1 CHEATCODES AND HINTS FOR GRML
2 ==============================================================================
4 These options work from the (isolinux/grub) bootprompt of Grml based (live) systems.
6 The following kernel options are available (do NOT use them as 'grml $OPTION',
7 use them as '$OPTION'!):
9 grml Use default settings (same as just pressing return)
10 grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and
11 run from there (compare with 'grml toram')
12 memtest Run Memtest86+ instead of Linux
13 fb1280x1024 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (1)
14 fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: Grml's default]
15 fb800x600 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (3)
16 nofb Disable framebuffer
17 floppy Boot from floppydisk
18 hd / hd1 / hd2 / hd3 Boot from (local) primary / secondary /... harddisk
19 failsafe Boot with (almost) no HW-detection
20 debug Get shells during process of booting for debugging
21 bootchart Create chart of booting sequence in /var/log/bootchart.tgz
22 forensic Do not touch any harddisks during hardware recognition
23 serial Activate ttyS0 and start a getty
24 grub Boot Grub bootloader (special all-in-one-image)
27 hdt Boot Hardware Detection Tool (from syslinux project)
29 Further documentation regarding the init process can be found at:
30 * http://git.grml.org/?p=live-initramfs-grml.git;a=blob_plain;f=manpages/live-initramfs.en.7.txt;hb=HEAD
31 * http://git.debian.org/?p=kernel/initramfs-tools.git;a=blob_plain;f=initramfs-tools.8;hb=HEAD
33 The following boot options can be combined.
34 Notice: not all of them are available on all the Grml flavours.
35 For example the X window system is not part of grml-small.
39 grml lang=at|de|cn|da|es|fr|it Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
40 grml lang=nl|pl|ru|sk|tr|tw|us Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
41 grml lang=$LANG-iso Activate $LANG (use like in lines above) with iso-mode instead of utf8
42 grml gmt Use GMT-based time (UTC=yes)
43 grml utc Use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC=yes)
44 grml localtime Use local time (UTC=no)
45 grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use specified timezone for TZ
46 grml keyboard=us xkeyboard=us Use different keyboard layout (text-console/X)
47 grml setkeycodes Set some special function keys for MS/HP keyboards
49 Configuration settings:
50 -----------------------
51 grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Set the DCS dir (debs, config, scripts) to the root of this device
52 DCS dir defaults to the live image or a device labeled GRMLCFG
53 If a file /config.tbz exists, it is extracted from there.
54 /dev/fd0 for floppy disk
55 /dev/sda1 for USB-stick/first SCSI-device
56 grml netconfig=server/config.tbz Download file and extract configuration archive
57 grml netscript=server/file Download and execute file
58 grml partconf=/dev/hda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/hda2
59 to booting grml system
60 grml file=foobar.tbz Use specified file as name for configuration archive
61 instead of the default one (config.tbz)
62 grml extract=/etc Extract only /etc from configuration archive,
63 use it in combination with myconfig or netconfig
64 grml persistent=nofiles Enable persistency feature, more details available at
65 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency
66 Notice that the "=nofiles" argument is optional, though recommended
68 grml hostname=... Set hostname to given argument
69 grml hostname Set a random hostname
70 [Note: only available with releases newer than 2010.04]
71 grml nodhcphostname Do not to set the hostname according to the dns information
72 grml nonetworking Do not create/overwrite /etc/network/interface during startup
73 grml distri=... Set distribution name to given argument. If a jpg file named like the
74 given distri name can be found in directory desktop on the ISO
75 (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
76 grml debnet Search through local partitions for file /etc/network/interfaces,
77 copy /etc/network to local system and restart networking then
78 grml mypath=... Add specified option into $PATH of Zsh
79 For example when using "grml mypath=/foobar" then /foobar
80 will be added to the end of $PATH inside Zsh
81 grml debs Install all Debian packages from the "debs" directory of your DCS
82 directory (see myconfig=, typically the root of your ISO image).
83 grml debs=path-name-wildcard Install Debian packages from DCS directory (see myconfig=,
84 typically the root of your ISO image). If path does not contain a
85 "/" the package(s) will be installed from directory "debs" of the
86 DCS directory instead. The "path-name-wildcard" can contain
87 wildcards (e.g. debs=rat* will install a packages starting with "rat"
88 from directory debs/).
89 grml scripts=path-name Execute script (defaulting to grml.sh) inside DCS dir. Path names
90 allowed. If path-name points to a directory, all scripts found in
91 the directory are executed.
92 grml config=path-name Unpack archive that path-name points to
93 grml noautoconfig Disable searching for device labeled GRMLCFG
95 Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and 'man 1 grml-autoconfig'
96 for more information regarding the configuration framework of grml.
98 Booting related options:
99 ------------------------
100 grml toram Copy the whole CD/medium to RAM and run from there
101 grml toram=filename.squashfs Copy the specified file to RAM and run from there
102 Usage example: grml toram=grml-medium.squashfs
103 Notice: grml2ram is an alias for this option which
104 corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default
105 grml tohd=/dev/sda1 Copy Grml's squashfs file to harddisk partition for later
106 use via "grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1"
107 grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device
108 Setup can be done booting 'grml tohd=/dev/sda1' or
109 running 'rsync -a --progress /live/image/live /mnt/sda1/'
110 grml bootfrom=removable Restrict search for the live media to removable type only.
111 grml bootfrom=removable-usb Restrict search for the live media to usb mass storage only.
112 grml isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting
113 Useful when booting as a rescue system from harddisk - just boot
114 the according grml kernel and initrd using the bootoptions
115 "boot=live isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso"
116 Notice: "fromiso" does the same as "isofrom", it's just there
117 to prevent any typing errors
118 grml findiso=/grml_2010.12.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
119 looks for the .squashfs file (so you don't have to know the device name
121 grml fetch=$IP/filename.squashfs Download a squashfs image from a given url, copying to ram and booting it.
