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_CONFIG_SRC=file:///etc/grml/fai/config being a directory shipped by
363 grml-live out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this
366 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
368 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
369 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
372 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
374 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
376 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
378 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
379 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
380 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
381 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
382 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
383 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
384 check out /etc/grml/fai/files/etc/apt instead.
386 /etc/grml/fai/config/
388 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
390 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
392 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
395 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
397 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
400 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
402 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
403 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
404 installation process.
406 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
408 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
409 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
410 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
411 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
412 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
413 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
414 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
415 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
416 reasonable package configuration.
418 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
420 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
424 This directory provides files used inside the scripts of
425 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/*. For a full documentation what happens with the
426 files please refer to the source of the scripts.
428 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
430 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
437 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set ZERO_LOGFILE in
438 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf the output is appended to the file. If you set the
439 ZERO_LOGFILE configuration option the logfile will be truncated on each new
440 invocation of grml-live.
442 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
443 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
445 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
446 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
449 Requirements for the build system
450 ---------------------------------
452 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
453 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
454 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
455 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
456 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
457 on a plain, original Debian system.
459 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
460 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
461 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
462 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
463 total free disk space
465 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
466 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
469 For further information see next section.
473 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
474 ---------------------------------------------------------
476 To make it easier to track problems this section documents current state of
477 grml-live playing together with squashfs-tools / squashfs-lzma-tools (for
478 building the compressed file) and the kernel version. Documentation of this
479 section is up2date by 7rd of september 2009, please report any bugs you
482 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools and squashfs-tools
483 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
485 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
486 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
487 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
489 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
490 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
491 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools had to be introduced by the Grml team. Different
492 kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats (version 3.x for kernel
493 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64], since kernel 2.6.31-grml[64] it's the 4.x
496 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
498 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
501 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
504 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma
505 option, file format version 3
507 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via -lzma option,
508 file format version 4
510 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma option,
511 file format version 3
513 Depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
514 squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools. Yes, that's pretty a mess (don't ask how
515 much this sucks for us developers) - though this is supposed to calm down with
516 the recent integration of squashfs file format 4 in the mainline kernel. Support
517 for LZMA is pending and should dramatically simplify the situation for
518 developers as well as users as soon as it's available mainline.
520 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
521 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
523 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the grml repositories. It provides
524 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
525 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
528 The packages can be downloaded from
529 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
531 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
532 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as
533 ZLIB compression. Just use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's
534 '-z' option if you want to use ZLIB instead.
536 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
537 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
538 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
539 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
543 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml if you want to remaster any
544 grml release being MORE RECENT than 2009.05.
546 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 on the build system
547 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
549 squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
550 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT
551 conflict with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package (you can install both of
552 them at the same time).
554 The packages can be downloaded from
555 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/]
557 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
558 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
560 It does NOT support LZMA compression. If you need LZMA support please use
561 Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above) instead.
563 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
564 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
565 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
566 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
569 Please use squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 only if you want to remaster grml releases
570 MORE RECENT than 2009.05 using the ZLIB compression.
572 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
573 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
575 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the grml repository supports kernel
576 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
577 compression. It's the recommended package for building ISOs with grml-live
580 The packages can be downloaded from
581 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
584 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 if you want to remaster grml release
587 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
588 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
590 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
591 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
592 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
593 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
595 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
596 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
597 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
598 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
599 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
601 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
602 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
604 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
605 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
607 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
608 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
610 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
613 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
615 or directly via downloading the files
616 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
617 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
619 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
620 option in grml-live cmdline):
622 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
623 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
624 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
626 Using with LZMA compression:
628 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
629 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
630 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
631 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
632 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
639 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
640 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
642 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install grml or
643 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
644 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
645 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
647 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
649 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
650 architecture using grml-live.
654 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
655 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
661 # adjust sources.list:
662 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
664 # grml stable repository:
665 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
666 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
668 # grml testing/development repository:
669 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
670 deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
673 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
674 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
676 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
679 Package: squashfs-tools
680 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
683 Package: squashfs-lzma-tools
684 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
688 # get keyring for apt:
690 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
692 # install basefile so we don't have to build basic chroot from scratch:
693 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
694 mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
696 # install relevant tools
697 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
698 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-lzma-tools
700 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
701 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
702 # consider using LZMA only for space reasons (resulting in longer
703 # build time but smaller ISO):
704 SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-nolzma"
705 # install local files into the chroot
706 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
707 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
708 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
709 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
711 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
713 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
715 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
716 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
717 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
721 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
722 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
724 deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
727 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
728 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
730 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
732 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
733 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
735 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
737 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
740 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
741 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
743 wget http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
744 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
745 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
746 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
748 or check out the link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI-homepage] for
752 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
753 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
755 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
756 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
757 description to <mika@grml.org>:
759 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
760 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
761 /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
762 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
764 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
765 grml-live you can get commercial support via
766 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
769 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
770 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
772 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
774 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2"]
775 |============================================================
776 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |ZLIB
777 |grml_sid |666M | 771M
778 |grml_squeeze |659M | 761M
779 |grml_lenny |624M | 723M
780 |grml64_sid |677M | 791M
781 |grml64_squeeze |671M | 785M
782 |grml64_lenny |639M | 745M
783 |grml-medium_sid |208M | 236M
784 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | 234M
785 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | 220M
786 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | 245M
787 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | 244M
788 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | 231M
789 |grml-small_sid |102M | 118M
790 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | 117M
791 |grml-small_lenny |97M | 112M
792 |grml64-small_sid |103M | 120M
793 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | 120M
794 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | 116M
795 |============================================================
797 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
798 to get the ratio between the different options):
800 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
801 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
802 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
803 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
805 [[install-local-files]]
806 How to I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
807 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
809 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
810 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
811 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
814 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
815 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
816 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
817 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
820 [[local-debian-mirror]]
821 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
822 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
824 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
825 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
826 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
827 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
829 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
830 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
833 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
834 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
835 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
836 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
838 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
839 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's prefered over
840 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
841 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
843 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
844 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
845 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
847 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
849 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
853 another_name_of_a_debian_package
857 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
859 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
861 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
862 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
863 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
865 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
866 what you are searching for just run:
868 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
869 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
873 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
874 good chance to start using it now. Check out
875 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/]
876 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
878 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
879 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
880 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
882 First of all build the chroot system:
884 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
885 debootstrap lenny /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
888 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
890 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
891 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
893 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
894 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
896 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
898 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
899 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
901 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
902 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
906 Calling task_extrbase
907 Unpacking Debian base archive
908 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
912 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
915 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
916 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
920 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
921 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
923 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
926 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
929 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
930 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
931 deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free
934 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free"
936 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
937 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
938 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
941 Set up approx for use with grml-live
942 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
944 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
947 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
950 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
951 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
952 deb http://localhost:9999/debian lenny main contrib non-free
954 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:9999/debian"
958 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
960 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
961 grml http://deb.grml.org/
963 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
964 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
967 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
968 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
970 Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>
973 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
974 ------------------------------------------------
976 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
977 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
978 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
979 current development tree), just execute:
981 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
989 The source of grml-live is available at
990 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
996 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1002 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1003 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1008 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
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