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.
68 *--groot* <_device_>::
70 Specify root device for usage in grub (corresponds with $TARGET).
71 Again, use grub syntax for specifying.
72 Corresponding with configuration variable GROOT.
76 Where do you want to install grub to? Use grub syntax for specifying.
77 Do not forget to set groot as well. Leave empty to avoid installation of grub.
81 Show summary of options and exit.
83 *--hostname* <_hostname_>::
85 Use specified hostname instead of the default (being 'grml').
87 *-i*, *--iso* <_/mntpoint_>::
89 Specify mountpoint where you have a Debian ISO mounted loopback.
90 Using this option instead of the mirror option gives you the possibility
91 to install the base-system without network access. Make sure you
92 mounted the according Debian-ISO to the given <_/mntpoint_>. See section
93 'Usage examples' for a demonstration.
97 Do not overwrite user provided /etc/apt/sources.list.
99 *-m*, *--mirror* <_URL_>::
101 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude.
102 Corresponding with configuration variable MIRROR.
106 Skip debootstrap, only do configuration to the target.
108 *-p*, *--mntpoint* <_/mntpoint_>::
110 Specify mountpoint that should be used for mounting the target system.
111 Corresponding with configuration variable MNTPOINT.
112 Note: this option has no effect if option -t is given and represents a
115 *--packages* <_file_>::
117 Use specified file as list for packages that should be installed instead of
118 the default package list file <confdir>/packages.
120 *--password* <_password_>::
122 Use specified password as password for user root. Use with caution, as your
123 commandline might be visible in the process list and the shell history.
124 It's meant for automatic installation only.
126 *-r*, *--release* <_releasename_>::
128 Specify release of new Debian system. Supported releases names: etch, lenny,
129 squeeze (note: requires current version of debootstrap) and sid.
130 Corresponding with configuration variable RELEASE.
132 *--scripts* <_directory_>::
134 Execute scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation of
135 the system after the chroot has been set up. The environment variable
136 $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for direct access of the chroot.
137 Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/scripts/
139 *-t*, *--target* <_target_>::
140 Target partition (/dev/...) or directory (anything else without /dev at the
141 beginning). To install grub using *--grub* and *--groot*, make sure to
142 use a _device_ instead of a directory as _target_ (installation of
143 grub as bootloader when using directories is NOT supported).
149 Show version of program and exit.
151 WARNING: the commandline parsing of grml-debootstrap does not validate the provided
152 arguments for the commandline options. Please be careful and check docs and
153 /etc/debootstrap/config for further information.
158 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub hd0 --groot hd0,0
160 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda1 and install bootmanager
161 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition.
163 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda6 --grub hd0 --groot hd0,5 --release sid
165 Install Debian unstable/sid on /dev/sda6, install bootmanager
166 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda6 as system partition.
168 mount /dev/sda1 /data/chroot
169 grml-debootstrap --target /data/chroot
171 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) in directory /data/chroot (without
174 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda3 --grub hd0 --groot hd0,2 --mirror ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
176 Install default Debian release (stable/lenny) on /dev/sda3 and install bootmanager
177 Grub in MBR (master boot record) of /dev/sda and use /dev/sda3 as system partition.
178 Use specified mirror instead of the default (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian) one.
180 mount -o loop /mnt/sda6/debian-40r0-i386-CD-1.iso /mnt/iso
181 grml-debootstrap --target /dev/sda1 --grub hd0 --groot hd0,0 --iso file:/mnt/iso/debian/
183 Install Debian stable/lenny on /dev/sda1 using the loopback mounted Debian-ISO
184 for the base-system and install bootmanager Grub in MBR (master boot record) of
185 /dev/sda and use /dev/sda1 as system partition. Please notice, that the chroot
186 system requires network access for all packages which are not part of the
192 /etc/debootstrap/config
194 Main configuration file. You have to adjust it according to your needs
195 before you are able to run grml-debootstrap.
197 /etc/debootstrap/chroot-script
199 The script executed within the new Debian system as soon as the main system
200 has been installed via [c]debootstrap.
202 /etc/debootstrap/locale.gen
204 Defines the default locales used for generating locales via locale-gen.
206 /etc/debootstrap/packages
208 Defines the software packages which should be installed in the new
209 Debian system by default.
211 /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages
213 Debian Packages dropped here will be installed into the new Debian system by
214 default (Controlvariable: EXTRAPACKAGES)
216 /etc/debootstrap/stages/
218 The default directory for storing information about executed stages. Every
219 single function of grml-debootstrap will write 'done' to the stages directory
220 into a file named as the function itself if it has been executed successfully.
221 You can adjust the location of the directory via configuration variable STAGES
222 via /etc/debootstrap/config. Please notice that you have to remove the stages
223 directory on your own if you want to re-execute grml-debootstrap after running it
224 successfully once. This should avoid recurrent execution by error of
225 grml-debootstrap (which might delete present data).
230 You can control execution of grml-debootstrap via adjusting
231 /etc/debootstrap/config for some main stuff or via setting some selected
232 variables via commandline. The packages which should be installed in the new
233 Debian system can be defined via the file /etc/debootstrap/packages. If you
234 want to put existing files to the new Debian system you can place them into the
235 (by default non-existing) directories boot, etc, share, usr and var in
236 /etc/debootstrap/. Every existing directory will be copied to the new Debian
237 system then. If you want to install additional packages that are not available
238 via the grml or debian mirror drop them into /etc/debootstrap/extrapackages and
239 make sure that EXTRAPACKAGES is set to "yes".
241 Automatic installation
242 ----------------------
244 If environment variable AUTOINSTALL is set grml-debootstrap can be executed in a
245 full automatic mode. While this mode isn't really useful for interactive
246 execution (just configure /etc/debootstrap/configure or specify the relevant
247 variables on the commandline instead) it is meant for use via bootoption
248 debian2hd. The bootoption debian2hd (more precise: the kernelname on bootprompt)
249 supports the following bootoptions (they correspond with the commandline options
254 The target partition/directory of the new Debian system. Usage example:
259 Where do you want to install grub to? Use grub syntax for specifying.
260 Usage example: grub=hd0
264 Specify root device for usage in grub (corresponds with $TARGET).
265 Again, use grub syntax for specifying. Usage example: groot=hd0,0
269 Specify release of new Debian system. Defaults to Debian stable. Supported
270 relases: etch, lenny, squeeze and sid. Usage example: release=sid
274 Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude instead
275 of the default one (ftp://ftp.debian.de/debian).
276 Usage example: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
280 Set password of user root without prompting for it but set it to the given
281 argument. Usage example: password=AiTh5ahn
283 Usage example for automatic installation:
284 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
286 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=hd0 groot=hd0,0 mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
288 You have to enter this commandline at the bootprompt of grml. Please make sure
289 that /dev/sda1 is the partition where you really want to install your new Debian
293 Automatic installation within booting process is done in grml-autoconfig via
294 setting environment variable AUTOINSTALL and creation of
295 /usr/bin/grml-debootstrap_noninteractive with the available and relevant
296 bootoptions for grml-debootstrap.
301 include::releasetable.txt[]
305 ================================================================================
306 [1] Please notice that Etch is the current old-stable within Debian.
307 grml-debootstrap can handle the release but you really should not use Etch
308 anymore unless you really know what you are doing. Choose Lenny instead.
309 ================================================================================
314 Probably. Please send bugreports to Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>.
319 debootstrap (8), cdebootstrap (1).
323 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>