[grml-live.git] / docs / grml-live.txt

grml-live(8)
============

Name
----

grml-live - build framework based on FAI for generating a grml and Debian based
Linux Live system (CD/ISO)

Synopsis
--------

grml-live [-a <architecture>] [-c <classe[s]>] [-C <configfile>] [-g
<grml_name>] [-i <iso_name> ] [-o <output_directory>] [-r <release_name>] [-s
<suite>] [-t <template_directory>] [-v <version_number>] [-bBFnNquVz]

CAUTION: Please check out <<current_state,the 'Current state of grml-live with
squashfs-tools and kernel' section>> for details about current state of involved
tools before starting with grml-live or if you encounter any problems.

Description
-----------

grml-live provides the build system for creating a grml and Debian based Linux
Live-CD. The build system is based on
link:http://fai-project.org/[FAI] (Fully Automatic
Installation). grml-live uses the "fai dirinstall" feature to generate a chroot
system based on the class concept of FAI (see later sections for further
details) and provides the framework to be able to generate a full-featured ISO.
It does not use all the FAI features by default though and you don't have to
know FAI to be able to use it.

The use of FAI gives you the flexibility to choose the packages you would like
to include on your very own Linux Live-CD without having to deal with all the
details of a build process.

CAUTION: grml-live does **not** use /etc/fai for configuration but instead
provides and uses ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG} which is pointing to /etc/grml/fai by default
(unless overriden using the ''-D'' option). This ensures that it does not clash
with default FAI configuration and packages, so you can use grml-live and FAI
completely independent at the same time!

[NOTE]

Please notice that you should have a fast network connection as all the Debian
packages will be downloaded and installed via network. If you want to use a
local mirror (strongly recommended if you plan to use grml-live more than once)
checkout mkdebmirror (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/mkdebmirror),
debmirror(1), reprepro(1) (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/reprepro/ for a
sample configuration), apt-cacher(1) and approx(8). To avoid downloading the
base system again and again check out FAI's NFSROOT (see FAQ of this document
for details).

Options
-------

  -a **ARCHITECTURE**::

Use the specified architecture instead of the currently running one.  This
allows building a 32bit system on a 64bit host (though you can't build a 64bit
system on a 32bit system/kernel of course). Please notice that real
crosscompiling (like building a ppc system on x86) isn't possible due to the
nature and the need of working in a chroot. Currently supported values: i386
and amd64.

  -b::

Build the ISO without updating the chroot via FAI. This option is useful for
example when working on stable releases: if you have a working base
system/chroot and do not want to execute any further updates (via "-u" option)
but intend to only build the ISO.

  -B::

Build the ISO without touching the chroot at all. This option is useful if
you modified anything that FAI or grml-live might adjust via grml's FAI
scripts.  It's like the '-b' option but even more advanced. Use only if you
really know that you do not want to update the chroot.

  -c **CLASSES**::

Specify the CLASSES to be used for building the ISO via FAI.  By default only
the classes GRMLBASE, GRML_MEDIUM and I386 are assumed, resulting in a small base
system (being about ~180MB total ISO size). If using a non-I386 system (like
AMD64) you should specify the appropriate architecture as well. Additionally you
can specify a class providing a grml-kernel (see
<<classes,the 'CLASSES' section in this document>> for details about available classes).
So instead of GRML_MEDIUM you can also use GRML_SMALL and GRML_FULL.

[IMPORTANT]
All class names should be written in uppercase letters. Do not use a dash, use
an underscore. So do not use "amd64" but "AMD64", do not use "FOO BAR" but
"FOO_BAR".


  -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::

The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
/etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
/etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
/etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config. Instead use
/etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config.

  -d **DATE**::

Use specified date as build date information on the ISO instead of the default.
The default is the date when grml-live is being executed (retrieved via
executing 'date +%Y-%m-%d'). The information is stored inside the file
/GRML/grml-version on the ISO, /etc/grml_version in the squashfs file and in all
the bootsplash related files. This option is useful if you want to provide an
ISO with release information for a specific date but have to build it in
advance. Usage example: '-d 2009-10-30'

  -D **CONFIGURATION_DIRECTORY**::

The specified directory is used as configuration directory for grml-live and its
FAI. By default /etc/grml/fai is used as default configuration directory.  If
you want to have different configuration scripts, package definitions, etc. with
without messing with the global configuration under /etc/grml/fai provided by
grml-live this option provides you the option to use your own configuration
directory. This directory is what's being referred to as ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}
throughout this documentation.

  -F::

Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.

