FAQ
+ +Up2date: 20060407 - applies to version grml 0.7/grml-small 0.2
+ + + + +-
+
- What is grml? +
- Where do I get grml? +
- What does grml mean? +
- How do you pronounce grml? +
- What about the release name? +
- Requirements for running grml +
- Why another Linux distribution? +
- What's the license of grml? +
- What's the difference between grml and $OTHER-DISTRIBUTION? What are your main goals? +
- What's the difference between grml and Knoppix? +
- What does accessibility at grml mean? +
- Is it possible to run grml with $EMULATOR? +
- How do I boot grml from a USB stick? +
- Is it possible to store my settings? +
-
+
- What is grml-small? +
- What is the difference between 'normal' grml and grml-small? +
- What is the difference between grml-small and DSL? +
-
+
- Which tools exist to configure grml? +
- What are the passwords of users on grml? +
- How do I find out the version of grml +
- Is it possible to run LiveCD and eject CD-ROM? +
- How do I change the language/keyboard settings? +
- KDE, Gnome, $FOO and $BAR +
- Which window managers can I use? +
- How do I mount a USB device / USB stick? +
- Which ways exist to boot grml? +
- Bugreport +
- Is it possible to install grml to harddisk? +
- grml2hd seems to hang?! +
- I have problems with my hardware! +
- grml does not boot on my computer! +
-
+
- Where can I find the configuration for the kernel used on grml? +
- Are there any special components/patches in the kernel used on grml? +
- For which platforms is the grml kernel optimized? +
-
+
- General +
- What version of $PACKAGE is available? +
- Init-System +
- Why is zsh the default shell? +
- Wasn't zsh the /bin/sh interpreter? +
- Is a bash available? +
- setuid/SUID +
- aide +
- bitchx +
- ispell +
- LaTeX +
- slapd +
- tripwire +
-
+
- Are there any known issues with this release? +
- Using IPW driver with DHCP +
- Using WPA with >=2.6.13-grml +
- Why isn't /proc/bus/usb mounted anymore? +
-
+
- The boot option video does not work as expected anymore +
- I don't see anything when booting grml?! +
General
+ +What is grml?
+ +grml is a bootable CD (Live-CD) once based on Knoppix and nowadays based on Debian. grml includes a collection of + GNU/Linux software especially for users of texttools and system + administrators. grml provides automatic hardware detection. You can use grml + as a rescue system, for analyzing systems/networks, or as a working + environment. It is not necessary to install anything to a harddisk. Due to + on-the-fly decompression grml includes about 2.1 GB of software and + documentation on the CD.
+ +Where do I get grml?
+ +You can download grml of course: take a look at grml.org/download/. If you want + to get an original grml-CD including the grml-cover, need a + special amount of CDs or want your own special grml-CD (including + your logo, your software and/or special settings) please don't hesitate to contact + us! Take a look at grml-solutions for more + information regarding our offers.
+ +What does grml mean?
+ +grml is short for 'grummel' and comes close to 'argl' or 'grrr' in English. People + use this when they want to express their dissatisfaction/discontentedness with software + (amongst other things):
+ ++$ grep -ch grml .centericq/**/history | xargs echo | \ + sed 's/[0-9]*/& + /g' | sed 's/+ $//g' | bc -l +3746+ +
How do you pronounce grml?
+ ++% flite -o play -t gremel+ + + +
What about the release name?
+ +Codename of grml 0.7 is Bootenschnitzl. This is derived from the + German word putenschnitzel. A putenschnitzel is a turkey hen cutlet. + Therefore, a Bootenschnitzl is a bootable cutlet.
+ +Codename of grml-small 0.2 is Corry. Corry is the nickname of Michael Gebetsroither's girlfriend.
+ +Requirements for running grml
+ +-
+
- Intel-compatible CPU (i586 or later, preferably Pentium class or higher) +
- at least 64MB of RAM (for stable use with ramdisks for unionfs and udev and running X window system + we recommend at least 128MB) +
- grml-small: at least 32MB RAM should be available +
- bootable CD-ROM drive (or a boot floppy and standard CD-ROM [IDE/ATAPI + or SCSI]) [or network - see grml-terminalserver] +
Why another Linux distribution?
+ +There already exist "some" distributions. We decided + to base our work on the existing infrastructure of Debian and Knoppix because we don't want to reinvent + the wheel. Some admins already use their own rescue-CD and Knoppix works but + does not bring that many important tools for admins and users of texttools + out of the box, so we decided to share our work with others.
+ +What's the license of grml?
