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>] [-bBFhquVz]
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://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[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.
89 -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::
91 The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
92 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
93 /etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
94 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
95 option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
96 settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
97 Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
98 of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
99 your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
100 notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
101 supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at /etc/grml/fai/config. Instead use
102 /etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
103 /etc/grml/fai/config.
107 Use specified date as build date information on the ISO instead of the default.
108 The default is the date when grml-live is being executed (retrieved via
109 executing 'date +%Y-%m-%d'). The information is stored inside the file
110 /GRML/grml-version on the ISO, /etc/grml_version in the squashfs file and in all
111 the bootsplash related files. This option is useful if you want to provide an
112 ISO with release information for a specific date but have to build it in
113 advance. Usage example: '-d 2009-10-30'
117 Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.
121 Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
122 Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
123 GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.
127 Display short usage information and exit.
131 Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
134 -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::
136 Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
137 the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
138 in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.
142 Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
143 the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.
145 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
147 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
148 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
149 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
150 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
154 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
155 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
156 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
160 Specify name of the release.
164 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
165 "lenny" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny, sid.
166 Debian "squeeze" (current Debian/testing) requires base.tgz
167 (/etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/....tar.gz) or a recent version of debootstrap.
169 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
171 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
172 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
176 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
177 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
179 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
181 Specify version number of the release.
185 Increase verbosity in the build process.
189 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
195 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
196 as build and output directory just run:
200 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
201 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
203 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live
205 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
206 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
208 # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386
210 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
211 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
212 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
214 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
218 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
219 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
220 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
221 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
222 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
223 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
226 Main features of grml-live
227 --------------------------
229 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
231 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
233 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
235 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
238 * native support of FAI features
240 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
246 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
247 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
248 losing the simplicity in the build process.
250 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
251 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
252 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
253 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
254 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
255 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
257 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
258 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
259 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
260 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
261 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
263 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
266 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
267 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
268 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
269 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local or
270 invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
271 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".
273 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
274 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
281 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
282 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
283 example in /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
284 selected. The following classes are predefined:
286 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
288 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
289 defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
290 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
293 * GRML_FORENSIC: tools for forensic investigations which has been created
294 by people from link:http://www.forensic-geeks.org/[forensic-geeks.org].
296 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.
298 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium
300 * GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
303 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small
305 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
306 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
308 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
309 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
311 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
312 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
315 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
318 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
319 official grml release
321 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
322 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
324 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
331 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
332 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
333 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
334 fai-client) grml uses /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf instead. For more details see
335 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
336 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
337 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
338 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
342 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
344 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
346 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
347 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
348 configuration instead.
350 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
352 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
353 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are prefered
354 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
355 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
358 /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf
360 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
361 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default it is set to
362 FAI_CONFIGDIR=/etc/grml/fai/config, a directory shipped by grml-live
363 out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this file.
365 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
367 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
368 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
371 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
373 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
375 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
377 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
378 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
379 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
380 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
381 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
382 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
383 check out /etc/grml/fai/files/etc/apt instead.
385 /etc/grml/fai/config/
387 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
389 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
391 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
394 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
396 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
399 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
401 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
402 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
403 installation process.
405 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
407 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
408 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
409 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
410 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
411 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
412 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
413 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
414 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
415 reasonable package configuration.
417 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
419 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
423 This directory provides files used inside the scripts of
424 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/*. For a full documentation what happens with the
425 files please refer to the source of the scripts.
427 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
429 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
436 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set ZERO_LOGFILE in
437 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf the output is appended to the file. If you set the
438 ZERO_LOGFILE configuration option the logfile will be truncated on each new
439 invocation of grml-live.
441 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
442 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
444 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
445 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
448 Requirements for the build system
449 ---------------------------------
451 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
452 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
453 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
454 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
455 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
456 on a plain, original Debian system.
458 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
459 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
460 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
461 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
462 total free disk space
464 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
465 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
468 For further information see next section.
472 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
473 ---------------------------------------------------------
475 To make it easier to track problems this section documents current state of
476 grml-live playing together with squashfs-tools / squashfs-lzma-tools (for
477 building the compressed file) and the kernel version. Documentation of this
478 section is up2date by 7rd of september 2009, please report any bugs you
481 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools and squashfs-tools
482 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
484 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
485 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
486 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
488 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
489 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
490 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools had to be introduced by the Grml team. Different
491 kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats (version 3.x for kernel
492 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64], since kernel 2.6.31-grml[64] it's the 4.x
495 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
497 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
500 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
503 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma
504 option, file format version 3
506 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via -lzma option,
507 file format version 4
509 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma option,
510 file format version 3
512 Depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
513 squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools. Yes, that's pretty a mess (don't ask how
514 much this sucks for us developers) - though this is supposed to calm down with
515 the recent integration of squashfs file format 4 in the mainline kernel. Support
516 for LZMA is pending and should dramatically simplify the situation for
517 developers as well as users as soon as it's available mainline.
519 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
520 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
522 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the grml repositories. It provides
523 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
524 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
527 The packages can be downloaded from
528 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
530 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
531 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as
532 ZLIB compression. Just use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's
533 '-z' option if you want to use ZLIB instead.