  -g **GRML_NAME**::

Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.

  -h::

Display short usage information and exit.

  -i **ISO_NAME**::

Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
by default.

  -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::

Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.

  -n::

Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.

  -N::

Bootstrap the chroot without building bootloader, squashfs, or finalizing the
ISO. Use this option if installation of some packages fails, you want to run
custom commands or similar.
The main use of this option is to save time by skipping stages which aren't
necessary for bootstrapping the chroot and which would get executed more than
once when iterating through the initial bootstrapping.
Alternatively, use this option as a test run of grml-live. Once you are
satisfied with the state of your grml_chroot, use grml-live **-u** to build the
remaining stages and finalize the ISO.

  -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::

Main output directory of the build process of FAI.  Some directories are created
inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).

  -q::

Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.

  -r **RELEASENAME**::

Specify name of the release.

  -s **SUITE**::

Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system.  Defaults to
"squeeze" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny,
squeeze, sid. Debian "squeeze" requires a recent base.tgz
(${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz) or a recent version of
debootstrap.

  -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::

Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
(and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.

  -u::

Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
based on the softupdate feature of FAI.

  -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::

Specify version number of the release.

  -V::

Increase verbosity in the build process.

  -z::

Use ZLIB instead of LZMA/XZ compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.

[[usage-examples]]
Usage examples
--------------

To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
as build and output directory just run:

  # grml-live

To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
/home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:

  # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live

To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:

  # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386

To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
/tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:

  # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso

[NOTE]

If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
process.  But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
$BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)

[[main-features]]
Main features of grml-live
--------------------------

* create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command

* class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility

* supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration

* supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
Debian repositories

* native support of FAI features

* multi-arch support (work in progress)

[[class-concept]]
The class concept
-----------------

grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
losing the simplicity in the build process.

The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
(being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config/GRMLBASE

Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
files/directories.

If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local
or invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".

More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).

[[X7]]
[[classes]]
Available classes
-----------------

The package selection part of the classes can be found in
${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
example in ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
selected. The following classes are predefined:

* DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan

* GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
use this class.

* GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.

* GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium

* GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
progress)

* GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small

* LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
(which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)

* LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
(like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)

* LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
well.

* NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
network connection

* RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
official grml release

* REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
/usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)

* XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
setup

[[files]]
Files
-----

Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
fai-client) grml uses ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/fai.conf instead. For more details see
below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.

  /usr/sbin/grml-live

Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.

  /etc/grml/grml-live.conf

Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
configuration instead.

  /etc/grml/grml-live.local

All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are preferred
over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
commandline.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/fai.conf

Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default the configuration
variables are FAI_CONFIG_SRC=file:///etc/grml/fai/config and
GRML_FAI_CONFIG=/etc/grml/fai/config - both pointing to a directory shipped by
grml-live out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this
file.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/make-fai-nfsroot.conf

This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
it there.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/NFSROOT

This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/apt/sources.list

This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
/etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/apt/sources.list
on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
use FAI's fcopy command with ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/files instead.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/

The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/class/

This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
FAI classes.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/debconf/

This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
through files.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/hooks/

This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
installation process.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/package_config/

Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed.  The
different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO.  When running
"grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
adjust the package selection according to your needs.  Please notice that the
directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
reasonable package configuration.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/config/scripts/

Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.

  ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/live-initramfs/

This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
live-initramfs(8).

[[log-files]]
Available log files
-------------------

grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set PRESERVE_LOGFILE
in your grml-live configuration the file is cleared on each new invocation of
grml-live.

The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
default being /var/log/fai/grml/.

If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.

If you want to store build information in a database just install the
grml-live-db Debian package. Further details available in the grml-live-db
manpage.

[[requirements]]
Requirements for the build system
---------------------------------

* any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
please send us a bug report then) [a usual
link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
on a plain, original Debian system.

* enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
[$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
total free disk space

* fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
as possible)

For further information see next section.

[[X8]]
[[current_state]]
Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
---------------------------------------------------------

Use squashfs-tools >=4.2-1 (available from Grml repositories as well as from
Debian/unstable) to build Grml (based) ISOs featuring kernel version
2.6.38-grml[64].

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools, squashfs-lzma-tools4 and squashfs-tools
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
Grml builds use the LZMA compression.

Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
therefore squashfs-lzma-tools[4] had to be introduced and maintained by the Grml
team. Different kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats. Kernel
versions until 2.6.28-grml[64] used the 3.x file format but those outdated
kernels aren't supported by grml-live automatically anymore nowdays (manual
handling through SQUASHFS_BINARY possible though). Kernel versions
2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64] use openwrt's squashfs lzma file format
version 4. Kernel versions starting with 2.6.35-grml[64] use the mainline ondisk
file format version 4.