+ +Anything written by the grml team is published under the GPL (GNU General Public License). + You don't have to pay anything for running grml. Donations and feedback are + welcome of course. If you want a special LiveCD or need support, take a + look at grml-solutions.
+ +What's the difference between grml and + $OTHER-DISTRIBUTION? What are your main goals?
+ +The main goal of grml is to be a distribution well suited for + users of texttools and sysadmins. grml includes many important + texttools (of course awk, sed, grep, ... but also zsh, mutt[ng], + slrn, vim and many others) and useful programs for admin's + daily work. grml uses the existing infrastructure of Debian. grml was once based on Knoppix (see 'What's the difference between grml and + Knoppix?' for more details). We are also merging + useful things from other distributions/live-cds to provide a + perfect environment.
+ +What's the difference between grml and Knoppix?
+ +grml comes with a vastly different set of software. Missing KDE + and OpenOffice provides the opportunity of shipping more than 800 + packages which Knoppix does not provide on its CD version. grml + boots a 2.6.x kernel but no X for faster startup. Knoppix is based + on Debian/testing-experimental (using apt-pinning), but grml is + basically based on plain Debian/unstable providing more current + versions of software and less painfull upgrades. grml was once + based on Knoppix but nowadays (except for a similar initial + ramdisk) has nothing in common with Knoppix:
+ ++# locate knoppix +# find / -iname \*knoppix\* +#+ +
We consider Knoppix as a brand name for live-cds nowadays and + provide most of Knoppix' features as well. grml uses (mostly) the + same cheatcodes for booting as Knoppix and even provides some extra + ones. So if you are used to the basic Knoppix features you might + find them on the grml-system as well. Ripping out the Knoppix + stuff makes it possible to create a grml system out of a + Debian system and vice versa. Running 'apt-get install grml' on a + Debian box will be officially supported in an upcoming version of + grml.
+ +What does accessibility at grml mean?
+ +The grml kernel includes support for + speakup and provides software like brltty (using bootoption 'grml blind + brltty=type,port,tbl'), emacspeak and flite.
+ +Is it possible to run grml with $EMULATOR?
+ +VMWare should work without any + problems. It's also possible to run grml with QEMU, an emulator for various + CPUs which works on Linux, Windows, FreeBSD and Mac OS X. Running grml with + QEMU has been tested successfully on Windows and Linux. Take a look at the QEMU-grml-webpage.
+ +How do I boot grml from a USB stick?
+ +Take a look at the script grml2usb. For more + details, take a look at the usb-webpage in the + grml-wiki.
+ +Is it possible to store my settings?
+ +Yes. grml provides a powerful config framework. See grml.org/config/, /usr/share/doc/grml-saveconfig/grml-config.html + and 'man save-config restore-config mkpersistenthome' for more + details.
+ +grml-small?
+ +What is grml-small?
+ +Whereas grml provides about 2.1 GB of software on a 700 MB ISO, grml-small + is a flavor with online ~55 MB ISO-size (~200 MB uncompressed). It does not + provide a lot of software but the essential stuff for being a rescue system + on a business card CD-ROM or a small USB device. You can use the Debian + package management system to install software on the fly (assuming you have + network access to a Debian mirror). Take a look at the 'Debian-Information'-section if you are + searching for the package list.
+ +What is the + difference between 'normal' grml and grml-small?
+ +The 700 MB-grml brings more than 2370 packages of software and a full-featured kernel. grml-small includes + about 215 software packages, lacks documentation and manpages on the ISO and + has a stripped-down kernel (but still + provides hardware detection of course). grml-terminalserver is not + available/supported on grml-small.
+ +What is the + difference between grml-small and DSL?
+ +DSL and grml-small have different target audiences. Damn Small Linux (DSL) uses kernel + version 2.4 whereas grml-small provides a recent version of kernel version + 2.6. DSL provides the X window system which grml-small does not. grml-small + provides the most important packages for sysadmins and ships the original + Debian package management which allows you to install packages of the Debian + pool with no modifications.
+ +System
+ +Which tools exist to configure grml?
+ +grml provides several scripts and tools which should make life + easier. See 'dpkg -L grml-scripts' to get an overview of some main + scripts. Run 'grml-config' to get a dialog interface for the most + important scripts and tasks.
+ +What are the passwords of users on grml?
+ +There are no default passwords. All accounts are locked by + default. Even local logins are not possible (unless you set a + password or create new user accounts as root). You can create + valid passwords using "sudo passwd [username]" from the shell + individually.
+ +How do I find out the version of grml
+ +Run 'grml-version' or use the following command:
+ ++$ cat /etc/grml_version+ +
Is it possible to run LiveCD and eject CD-ROM?
