109 grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device
110 Setup can be done booting 'grml tohd=/dev/sda1' or
111 running 'rsync -a --progress /run/live/medium/live /media/sda1/'
112 grml bootfrom=removable Restrict search for the live media to removable type only.
113 grml bootfrom=removable-usb Restrict search for the live media to usb mass storage only.
114 grml isofrom=[fs:][/device]/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting.
115 Useful when booting as a rescue system from a different device.
116 If you want to load the image from a device different from the root device
117 specified through the bootloader, prefix its device path to the path, like
118 in "/dev/sda1/grml.iso".
119 Internally, the initrd will mount the given device, automatically detecting
121 If needed, prefix the file system separated with a colon character to
122 override the automatic detection, like in "reiserfs:/dev/sda1/grml.iso".
123 As an example, boot the according grml kernel and initrd using the
124 bootoptions "boot=live isofrom=btrfs:/dev/vda40/path/to/grml.iso"
125 Notice: "fromiso" does the same as "isofrom", it's just there
126 to prevent any typing errors
127 grml findiso=/grml_2010.12.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
128 looks for the .squashfs file (so you don't have to know the device name
130 grml fetch=$IP/filename.squashfs Download a squashfs image from a given url, copying to ram and booting it.
131 [Note: releases before 2011.05 didn't support DNS but IP only.]
132 grml live-media-path=/live/grml... Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium
133 By default, it is set to /live/$GRML_FLAVOUR/ (where $GRML_FLAVOUR
134 is corresponding to grml64-full, grml32-full, grml64-small,...
135 [Note: this option is mandatory since release 2011.12]
136 grml module=grml Instead of using the default "$name.module" another file can
137 be specified without the extension ".module"; it should be placed
138 on "/live" directory of the live medium
139 Useful for Multiboot USB pen, see
140 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=tips#multiboot_usb_pen
141 grml bootid=mybootid Use specified argument as identifier for the ISO.
142 mybootid is specified in /conf/bootid.txt on the ISO.
143 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
144 grml ignore_bootid Disable bootid verification.
145 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
148 Debugging related settings:
149 ---------------------------
150 grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose
151 grml debug=1 Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose and
152 display shell code being executed in initramfs.
153 grml debug=noscreen Get shells during process of booting, verbose, but without using GNU screen
154 grml nocolor Disable colorized output while booting
155 Also set SYSTEMD_COLORS=0 to disable colors in systemd output
156 grml log Log error messages while booting to /tmp/grml.log.`date +%Y%m%d`"
158 grml testcd Check CD data integrity and md5sums
160 Security / login related settings:
161 ----------------------------------
163 grml ssh=password Set password for root & grml user and start ssh-server
164 grml passwd=... Set password for root & grml user
165 grml encpasswd=.... Set specified hash as password for root & grml user, use e.g.
166 'mkpasswd -H md5' to generate such a hash (available in Grml >=2013.09)
168 Service related settings:
169 -------------------------
170 grml startup=script Start $script instead of grml-quickconfig on startup
171 grml nosyslog Do not start syslog daemon
172 grml nogpm Disable GPM daemon
173 grml noconsolefont Disable setting of console font (using consolechars)
174 grml noblank Disable console blanking
175 grml noquick Disable grml-quickconfig startup script
176 grml wondershaper=eth0,1000,500 Set up basic traffic shaping
177 grml services={postfix,mysql,...} Start service(s) which have an init-script (/etc/init.d/)
178 grml welcome Welcome message via soundoutput
179 grml noeject Do NOT eject CD after halt/reboot
180 grml noprompt Do NOT prompt to remove the CD when halting/rebooting the system
181 grml startx{=windowmanager} Start X window system automatically
182 Default window manager (if not provided): wm-ng (wrapper around fluxbox)
183 grml nostartx If using startx as default bootoption the nostartx *disables* automatic
184 startup of X again. (This bootoption is relevant for grml based derivatives
185 which decide to enable startx by default only, plain grml does not use
186 automatic startup of X by default.)
187 grml vnc=password Start VNC server with startup of X.org and sets the password to the specified
188 one. To automatically start the VNC server use the startx bootoption.
189 [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC server.]
190 grml vnc_connect=host[:port] Connect to a listening VNC client ("vncviewer -listen" reverse connection).
191 Can be used to connect from devices behind firewalls as connection is
192 initiated from the VNC server instead of the VNC client. Has to be
193 combined with the vnc bootoption.
194 [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC client.]
195 grml getfile.retries=$NUM Retry the download of the files specified in the netconfig=... +
196 netscript=... options up to $NUM times
199 Accessibility related settings:
200 -------------------------------
201 grml brltty=type,port,table Parameters for Braille device (e.g.: brltty=al,/dev/ttyS0,text.de.tbl)
202 See http://mielke.cc/brltty/guidelines.html for documentation.
204 Hardware related settings:
205 --------------------------
206 grml swap Activate present/detected swap partitions
207 grml noswraid Disable scanning for software raid arrays (creates /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf)
208 grml swraid Enable automatic assembling of software raid arrays
209 grml nodmraid Do not enable present dmraid devices.