535 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
536 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
537 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
538 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
542 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml if you want to remaster any
543 grml release being MORE RECENT than 2009.05.
545 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 on the build system
546 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
548 squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
549 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT
550 conflict with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package (you can install both of
551 them at the same time).
553 The packages can be downloaded from
554 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/]
556 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
557 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
559 It does NOT support LZMA compression. If you need LZMA support please use
560 Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above) instead.
562 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
563 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
564 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
565 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
568 Please use squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 only if you want to remaster grml releases
569 MORE RECENT than 2009.05 using the ZLIB compression.
571 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
572 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
574 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the grml repository supports kernel
575 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
576 compression. It's the recommended package for building ISOs with grml-live
579 The packages can be downloaded from
580 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
583 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 if you want to remaster grml release
586 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
587 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
589 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
590 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
591 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
592 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
594 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
595 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
596 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
597 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
598 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
600 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
601 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
603 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
604 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
606 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
607 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
609 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
612 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
614 or directly via downloading the files
615 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
616 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
618 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
619 option in grml-live cmdline):
621 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
622 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
623 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
625 Using with LZMA compression:
627 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
628 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
629 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
630 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
631 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
638 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
639 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
641 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install grml or
642 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
643 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
644 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
646 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
648 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
649 architecture using grml-live.
653 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
654 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
660 # adjust sources.list:
661 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
663 # grml stable repository:
664 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
665 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
667 # grml testing/development repository:
668 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
669 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
672 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
673 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
675 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
678 Package: squashfs-tools
679 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
682 Package: squashfs-lzma-tools
683 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
687 # get keyring for apt:
689 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
691 # install basefile so we don't have to build basic chroot from scratch:
692 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
693 mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
695 # install relevant tools
696 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
697 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-lzma-tools
699 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
700 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
701 # consider using LZMA only for space reasons (resulting in longer
702 # build time but smaller ISO):
703 SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-nolzma"
704 # install local files into the chroot
705 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
706 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
707 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
708 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
710 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
712 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
714 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
715 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
716 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
720 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
721 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
723 deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
726 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
727 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
729 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
731 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
732 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
734 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
736 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
739 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
740 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
742 wget http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
743 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
744 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
745 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
747 or check out the link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI-homepage] for
751 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
752 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
754 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
755 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
756 description to <mika@grml.org>:
758 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
759 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
760 /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
761 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
763 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
764 grml-live you can get commercial support via
765 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
768 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
769 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
771 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
773 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2,^2"]
774 |============================================================
775 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |LZMA (128kB bs)|ZLIB
776 |grml_sid |666M | WIP | 771M
777 |grml_squeeze |659M | WIP | 761M
778 |grml_lenny |624M | WIP | 723M
779 |grml64_sid |677M | WIP | 791M
780 |grml64_squeeze |671M | WIP | 785M
781 |grml64_lenny |639M | WIP | 745M
782 |grml-medium_sid |208M | WIP | 236M
783 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | WIP | 234M
784 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | WIP | 220M
785 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | WIP | 245M
786 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | WIP | 244M
787 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | WIP | 231M
788 |grml-small_sid |102M | WIP | 118M
789 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | WIP | 117M
790 |grml-small_lenny |97M | WIP | 112M
791 |grml64-small_sid |103M | WIP | 120M
792 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | WIP | 120M
793 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | WIP | 116M
794 |============================================================
796 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
797 to get the ratio between the different options):
799 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
800 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
801 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
802 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
804 [[install-local-files]]
805 How to I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
806 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
808 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
809 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
810 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
813 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
814 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
815 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
816 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
819 [[local-debian-mirror]]
820 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
821 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
823 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
824 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
825 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
826 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
828 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
829 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
832 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
833 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
834 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
835 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
837 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
838 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's prefered over
839 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
840 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
842 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
843 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
844 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
846 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
848 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
852 another_name_of_a_debian_package
856 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
858 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
860 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
861 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
862 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
864 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
865 what you are searching for just run:
867 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
868 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
872 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
873 good chance to start using it now. Check out
874 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/]
875 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
877 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
878 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
879 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
881 First of all build the chroot system:
883 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
884 debootstrap lenny /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
887 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
889 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
890 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
892 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
893 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
895 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
897 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
898 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
900 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
901 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
905 Calling task_extrbase
906 Unpacking Debian base archive
907 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
911 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
914 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
915 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
919 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
920 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
922 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
925 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
928 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
929 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
930 deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free
933 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free"
935 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
936 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
937 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
940 Set up approx for use with grml-live
941 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
943 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
946 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
949 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
950 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
951 deb http://localhost:9999/debian lenny main contrib non-free
953 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:9999/debian"
957 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
959 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
960 grml http://deb.grml.org/
962 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
963 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
966 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
967 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
969 Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>
972 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
973 ------------------------------------------------
975 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
976 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
977 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
978 current development tree), just execute:
980 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
988 The source of grml-live is available at
989 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
995 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1001 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1002 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1007 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
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