If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:

* squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-x: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-comp lzma'
option (enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (mainline
version), package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for current
grml-live builds featuring kernels >=2.6.35-grml[64]

* squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via '-lzma' option
(enabled by grml-live by default), file format version 4 (openwrt style),
package maintained and available from Grml, recommended for any grml-live builds
with kernel versions 2.6.31-grml[64] and 2.6.33-grml[64]

* squashfs-tools 1:4.0-x: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
version 4, package maintained and available from Debian, recommended only for
ZLIB-only builds of any grml-live builds with kernel versions >=2.6.31-grml[64]

Outdated, JFTR:

* squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
version 3

* squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma'
option, file format version 3

* squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via '-nolzma' option,
file format version 3

Now, depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
of squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools[4]. Yes, that's a mess (don't ask how much
this sucks for us developers) - though we're putting lots of effort into our
toolchain to automatically handle this for you through the grml-live build
system and provide proper documentation. The situation is supposed to calm down
with the recent integration of the squashfs file format 4 in the mainline
kernel. Support for LZMA is pending and as soon as it's available mainline this
should dramatically simplify the situation for developers as well as users.

[TIP]
If you want to force usage of a specific mksquashfs binary just set the
SQUASHFS_BINARY configuration/environment variable. Set SQUASHFS_OPTIONS for
customizing the options that should be used by the mksquashfs binary during
build process.

Using squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-lzma-tools4 4.0-1 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
the mksquashfs-lzma4 and unsquashfs-lzma4 binaries. The package does NOT
conflict with neither Debian's squashfs-tools package nor Grml's
squashfs-lzma-tools package, so you can install all of them at the same time and
the build system will try to figure out the best matching binary automatically
for you.

The packages can be downloaded from
link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools4/]

It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (as available in
mainline, so *not* the one being used by squashfs-lzma-tools and kernel
2.6.33-grml) and therefore requires kernel versions starting with
2.6.35-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just use the
defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to use
ZLIB compression instead.

* Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
* Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works with ZLIB compression, fails with LZMA
* Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression
* Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works with ZLIB *and* LZMA compression

[NOTE]
squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 and/or squashfs-lzma-tools4 are the recommended package
for building up2date ISOs with grml-live! Please use other squashfs-* packages
only if you want to build live systems providing kernel versions older than
2.6.35-grml*. Use squashfs-tools >=4.1-1 or squashfs-lzma-tools4 from Grml if
you want to remaster any Grml releases MORE RECENT than 2010.04.

Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the Grml repositories. It provides
the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
time).

The packages can be downloaded from
link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]

It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 (based on openwrt
patches, this is *not* the mainline file format that's being used by kernel
2.6.35-grml and squashfs-lzma-tools4!) and therefore requires kernel versions
newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as ZLIB compression. Just
use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's '-z' option if you want to
use ZLIB instead.

* Kernel \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
* Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
* Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works
* Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works for ZLIB compression, fails for LZMA

[NOTE]
Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml only if you want to remaster
Grml releases 2009.10 and 2010.04 or live systems with their according kernel
versions.

Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-X on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-tools >=1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT conflict
neither with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package nor with the
squashfs-lzma-tools4 package (so you can install all of them at the same time).

The packages can be downloaded from
link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/]

It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].

It does NOT support LZMA compression (dropped with
link:http://packages.debian.org/changelogs/pool/main/s/squashfs-tools/current/changelog[version
1:3.3-4] and not yet re-integrated yet, see
link:http://bugs.debian.org/594595[#594595]). If you need LZMA support please
use Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools[4] (see sections above) instead.

* Kernels \<=2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
* Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
* Kernel 2.6.33-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
* Kernel 2.6.35-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)
* Kernel 2.6.36-grml[64]: works (ZLIB only)

[NOTE]
Please use squashfs-tools between 4.0-1 and 4.1-1 only if you want to remaster
Grml releases starting with 2009.10 using the ZLIB compression, please use other
squashfs packages otherwise instead.

Outdated, JFTR:

Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the Grml repository supports kernel
2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
compression.

The packages can be downloaded from
link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].

[NOTE]
Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 only if you want to remaster Grml releases
2008.11 or 2009.05.

Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].

Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
squashfs-lzma-tools instead.

* Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
                      instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
                      recommended)
* Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
* Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)

Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
running:

  # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1

or directly via downloading the files
http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).

Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
option in grml-live cmdline):

* Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
* Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
* Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)

Using with LZMA compression:

* Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
* Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
  to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
* Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
  to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[[faq]]
FAQ
---

[[deploy-on-debian]]
How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install Grml or
grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.

What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).

What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
architecture using grml-live.

[IMPORTANT]

If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
<<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
section>>.

Instructions
^^^^^^^^^^^^

  # adjust sources.list:
  cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF

  # grml stable repository:
    deb     http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable  main
  # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable  main

  # grml testing/development repository:
    deb     http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
  # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
  EOF

  # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
  cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
  Package: *
  Pin: origin deb.grml.org
  Pin-Priority: 1

  Package: squashfs-tools
  Pin: origin deb.grml.org
  Pin-Priority: 996
  EOF

  # get keyring for apt:
  apt-get update
  apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring

  # optionally(!) install basefile so we don't have to build basic
  # chroot from scratch, grab from http://daily.grml.org/
  # mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
  # mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
  # mv base64.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/AMD64.tar.gz

  # install relevant tools
  # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
  apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-tools

  # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
  cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
  ## want a faster build process and don't need smaller ISOs?
  ## if so use zlib compression
  # SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-comp gzip -b 256k"
  ## want to use a specific squashfs binary?
  # SQUASHFS_BINARY='/usr/bin/mksquashfs'
  # install local files into the chroot
  CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
  ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
  ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
  FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
  ARCH="i386"
  CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
  # PRESERVE_LOGFILE='1'
  # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
  GRML_LIVE_SOURCES="
  deb http://deb.grml.org/            grml-stable  main
  deb http://deb.grml.org/            grml-testing main
  deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
  "
  EOF

  # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
  cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
  # fai:
    deb http://fai-project.org/download lenny koeln
  EOF

  # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
  gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
  apt-get update
  apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc

That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO.  If everything
worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:

  [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]

and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.

[[grml_fai_config_variable]]
What is $GRML_FAI_CONFIG?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The variable '$GRML_FAI_CONFIG' is pointing to the directory /etc/grml/fai by
default.  To provide you a maximum of flexibility you can set up your own
configuration directory (e.g. based on /etc/grml/fai) and use this directory
running grml-live with the '-D <config_dir>' option. Now '$GRML_FAI_CONFIG'
points to the specified directory instead of using /etc/grml/fai and all the
configuration files, scripts and hooks will be taken from your
'$GRML_FAI_CONFIG' directory.

[[fai-on-etch]]
Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  wget http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
       http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
       http://fai-project.org/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
  dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb

or check out the link:http://fai-project.org/[FAI-homepage] for
further details.

[[how-to-debug]]
I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
description to <mika@grml.org>:

  # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
  # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
            /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf \
            /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
  -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>

If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
grml-live you can get commercial support via
link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].

[[lzma-vs-zlib]]
How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ISO size (bs = blocksize):

[width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2"]
|============================================================
|ISO                   |LZMA (256kB bs) |ZLIB
|grml_sid              |666M | 771M
|grml_squeeze          |659M | 761M
|grml_lenny            |624M | 723M
|grml64_sid            |677M | 791M
|grml64_squeeze        |671M | 785M
|grml64_lenny          |639M | 745M
|grml-medium_sid       |208M | 236M
|grml-medium_squeeze   |206M | 234M
|grml-medium_lenny     |193M | 220M
|grml64-medium_sid     |213M | 245M
|grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | 244M
|grml64-medium_lenny   |201M | 231M
|grml-small_sid        |102M | 118M
|grml-small_squeeze    |101M | 117M
|grml-small_lenny      |97M  | 112M
|grml64-small_sid      |103M | 120M
|grml64-small_squeeze  |103M | 120M
|grml64-small_lenny    |99M  | 116M
|============================================================

Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
to get the ratio between the different options):

* 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
* 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
* 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
* 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB

[[install-local-files]]
How do I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
own. Usage example:

  echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
  mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
  wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
  mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
  grml-live ...

[[local-debian-mirror]]
Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
(see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.

If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
well.

Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/apt/sources.list and ${GRML_FAI_CONFIG}/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.

If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's preferred over
non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.

[[add-additional-debian-packages]]
How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):

  # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
  PACKAGES aptitude

  vim
  another_name_of_a_debian_package
  and_another_one
  EOF

and specify it when invoking grml-live then:

  # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA

[[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
what you are searching for just run:

  rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
  dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb

[NOTE]

If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
good chance to start using it now. Check out
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/]
for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.