210 grml dmraid=on Automatically enable any present dmraid devices.
211 grml dmraid=off Actively try to stop any present dmraid devices.
212 grml nolvm Disable scanning for Logical Volumes (LVM)
213 grml lvm Automatically activate Logival Volumes (LVM) during boot
214 grml read-only Make sure all harddisk devices (/dev/hd* /dev/sd*) are forced to read-only mode
215 grml ethdevice=... Use specified network device for network boot instead of default (eth0)
216 grml ethdevice-timeout=... Use specified network configuration timeout instead of default (15sec)
217 grml xmodule=ati|fbdev|i810|mga Use specified X.org-Module (1)
218 grml xmodule=nv|radeon|savage|s3 Use specified X.org-Module (2)
219 grml xmodule=radeon|svga|i810 Use specified X.org-Module (3)
220 grml no{acpi,cpu,dhcp,fstab,swap} Skip parts of HW-detection
221 grml blacklist=modulename[,module2] Completely disable loading of specified module(s) via
222 blacklisting through udev's /etc/modprobe.d/grml
223 grml nosound Mute sound devices (notice: this does not deactivate loading of sound drivers!)
224 grml vol=number Set mixer volumes to level $number
225 grml micvol=number Set mixer volume of microphone to level $number (default: 0)
226 grml acpi=off Disable ACPI Bios completely
227 grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98 Try this, if PS/2 mouse doesn't work *)
228 grml pci=bios Workaround for bad PCI controllers
229 grml libata.force=[ID:]VAL Force configurations for libata.
230 Usage example: grml libata.force=1:pio4
231 to force pio4 mode on device "ata1:00:"
232 grml libata.dma=0 Disable DMA on PATA and SATA devices
233 grml libata.ignore_hpa=1 Disable host protected area (which should enable the whole disk)
234 grml vga=normal No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
235 grml vga=ask Display menu for framebuffer mode
236 grml radeon.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Radeon driver.
237 grml i915.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Intel driver.
238 grml nouveau.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Nouveau driver.
239 grml cirrus.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Cirrus driver.
240 grml mgag200.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for MGAG200 driver.
242 Installation related settings:
243 ------------------------------
245 Caution: do *NOT* use the debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
247 Install plain Debian via debian2hd bootoption (which runs grml-debootstrap in non-interactive mode):
249 debian2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for debian2hd are:
251 target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/sda1
252 grub= where to install grub to, e.g.: grub=/dev/sda
253 release= specify release of new Debian system (default is stable), e.g.: release=sid
254 mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=http://ftp.debian.org/debian
255 password= set passwort of user root without prompting for it, e.g.: password=AiTh5ahn
257 Usage example for automatic installation:
259 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=http://ftp.debian.org/debian password=foobar
261 See http://grml.org/grml-debootstrap/ for more information.
266 *) If your Grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
267 errors like "squashfs: read error", or programs are crashing randomly,
268 then your CD image is probably defective or incomplete, your CD-burner
269 created a defective CD due to wrong writing speed or bad media or your
270 CD-ROM drive is broken. This is the most common error reported. Please
271 boot with "grml testcd" to check if the CD is OK, and/or even better,
272 verify the MD5 checksums that are present on the mirrors before writing
273 the CD. Check your CD low-level via running 'readcd -c2scan
274 dev=/dev/cdrom'. In some cases, defective IDE controllers cause this
275 error if you have DMA enabled. Also, please read the grml-FAQ.
277 *) In case of a failing hardware autodetection, try booting with any of
278 the "no-" options as shown in the table above, like in
279 grml noagp noapic acpi=off nodma
280 to skip some critical parts of the autodetection system.
282 *) The "myconfig=/dev/partition" option allows you to reconfigure the
283 system after autoconfiguration by running a bourne shell script called
284 "grml.sh" and/or extracting configuration files from a file named
285 config.tbz from the root directory on the given device (or floppy).
286 Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ for more information regarding
287 the configuration framework of grml.
289 *) If you wish to remaster the CD, please don't forget to specify
291 -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table \
292 -b boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin -c boot/isolinux/boot.cat
294 as option to mkisofs. Otherwise your CD won't be bootable. The
295 directory live, containing the squashfs compressed filesystem file,
296 must be located in the top level directory of the CD.
298 *) Caution: screensavers: Don't start physlock or any other screensaver
299 that requires a password manually. There are no default passwords on
300 the live system - all accounts are LOCKED by default for security reasons.
301 Instead just invoke the script grml-lock which prompts for setting a
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