+ ++$ sudo umount -l /cdrom +$ sudo eject /dev/cdrom # now don't run any new programs ;) +$ mount /dev/cdrom # mount it again if needed ;) ++ +
How do I change the language/keyboard settings?
+ +By default grml uses English settings. But it is possible to + change the settings via using either the bootparam(s) lang, + keyboard and xkeyboard or via running grml-lang when grml is + already running. Usage examples:
+ ++grml lang=de # enter this at the bootprompt and you will get + # German keyboard layout and German $LANG, $LC_ALL, + # $LANGUAGE... +grml keyboard=de xkeyboard=de lang=at # enter this at the bootprompt + # and you will get German keyboard and Austrian + # language variables +$ grml-lang de # enter this in the shell to switch keyboard layout + # and $LANG settings in a running grml-system ++ +
If you are running grml from harddisk (using grml2hd) you have several options how to set + language options:
+ +-
+
+
- adjust /etc/environment to configure global language + settings + +
- set $LC_ALL, $LANG, $LANGUAGE in your ~/.xinitrc (before the + 'exec $WINDOWMANAGER line' of course) to configure the + language behaviour of programs + +
- adjust /etc/sysconfig/keyboard to configure keyboard layout + on console, or run 'loadkeys $KEYTABLE' manually + +
- add 'setxkbmap $LANGUAGE' to the keybindings section in + your ~/.xinitrc to configure keyboard setup in X window system + (deactivate the xmodmap lines if necessary) + +
KDE, Gnome, $FOO and $BAR
+ +Why isn't KDE, Gnome, $FOO or $BAR part of grml? grml is a distribution + for users of texttools and sysadmins. If you would like to run KDE with + Debian use e.g. Knoppix, Munjoy-Linux, Kanotix or Kubuntu. Gnome users might find Ubuntu useful. If you would like to + see a specific (software) package added to grml please report it to us!
+ +Which window managers can I use?
+ +grml is shipped only with window managers which are lightweight and + fast - so well suited for a live-CD. At the moment, grml provides these window managers: + evilwm, + fluxbox, + ion3, + jwm, + pekwm, + ratpoison, + twm, + w9wm, + windowlab, + wmi and wmii.
+ +If you are new to grml and/or prefer an easy-to-use-desktop run 'grml-x + wm-ng' for starting fluxbox with idesk and gkrellm.
+ +How do I mount a USB device / USB stick?
+ +Run 'mount /mnt/external1' for example if you want to mount + /dev/sda1. udev on grml does multiplexing for USB block devices, + /dev/external1 is a symlink to /dev/sda1.
+ + +Which ways exist to boot grml?
+ +The most common way to boot grml is, of course, running from + CD-ROM, but grml provides many more ways to boot grml:
+ +It is possible to boot grml via USB (e.g. USB stick or harddisk), + firewire, or running from a Compact Flash disk. It works out of the + box; you don't need to modify anything. If accessing the device + fails, use the 'scandelay' cheatcode on bootprompt. So, boot with + 'grml scandelay'. If the timeout is still not long enough add the + time to wait in seconds as parameter: 'grml scandelay=15'. See usb-webpage in the + grml-wiki for more details.
+ +Your computer can not boot from CD-ROM but provides a floppy + disk? Take a look at btmgr, ubcd4win or sbm. They provide + support for booting from CD-ROM via a special floppy disk.
+ +grml-terminalserver makes it possible to boot your system + via network. If you have a floppy drive, you can even boot your + system over network when your network card does not provide + PXE-support! For more information, refer to the grml-terminalserver-webpage.
+ +Bugreport
+ +Take a look at the bugs-webpage.
+ +Is it possible to install grml to harddisk?
+ +Yes. grml provides a tool called grml2hd (see 'man grml2hd'). grml is developed on a box + running the grml-system itself, and we - the grml-developers - especially like + grml2hd because it gives us a working Linux box within 10 to 30 minutes! + grml2hd is perfect for prototyping: test hardware support of Linux, test a + specific setup, ... You can even use grml2hd in a fully automatic mode without + any further interaction. More information is available on grml.org/grml2hd/ and man grml2hd. Notice: If you are using grml + in a production environment and/or use a grml2hd installation, we strongly + recommend you subscribe to the grml user + mailinglist! Note that grml is based on Debian unstable, so you should + be familiar with Debian unstable if you plan to use grml as a harddisk + system.
+ +grml2hd seems to hang?!