[[create-a-base-tgz]]
How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First of all build the chroot system:

  mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
  debootstrap squeeze /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
  tar zcf base.tgz ./

Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:

  # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
  NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot

So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
/grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:

  mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz

or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.

Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
NFSROOT:

  [...]
  Calling task_extrbase
  Unpacking Debian base archive
  Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
  Calling task_mirror
  [...]

or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:

  [...]
  ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
  /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
  [...]

[TIP]
Existing base.tgz can be found at http://daily.grml.org/

[[apt-cacher]]
Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP:

  # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
  [...]
  GRML_LIVE_SOURCES="
  deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable  main
  deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
  deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
  "
  [...]
  FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free"

Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it.  All downloaded
files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.

[[approx]]
Set up approx for use with grml-live
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP:

  # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
  [...]
  GRML_LIVE_SOURCES="
  deb http://localhost:9999/grml            grml-stable  main
  deb http://localhost:9999/grml            grml-testing main
  deb http://localhost:9999/debian squeeze  main contrib non-free
  "
  FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://localhost:9999/debian"

Configure approx:

  # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
  [...]
  debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
  grml   http://deb.grml.org/

Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.

[[revert_manifold]]
How do I revert the manifold feature from an ISO?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The so called manifold feature Grml ISOs use by default allows one to use the same
ISO for CD boot and USB boot. If you notice any problems when booting just
revert the manifold feature running:

  % dd if=/dev/zero of=grml.iso bs=512 count=1 conv=notrunc

To switch from manifold to isohybrid mode (an alternative approach provided by
syslinux) then just execute:

  % isohybrid grml.iso

[[basetgz]]
How do I create a base tar.gz (I386.tar.gz or AMD64.tar.gz)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Execute the following commands (requires root):

  ARCH='amd64' # replace with i386 if necessary
  SUITE='squeeze' # using the current stable release should always work
  debootstrap --arch "$ARCH" --exclude=info,tasksel,tasksel-data "$SUITE" "$ARCH" http://debian.netcologne.de/debian
  cd "$ARCH"
  rm var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb
  tar zcf ../"${ARCH}".tar.gz *

And finally place the generated tarball in /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/ (note
that it needs to be uppercase letters matching the class names, so: AMD64.tar.gz
for amd64 and I386.tar.gz for i386).

[[autobuild]]
How do I set up an autobuild environment?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to set up a system like link:http://daily.grml.org/[daily.grml.org]
the Debian package grml-live-buildd provides all you need to start. Start with
figuring out the cron job script /usr/share/grml-live/buildd/cronjob.sh.

If you want to automatically update the grml-live Debian package on your build
system based on the git tree of grml-live (so you get bleeding edge of
development which might is interesting for services like daily.grml.org) the
provided release_helper.sh script provides everything you need. Execute as root:

  echo "deb file:/home/grml-live-git/grml-live.build-area/ ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grml-live.list
  adduser --disabled-login --disabled-password grml-live-git

Execute 'visudo' to update sudo configuration and add the following line:

  grml-live-git ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/apt-get

Switch to user grml-live-git and configure the rest:

  su - grml-live-git
  mkdir grml-live.build-area
  git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live.git
  git config --global user.name "Grml-Live Git Autobuild"
  git config --global user.email "grml-live-git@$(hostname)"

Finally install a cron job (as user grml-live-git) like:

  30 00 * * * cd /home/grml-live-git/grml-live.git/ && env AUTOBUILD=1 scripts/release_helper.sh >/home/grml-live-git/grml-live-build.log

Tip: To find out the build date of the installed grml-live package just execute:

  % apt-cache policy grml-live | grep 'Installed.*autobuild'
   Installed: 0.13.1~autobuild1300450381

and run "date -ud @$STRING" where $STRING is the number behind the "autobuild",
like:

  % date -ud @1300450081
  Fri Mar 18 12:08:01 UTC 2011

[[question]]
I've a question which isn't answered by this document
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>

[[download]]
Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
------------------------------------------------

Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org].  If you want to
build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
current development tree), just execute:

  git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
  cd grml-live
  debuild -us -uc

[[source]]
Source
------

The source of grml-live is available at
link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]

[[todo-list]]
TODO list
---------

Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].

[[bugs]]
Bugs
----

Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!

[[documentation]]
Documentation
-------------

The most recent grml-live documentation is available online at
http://grml.org/grml-live/ and for offline reading also available
in different formats:

* http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.epub
* http://grml.org/grml-live/grml-live.pdf

[[authors]]
Authors
-------
Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>

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