6 grml-debootstrap - wrapper around debootstrap for installing plain Debian via grml
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 via grml very fast and easy.
20 All you have to do is adjust a few variables in configuration file
21 /etc/debootstrap/config (or specify some variables via commandline) and invoke
22 grml-debootstrap without any further options then.
24 A plain and base Debian system will be installed on the given device (or
25 directory) then. Customization of this process is possible as well.
27 CAUTION: The grml team does not take responsibility for loss of any data!
29 Options and environment variables
30 ---------------------------------
32 *--arch* <_architecture_>::
34 Architecture you want to bootstrap. Currently only i386 is supported.
35 Defaults to the architecture that is currently running on your system. If
36 you're running an amd64 system and want to deploy a i386 system use this option.
37 Note: deploying amd64 from a i386 system won't work.
39 *--bootappend* <_appendline for the kernel_>::
41 Specify appendline for the kernel.
44 *-c*, *--config* <_file_>::
46 Use specified configuration file, defaults to /etc/debootstrap/config.
48 *--chroot-scripts* <_directory_>::
50 Execute chroot scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation
51 of the chroot setup, the executable script(s) present in the given directory
52 are executed at the end of the chroot procedure.
53 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/chroot-scripts/
55 *-d*, *--confdir* <_path_>::
57 Place of configuration files for debootstrap, defaults to /etc/debootstrap.
59 *--debconf* <_file_>::
61 Use specified file for preseeding Debian packages instead of using
62 the default <confdir>/debconf-selections.
64 *--debopt* <_params_>::
66 Extra parameters passed to the debootstrap command.
70 Device where grub should be installed to. Note that only the MBR (master
71 boot record) can be used (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb,...). Partitions (like
72 /dev/sda1, /dev/sdb2,...) are NOT supported because grub2 doesn't support
73 installation into the PBR (partition boot record) anymore. Usage example:
74 '--grub /dev/sda'. Note: just do not set this option to avoid installation
79 Show summary of options and exit.
81 *--hostname* <_hostname_>::
83 Use specified hostname instead of the default (being 'grml').
85 *-i*, *--iso* <_/mntpoint_>::
87 Specify mountpoint where you have a Debian ISO mounted loopback.
88 Using this option instead of the mirror option gives you the possibility
89 to install the base-system without network access. Make sure you
90 mounted the according Debian-ISO to the given <_/mntpoint_>. See section
91 'Usage examples' for a demonstration.
95 Do not overwrite user provided /etc/apt/sources.list.
97 *-m*, *--mirror* <_URL_>::
99 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude.
100 Corresponding with configuration variable MIRROR.
104 Skip debootstrap, only do configuration to the target.
108 Do not download and check signatures for retrieved Release files.
110 *-p*, *--mntpoint* <_/mntpoint_>::
112 Specify mountpoint that should be used for mounting the target system.
113 Corresponding with configuration variable MNTPOINT.
114 Note: this option has no effect if option -t is given and represents a
117 *--packages* <_file_>::
119 Use specified file as list for packages that should be installed instead of
120 the default package list file <confdir>/packages.
122 *--password* <_password_>::
124 Use specified password as password for user root. Use with caution, as your
125 commandline might be visible in the process list and the shell history.
126 It's meant for automatic installation only.
128 *-r*, *--release* <_releasename_>::
130 Specify release of new Debian system. Supported releases names: lenny,
131 squeeze (note: requires current version of debootstrap) and sid.
132 Corresponding with configuration variable RELEASE.
134 *--scripts* <_directory_>::
136 Execute scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation of
137 the system after the chroot has been set up. The environment variable
138 $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for direct access of the chroot.
139 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/scripts/
141 *-t*, *--target* <_target_>::
142 Target partition (/dev/...) or directory (anything else without /dev at the
143 beginning). To install grub using *--grub* make sure to use a _device_
144 instead of a directory as _target_ (installation of grub as bootloader when
145 using directories is NOT supported).
151 Show version of program and exit.
153 WARNING: the commandline parsing of grml-debootstrap does not validate the provided
154 arguments for the commandline options. Please be careful and check docs and
155 /etc/debootstrap/config for further information.
160 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda
162 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda1 and install bootmanager
163 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition.
165 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda6 --grub /dev/sda --release sid
167 Install Debian unstable/sid on /dev/sda6, install bootmanager Grub in MBR
168 (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda6 as system partition.
