1 CHEATCODES AND HINTS FOR GRML
2 ==============================================================================
4 These options work from the (isolinux/grub) bootprompt of Grml based (live) systems.
6 The following kernel options are available (do NOT use them as 'grml $OPTION',
7 use them as '$OPTION'!):
9 grml Use default settings (same as just pressing return)
10 grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and
11 run from there (compare with 'grml toram')
12 memtest Run Memtest86+ instead of Linux
13 fb1280x1024 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (1)
14 fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: Grml's default]
15 fb800x600 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (3)
16 nofb Disable framebuffer
17 floppy Boot from floppydisk
18 hd / hd1 / hd2 / hd3 Boot from (local) primary / secondary /... harddisk
19 failsafe Boot with (almost) no HW-detection
20 debug Get shells during process of booting for debugging
21 bootchart Create chart of booting sequence in /var/log/bootchart.tgz
22 forensic Do not touch any harddisks during hardware recognition
23 serial Activate ttyS0 and start mgetty
24 grub Boot Grub bootloader (special all-in-one-image)
27 hdt Boot Hardware Detection Tool (from syslinux project)
28 qemu Boot with special options for use in Qemu
29 vmware Boot with special options for use in VMware
31 Further documentation regarding the init process can be found at:
32 * http://git.grml.org/?p=live-initramfs-grml.git;a=blob_plain;f=manpages/live-initramfs.en.7.txt;hb=HEAD
33 * http://git.debian.org/?p=kernel/initramfs-tools.git;a=blob_plain;f=initramfs-tools.8;hb=HEAD
35 The following boot options can be combined.
36 Notice: not all of the them are available on all the Grml flavours.
37 For example the X window system is not part of grml-small.
41 grml lang=at|de|cn|da|es|fr|it Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
42 grml lang=nl|pl|ru|sk|tr|tw|us Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
43 grml lang=$LANG-iso Activate $LANG (use like in lines above) with iso-mode instead of utf8
44 grml gmt Use GMT-based time (UTC=yes)
45 grml utc Use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC=yes)
46 grml localtime Use local time (UTC=no)
47 grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use specified timezone for TZ
48 grml keyboard=us xkeyboard=us Use different keyboard layout (text-console/X)
49 grml setkeycodes Set some special function keys for MS/HP keyboards
51 Configuration settings:
52 -----------------------
53 grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Set the DCS dir (debs, config, scripts) to the root of this device
54 DCS dir defaults to the live image or a device labeled GRMLCFG
55 If a file /config.tbz exists, it is extracted from there.
56 /dev/fd0 for floppy disk
57 /dev/sda1 for USB-stick/first SCSI-device
58 grml netconfig=server/config.tbz Download file and extract configuration archive
59 grml netscript=server/file Download and execute file
60 grml partconf=/dev/hda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/hda2
61 to booting grml system
62 grml file=foobar.tbz Use specified file as name for configuration archive
63 instead of the default one (config.tbz)
64 grml extract=/etc Extract only /etc from configuration archive,
65 use it in combination with myconfig or netconfig
66 grml persistent Enable persistency feature, more details available at
67 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency
68 grml hostname=... Set hostname
69 grml hostname Set a random hostname
70 grml nodhcphostname Do not to set the hostname according to the dns information
71 grml distri=... Set distribution name to given argument. If a jpg file named like the
72 given distri name can be found in directory desktop on the ISO
73 (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
74 grml debnet Search through local partitions for file /etc/network/interfaces,
75 copy /etc/network to local system and restart networking then
76 grml mypath=... Add specified option into $PATH of Zsh
77 For example when using "grml mypath=/foobar" then /foobar
78 will be added to the end of $PATH inside Zsh
79 grml debs=path-name-wildcard install Debian packages matching the path-name-wildcard in the
81 grml scripts=path-name execute script (defaulting to grml.sh) inside DCS dir. Path names
82 allowed. If path-name points to a directory, all scripts found in
83 the directory are executed.
84 grml config=path-name unpack archive that path-name points to
85 grml noautoconfig Disable searching for device labeled GRMLCFG
87 Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and 'man 1 grml-autoconfig'
88 for more information regarding the configuration framework of grml.
90 Booting related options:
91 ------------------------
92 grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and run from there
93 grml toram Copy the whole CD/medium to RAM and run from there
94 grml toram=filename.squashfs Copy the specified file to RAM and run from there
95 Usage example: grml toram=grml-medium.squashfs
96 Notice: grml2ram is an alias for this option which
97 corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default
99 grml tohd=/dev/sda1 Copy Grml's squashfs file to harddisk partition for later
100 use via "grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1"
101 grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device
102 Setup can be done booting 'grml tohd=/dev/sda1' or
103 running 'rsync -a --progress /live/image/live /mnt/sda1/'
104 grml bootfrom=removable Restrict search for the live media to removable type only.
105 grml bootfrom=removable-usb Restrict search for the live media to usb mass storage only.