+ +grml2hd seems to hang? Switch to tty12 and take a look at the syslog output. + If you see something like:
+ ++SQUASHFS error: zlib_fs returned unexpected result 0x........ +SQUASHFS error: Unable to read cache block [.....] +SQUASHFS error: Unable to read inode [.....]+ +
your ISO/CD-ROM very probably is not ok. Verify it via booting with + grml testcd. Check your CD low-level via running:
+ ++# readcd -c2scan dev=/dev/cdrom+ +
If the medium really is ok and it still fails try to boot with + DMA deactivated via 'grml nodma ide=nodma' at the bootprompt.
+ +I have problems with my hardware!
+ +Take a look at the script grml-hwinfo. This script generates a + file named info.tar.bz2 which contains important information about + your hardware. If you think we might help, please run + grml-hwinfo and send us the file with additional, relevant + information regarding your problem.
+ +grml does not boot on my computer!
+ +Please take a look at the available + bootparamters and cheatcodes and 'Which ways + exist to boot grml?'. Especially booting with 'acpi=off noapm + noapic' might help. Bootparameter 'failsafe' provides minimal + hardware detection. You still have problems? Please contact us!
+ +Kernel
+ +Where can I find the configuration for the kernel used on + grml?
+ +See /boot/config-`uname -r` and on the kernel-webpage.
+ +Are there any special components/patches in the kernel + used on grml?
+ +grml uses the most current stable vanilla Linux kernel from www.kernel.org with some + additional patches. More information and an all-in-one patch is + available on the kernel-page.
+ +For which platforms is the grml kernel optimized?
+ +Plain i586 compatibility-mode with SMP deactivated (to avoid problems with + specific systems and drivers). [Note: grml-small provides a kernel with SMP + support.]
+ +Software
+ +General
+ +Want to run a program as root? Just use 'sudo $PROGRAM'. To get a + root-shell run 'sudo su'.
+ +Problems with a specific package? Please try 'dpkg-reconfigure $foo'. + Still encountering difficulties? Please send us a bugreport!
+ +What version of $PACKAGE is + available?
+Take a look at the dpkg_... files in the Debian-Information section on + grml.org/files/.
+ +Init-System
+ +Why is grml using runlevel 2 as default? Because runlevel 2 is 'the + textonly one' and it's debian's default.
+ +Where are all the /etc/rc#.d-directories? grml doesn't use + sysv-rc but file-rc. This means you can configure the init system + in one single file named /etc/runlevel.conf with your favourite + editor. No symlink-hell anymore.
+ +Why is zsh the default shell (/bin/sh)?
+ +Short answer: because zsh rocks.
+ +Longer answer taken from ZSH + FAQ: 1.2: What is it?:
+ + Zsh is a UNIX command interpreter (shell) which of the standard shells most + resembles the Korn shell (ksh); its compatibility with the 1988 Korn shell has been + gradually increasing. It includes enhancements of many types, notably in the + command-line editor, options for customising its behaviour, filename globbing, features + to make C-shell (csh) users feel more at home and extra features drawn from tcsh + (another `custom' shell). + +If you don't know zsh take a look at ZSH FAQ: How does zsh + differ from ...?, 'man zsh | less -p COMPATIBILITY' and 'man zsh-lovers'.
+ +If you are a bash user and don't know zsh yet, don't be afraid. bash is largely a + subset of zsh and you don't have to throw away your knowledge about shell stuff.
+ +Wasn't zsh the /bin/sh interpreter?
+ +Yes, until grml 0.6 zsh was the intepreter for /bin/sh. Starting + with release 0.7 grml uses /bin/bash as /bin/sh. The reason? + Debian does not support zsh as /bin/sh. Take a look at #329288 + and #340058 + for example.
+ +Is a bash available?
+ +grml uses zsh as the default shell but, of + course, a current version of bash (and many other shells as well) + is provided by grml.
+ +setuid/SUID
+ +If you set a programm SUID (setuid/mode 4755), unprivileged users on your system will + be able to run it. This could be a potentially security hole, so by default the + packages are configured not to install binaries with setuid. If you want to use the + binaries with setuid please run 'dpkg-reconfigure $packagename' or 'chmod 4755 + =programm'. The following packages are well known to have a programm with not set + setuid:
+ +-
+
- hddtemp +
- pconsole +
- pdsh +
- prospect +
- rssh +
- scponly +
- sing +
aide
+ +Before AIDE can be used, you will have to initialize a database. In order to do + this, simply run the following command:
+ ++/usr/sbin/aideinit+ +
bitchx
+ +Why isn't bitchx part of grml? bitchx + sucks. Please use a better alternative like irssi or weechat + which are part of grml.
+ +ispell
+ +You don't want to use the preselected default for ispell? Run + 'select-default-ispell' for changing it.