170 mount /dev/sda1 /data/chroot
171 grml-debootstrap --target /data/chroot
173 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) in directory /data/chroot (without
176 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda3 --grub /dev/sda --mirror ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
178 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda3 and install bootmanager
179 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda3 as system partition.
180 Use specified mirror instead of the default (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian) one.
182 mount -o loop /mnt/sda6/debian-40r0-i386-CD-1.iso /mnt/iso
183 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub /dev/sda --iso file:/mnt/iso/debian/
185 Install Debian stable/lenny on /dev/sda1 using the loopback mounted Debian-ISO
186 for the base-system and install bootmanager Grub in MBR (master boot record) of
187 /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition. Please notice, that the chroot
188 system requires network access for all packages which are not part of the
194 /etc/debootstrap/config
196 Main configuration file. You have to adjust it according to your needs
197 before you are able to run grml-debootstrap.
199 /etc/debootstrap/chroot-script
201 The script executed within the new Debian system as soon as the main system
202 has been installed via [c]debootstrap.
204 /etc/debootstrap/locale.gen
206 Defines the default locales used for generating locales via locale-gen.
208 /etc/debootstrap/packages
210 Defines the software packages which should be installed in the new
211 Debian system by default.
213 /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages
215 Debian Packages dropped here will be installed into the new Debian system by
216 default (Controlvariable: EXTRAPACKAGES)
218 /etc/debootstrap/stages/
220 The default directory for storing information about executed stages. Every
221 single function of grml-debootstrap will write 'done' to the stages directory
222 into a file named as the function itself if it has been executed successfully.
223 You can adjust the location of the directory via configuration variable STAGES
224 via /etc/debootstrap/config. Please notice that you have to remove the stages
225 directory on your own if you want to re-execute grml-debootstrap after running it
226 successfully once. This should avoid recurrent execution by error of
227 grml-debootstrap (which might delete present data).
232 You can control execution of grml-debootstrap via adjusting
233 /etc/debootstrap/config for some main stuff or via setting some selected
234 variables via commandline. The packages which should be installed in the new
235 Debian system can be defined via the file /etc/debootstrap/packages. If you
236 want to put existing files to the new Debian system you can place them into the
237 (by default non-existing) directories boot, etc, share, usr and var in
238 /etc/debootstrap/. Every existing directory will be copied to the new Debian
239 system then. If you want to install additional packages that are not available
240 via the grml or debian mirror drop them into /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages and
241 make sure that EXTRAPACKAGES is set to "yes".
243 Automatic installation
244 ----------------------
246 If environment variable AUTOINSTALL is set grml-debootstrap can be executed in a
247 full automatic mode. While this mode isn't really useful for interactive
248 execution (just configure /etc/debootstrap/configure or specify the relevant
249 variables on the commandline instead) it is meant for use via bootoption
250 debian2hd. The bootoption debian2hd (more precise: the kernelname on bootprompt)
251 supports the following bootoptions (they correspond with the commandline options
256 The target partition/directory of the new Debian system. Usage example:
261 Where do you want to install grub to? Usage example: grub=/dev/sda
265 Specify release of new Debian system. Defaults to Debian stable. Supported
266 relases: lenny, squeeze and sid. Usage example: release=sid
270 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude instead
271 of the default one (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian).
272 Usage example: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
276 Set password of user root without prompting for it but set it to the given
277 argument. Usage example: password=AiTh5ahn
279 Usage example for automatic installation:
280 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
282 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
284 You have to enter this commandline at the bootprompt of grml. Please make sure
285 that /dev/sda1 is the partition where you really want to install your new Debian
289 Automatic installation within booting process is done in grml-autoconfig via
290 setting environment variable AUTOINSTALL and creation of
291 /usr/bin/grml-debootstrap_noninteractive with the available and relevant
292 bootoptions for grml-debootstrap.
297 include::releasetable.txt[]
301 ================================================================================
302 [1] Please notice that Etch is the current old-stable within Debian.
303 grml-debootstrap can handle the release but you really should not use Etch
304 anymore unless you really know what you are doing. Choose Lenny instead.
305 ================================================================================
310 Probably. Please send bugreports to Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>.
315 debootstrap (8), cdebootstrap (1).
319 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>