106 grml isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting
107 Useful when booting as a rescue system from harddisk - just boot
108 the according grml kernel and initrd using the bootoptions
109 "boot=live isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso"
110 Notice: "fromiso" does the same as "isofrom", it's just there
111 to prevent any typing errors
112 grml findiso=/grml_2010.04.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
113 looks for the .squashfs file (so you don't have to know the device name
115 grml fetch=$IP/filename.squashfs Download a squashfs image from a given url, copying to ram and booting it.
116 Due to current limitations in busyboxs wget and DNS resolution, an URL
117 can not contain a hostname but an IP only.
118 grml live-media-path=live Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium
119 By default, it is set to /live
120 grml module=grml Instead of using the default "$name.module" another file can
121 be specified without the extension ".module"; it should be placed
122 on "/live" directory of the live medium
123 Useful for Multiboot USB pen, see
124 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=tips#multiboot_usb_pen
125 grml bootid=mybootid Use specified argument as identifier for the ISO.
126 mybootid is specified in /conf/bootid.txt on the ISO.
127 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
128 grml ignore_bootid Disable bootid verification.
129 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
132 Debugging related settings:
133 ---------------------------
134 debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be very verbose
135 grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose
136 grml debug=1 Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose and
137 display shell code being executed in initramfs.
138 grml debug=noscreen Get shells during process of booting, verbose, but without using GNU screen
139 grml nocolor Disable colorized output while booting
140 grml log Log error messages while booting to /tmp/grml.log.`date +%Y%m%d`"
142 grml testcd Check CD data integrity and md5sums
144 Service related settings:
145 -------------------------
146 grml ssh=password Set password for user grml and start ssh-server
147 grml startup=script Start $script instead of grml-quickconfig on startup
148 grml nosyslog Do not start syslog daemon
149 grml nogpm Disable GPM daemon
150 grml noconsolefont Disable setting of console font (using consolechars)
151 grml noblank Disable console blanking
152 grml tsplash Text based bootsplash
153 grml noquick Disable grml-quickconfig startup script
154 grml small Do not start that many consoles
155 grml wondershaper=eth0,1000,500 Set up basic traffic shaping
156 grml services={postfix,mysql,...} Start service(s) which have an init-script (/etc/init.d/)
157 grml welcome Welcome message via soundoutput
158 grml noeject Do NOT eject CD after halt/reboot
159 grml noprompt Do NOT prompt to remove the CD when halting/rebooting the system
160 grml distcc=$NETWORK,$INTERFACE Activate distcc-daemon to listen on specified network
161 and interface, usage example:
162 distcc=192.168.0.1/24,eth0
163 grml gcc=3.4 gpp=3.4 Link /usr/bin/gcc, /usr/bin/cpp and /usr/bin/c++ to specified version
164 grml startx{=windowmanager} Start X window system automatically
165 Default window manager (if not provided): wm-ng (wrapper around fluxbox)
166 grml nostartx If using startx as default bootoption the nostartx *disables* automatic
167 startup of X again. (This bootoption is relevant for grml based derivatives
168 which decide to enable startx by default only, plain grml does not use
169 automatic startup of X by default.)
171 Accessibility related settings:
172 -------------------------------
173 grml blind Start Braille-Terminal (no X)
174 grml hwspeak Probe all available speakup hardware modules
175 grml swspeak Prepare system for use with software synthesizer through speakup
176 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
177 grml swspeak=espeak Use espeakup (if available) as connector to speakup
178 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
179 grml swspeak=speechd Use speech-dispatcher / speechd-up (if available) as connector to speakup
180 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
181 grml brltty=type,port,table Parameters for Braille device (e.g.: brltty=al,/dev/ttyS0,text.de.tbl)
182 grml speakup.synth=... Use speakup kernel module with given hardware type
183 Usage example: speakup.synth=apollo
185 Hardware related settings:
186 --------------------------
187 grml swap Activate present/detected swap partitions
188 grml noswraid Disable scanning for software raid arrays (creates /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf)
189 grml swraid Enable automatic assembling of software raid arrays
190 grml nodmraid Do not enable present dmraid devices.
191 grml dmraid=on Automatically enable any present dmraid devices.
192 grml dmraid=off Actively try to stop any present dmraid devices.
193 grml nolvm Disable scanning for Logical Volumes (LVM)
194 grml lvm Automatically activate Logival Volumes (LVM) during boot
195 grml readonly Make sure all harddisk devices (/dev/hd* /dev/sd*) are forced to read-only mode
196 grml ethdevice=... Use specified network device for network boot instead of default (eth0)
197 grml xmodule=ati|fbdev|i810|mga Use specified X.org-Module (1)
198 grml xmodule=nv|radeon|savage|s3 Use specified X.org-Module (2)
199 grml xmodule=radeon|svga|i810 Use specified X.org-Module (3)
200 grml no{acpi,agp,apm,cpu,dhcp} Skip parts of HW-detection (1)
201 grml no{dma,fstab,modem} Skip parts of HW-detection (2)
202 grml no{pcmcia,scsi,swap,usb} Skip parts of HW-detection (3)
203 grml 915resolution=... Start resolution modify tool for Intel graphic chipset
204 usage: $MODE,$XRESO,$YRESO
205 grml blacklist=modulename[,module2] Completely disable loading of specified module(s) via
206 blacklisting through udev's /etc/modprobe.d/grml
207 grml fwtimeout=50 Set firmware timeout via /sys/class/firmware/timeout to specified value
208 grml nosound Mute sound devices (notice: this does not deactivate loading of sound drivers!)