+ +LaTeX
+ +auctex and preview-latex are loaded by default in emacs. If you want to load
+ auctex based on your personal settings put the string "(require 'tex-site)" in your
+ ~/.emacs, for preview-latex use the string '(load "preview-latex")'.
+ To change this run 'dpkg-reconfigure auctex' and/or 'dpkg-reconfigure
+ preview-latex'.
slapd
+The password for the admin entry in the LDAP directory is 'grml'.
+ +tripwire
+ +The site-key pass-phrase and the local key pass-phrase for tripwire are 'grml'.
+ +Release related issues
+ +Are there any known issues with this release?
+ +We won't hide anything. Therefore, we do provide all known + issues/bugs publicly available:
+ +-
+
+
- issues regarding + grml 0.7 and + +
- issues + regarding grml-small 0.2 in the + grml-wiki + +
If you find another bug, or consider something a problem not yet + mentioned please report it to us!
+ +Using IPW driver with DHCP
+ +The ipw-drivers in grml already contain special fixes for fixing + problems with ipw and kernel >=2.6.13, but you might have to run + 'iwlist $DEVICE scanning' (adjust $DEVICE with the corresponding + network device) to get an associated connection to the access + point.
+ +Using WPA with >=2.6.13-grml
+ +Vanilla kernel include + wireless extensions now (starting with 2.6.13: version 18 + [12.3.05]). The ipw2200 module uses the wireless extensions + instead of custom ioctl()s now. As a result you have to use + '-Dwext' for wpa_supplicant to use the wireless extensions when + wpa_supplicant is running. Adjust $OPTIONS in + /etc/default/wpasupplicant, for example using:
+ ++OPTIONS="-Dwext -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf"+ +
Why isn't /proc/bus/usb mounted anymore?
+ +Starting with kernel 2.6.14, /dev/bus/usb replaces usbfs. + Current versions of libusb check for /dev/bus/usb's existence and + /proc/bus/usb is not necessary anymore (see #336596). + Of course 'mount /proc/bus/usb' still works; it is just not mounted + by default anymore. If you see any problems please report them.
+ +X-Server
+ +How do I start the X server?
+ +Please use 'grml-x' as user grml for starting X. It generates + the config file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and lets you start commands on + startup (see ~/.xinitrc). Use it, for example, via switching to TTY4 + (press Alt+F4) and run the following command to start window + manager fluxbox:
+ ++grml-x fluxbox+ +
X does not start on my box?!
+ +grml-x supports several options. If you want to set some special options + please take a look at the grml-x manpage (man grml-x)! Some usage examples:
+ ++grml-x -display 8 fluxbox # start fluxbox on display 8 +grml-x -force -nostart # force creation of xconfig file and don't start X server +grml-x -hsync 60 fluxbox # set horizontal frequency and start fluxbox +grml-x -hsync 60 -vsync 40 fluxbox # set horizontal and vertical sync frequencies and start fluxbox +grml-x -mode '800x600' fluxbox # set resolution to 800x600 and start fluxbox +grml-x -module vesa fluxbox # start fluxbox and use vesa module ++ +
I don't like the resolution of X!
+ +Just run xrandr to switch the resolution. For example: 'xrandr -s + 1024x768'.
+ +Framebuffer
+ +The boot option video does not work as + expected anymore
+ +grml versions 0.4 and 0.5 provided vesafb-tng instead of + normal vesafb. Starting with grml 0.6 and grml-small 0.2 vesafb-tng + is not part of the grml-kernel anymore because it caused too many + problems. Therefore, you can use the 'normal' vga=... option + again.
+ +I don't see anything when booting grml?!
+ +Likely, this is a problem with vesafb framebuffer. Try to boot + with bootoption 'nofb' or 'grml vga=normal'.
+ +Further questions
+ +Do you have a question which is not answered in the FAQ or in + the provided documentation + (also run 'grml-info' on your grml-system)? Run 'grml-tips + $KEYWORD' on your grml-system. Take a look at the grml-website and the grml-wiki. Please don't + hesitate to contact us, a + good place to start is the grml mailinglist.
+ +You like grml? Make a donation + to support our work!
+ +grml is, as every other Open-Source project, driven by the many + contributions made by many developers. The grml-team spends a great + deal of their time and money toward this project.
+ +If you have been using grml you will come to remember how much money you + or your company saves by using it and how you have been supported via + the project mailing list, personal mail or irc.
+ +Now you can contribute by donating to grml. Your donation could either + be money or hardware that one of the developers or the project as a whole + needs. A donation would enable us to either support a specific + hardware/software either at all or simply better.
+ +See grml.org/donations/ for + details. Thank you for helping us to work on grml!
+