209 grml vol=number Set mixer volumes to level $number
210 grml micvol=number Set mixer volume of microphone to level $number (default: 0)
211 grml pnpbios=off No PnP Bios initialization
212 grml acpi=off Disable ACPI Bios completely
213 grml nousb2 Disable initialization of USB 2.x controller(s)
214 grml nousb Disable initialization of USB in booting sequence
215 grml nofirewire Disable initialization of firewire devices in booting sequence
216 grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98 Try this, if PS/2 mouse doesn't work *)
217 grml pci=bios Workaround for bad PCI controllers
218 grml ide2=0x180 nopcmcia Boot from PCMCIA-CD-ROM (some notebooks)
219 grml mem=128M Specify Memory size in MByte
220 grml libata.force=[ID:]VAL Force configurations for libata.
221 Usage example: grml libata.force=1:pio4
222 to force pio4 mode on device "ata1:00:"
223 grml libata.dma=0 Disable DMA on PATA and SATA devices
224 grml libata.ignore_hpa=1 Disable host protected area (which should enable the whole disk)
225 grml vga=normal [video=ofonly] No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
226 grml vga=ask [video=ofonly] Display menu for framebuffer mode
228 Installation related settings:
229 ------------------------------
231 Caution: do *not* use the grml2hd and/or debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
233 Install plain Debian via debian2hd bootoption (which runs grml-debootstrap in non-interactive mode):
235 debian2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for debian2hd are:
237 target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/hda1
238 grub= where to install grub to? Use grub syntax for specifying, e.g.: grub=hd0
239 groot= specify root device for usage in grub (use grub syntax), e.g.: groot=hd0,0
240 release= specify release of new Debian system (default is stable), e.g.: release=sid
241 mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
242 password= set passwort of user root without prompting for it, e.g.: password=AiTh5ahn
244 Usage example for automatic installation:
246 debian2hd target=/dev/hda1 grub=hd0 groot=hd0,0 mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
248 See http://grml.org/grml-debootstrap/ for more information.
250 Install grml via grml2hd bootoption (which runs grml2hd in non-interactive mode):
252 grml2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for grml2hd are:
254 user= user name for user which should be used at hd-install
255 filesystem={ext2|ext3|reiserfs|reiser4|jfs|xfs} filesystem to be used
256 mbr=/dev/... partition where MBR should be installed (default:=partition)
257 partition=/dev/... partition where grml should be installed
259 Usage example for booting:
260 grml2hd partition=/dev/hda4 mbr=/dev/hda filesystem=ext3 user=mika
262 Passwords of user root and user are "grml" - please adjust after hd-install!
264 See http://grml.org/grml2hd/ for more information.
269 *) If your Grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
270 errors like "squashfs: read error", or programs are crashing randomly,
271 then your CD image is probably defective or incomplete, your CD-burner
272 created a defective CD due to wrong writing speed or bad media or your
273 CD-ROM drive is broken. This is the most common error reported. Please
274 boot with "grml testcd" to check if the CD is OK, and/or even better,
275 verify the MD5 checksums that are present on the mirrors before writing
276 the CD. Check your CD low-level via running 'readcd -c2scan
277 dev=/dev/cdrom'. In some cases, defective IDE controllers cause this
278 error if you have DMA enabled. Also, please read the grml-FAQ.
280 *) In case of a failing hardware autodetection, try booting with any of
281 the "no-" options as shown in the table above, like in
282 grml noagp noapm noapic acpi=off nodma
283 to skip some critical parts of the autodetection system.
285 *) Some boards (especially those with E-ISA slots) apparently don't pass
286 the proper memory size to the linux-kernel. It may cause the message
287 "Panic: cannot mount root file system" and the system hangs. Use "grml
288 mem=128M" to solve that problem if your system has 128MByte memory for
289 example (caution: you MUST use a capital "M" here).
291 *) The "myconfig=/dev/partition" option allows you to reconfigure the
292 system after autoconfiguration by running a bourne shell script called
293 "grml.sh" and/or extracting configuration files from a file named
294 config.tbz from the root directory on the given device (or floppy).
295 Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ for more information regarding
296 the configuration framework of grml.
298 *) If you wish to remaster the CD, please don't forget to specify
300 -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table \
301 -b boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin -c boot/isolinux/boot.cat
303 as option to mkisofs. Otherwise your CD won't be bootable. The
304 directory live, containing the squashfs compressed filesystem file,
305 must be located in the top level directory of the CD.
307 *) Caution: screensavers: Don't start vlock or any other screensaver
308 that requires a password manually. There are no default passwords on
309 the live system - all accounts are LOCKED by default for security reasons.
310 Instead just invoke the script grml-lock which prompts for setting a
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