122 Due to current limitations in busyboxs wget and DNS resolution, an URL
123 can not contain a hostname but an IP only.
124 grml live-media-path=live Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium
125 By default, it is set to /live
126 grml module=grml Instead of using the default "$name.module" another file can
127 be specified without the extension ".module"; it should be placed
128 on "/live" directory of the live medium
129 Useful for Multiboot USB pen, see
130 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=tips#multiboot_usb_pen
131 grml bootid=mybootid Use specified argument as identifier for the ISO.
132 mybootid is specified in /conf/bootid.txt on the ISO.
133 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
134 grml ignore_bootid Disable bootid verification.
135 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
138 Debugging related settings:
139 ---------------------------
140 grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose
141 grml debug=1 Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose and
142 display shell code being executed in initramfs.
143 grml debug=noscreen Get shells during process of booting, verbose, but without using GNU screen
144 grml nocolor Disable colorized output while booting
145 grml log Log error messages while booting to /tmp/grml.log.`date +%Y%m%d`"
147 grml testcd Check CD data integrity and md5sums
149 Service related settings:
150 -------------------------
151 grml ssh=password Set password for user grml and start ssh-server
152 grml startup=script Start $script instead of grml-quickconfig on startup
153 grml nosyslog Do not start syslog daemon
154 grml nogpm Disable GPM daemon
155 grml noconsolefont Disable setting of console font (using consolechars)
156 grml noblank Disable console blanking
157 grml tsplash Text based bootsplash
158 grml noquick Disable grml-quickconfig startup script
159 grml small Do not start that many consoles
160 grml wondershaper=eth0,1000,500 Set up basic traffic shaping
161 grml services={postfix,mysql,...} Start service(s) which have an init-script (/etc/init.d/)
162 grml welcome Welcome message via soundoutput
163 grml noeject Do NOT eject CD after halt/reboot
164 grml noprompt Do NOT prompt to remove the CD when halting/rebooting the system
165 grml distcc=$NETWORK,$INTERFACE Activate distcc-daemon to listen on specified network
166 and interface, usage example:
167 distcc=192.168.0.1/24,eth0
168 grml gcc=3.4 gpp=3.4 Link /usr/bin/gcc, /usr/bin/cpp and /usr/bin/c++ to specified version
169 grml startx{=windowmanager} Start X window system automatically
170 Default window manager (if not provided): wm-ng (wrapper around fluxbox)
171 grml nostartx If using startx as default bootoption the nostartx *disables* automatic
172 startup of X again. (This bootoption is relevant for grml based derivatives
173 which decide to enable startx by default only, plain grml does not use
174 automatic startup of X by default.)
176 Accessibility related settings:
177 -------------------------------
178 grml blind Start Braille-Terminal (no X)
179 grml hwspeak Probe all available speakup hardware modules
180 grml swspeak Prepare system for use with software synthesizer through speakup
181 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
182 grml swspeak=espeak Use espeakup (if available) as connector to speakup
183 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
184 grml swspeak=speechd Use speech-dispatcher / speechd-up (if available) as connector to speakup
185 Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
186 grml brltty=type,port,table Parameters for Braille device (e.g.: brltty=al,/dev/ttyS0,text.de.tbl)
187 grml speakup.synth=... Use speakup kernel module with given hardware type
188 Usage example: speakup.synth=apollo
190 Hardware related settings:
191 --------------------------
192 grml swap Activate present/detected swap partitions
193 grml noswraid Disable scanning for software raid arrays (creates /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf)
194 grml swraid Enable automatic assembling of software raid arrays
195 grml nodmraid Do not enable present dmraid devices.
196 grml dmraid=on Automatically enable any present dmraid devices.
197 grml dmraid=off Actively try to stop any present dmraid devices.
198 grml nolvm Disable scanning for Logical Volumes (LVM)
199 grml lvm Automatically activate Logival Volumes (LVM) during boot
200 grml readonly Make sure all harddisk devices (/dev/hd* /dev/sd*) are forced to read-only mode
201 grml ethdevice=... Use specified network device for network boot instead of default (eth0)
202 grml xmodule=ati|fbdev|i810|mga Use specified X.org-Module (1)
203 grml xmodule=nv|radeon|savage|s3 Use specified X.org-Module (2)
204 grml xmodule=radeon|svga|i810 Use specified X.org-Module (3)
205 grml no{acpi,agp,apm,cpu,dhcp} Skip parts of HW-detection (1)
206 grml no{dma,fstab,modem} Skip parts of HW-detection (2)
207 grml no{pcmcia,scsi,swap,usb} Skip parts of HW-detection (3)
208 grml 915resolution=... Start resolution modify tool for Intel graphic chipset
209 usage: $MODE,$XRESO,$YRESO
210 grml blacklist=modulename[,module2] Completely disable loading of specified module(s) via
211 blacklisting through udev's /etc/modprobe.d/grml
212 grml fwtimeout=50 Set firmware timeout via /sys/class/firmware/timeout to specified value
213 grml nosound Mute sound devices (notice: this does not deactivate loading of sound drivers!)
214 grml vol=number Set mixer volumes to level $number
215 grml micvol=number Set mixer volume of microphone to level $number (default: 0)
216 grml pnpbios=off No PnP Bios initialization
217 grml acpi=off Disable ACPI Bios completely
218 grml nousb2 Disable initialization of USB 2.x controller(s)
219 grml nousb Disable initialization of USB in booting sequence
220 grml nofirewire Disable initialization of firewire devices in booting sequence
221 grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98 Try this, if PS/2 mouse doesn't work *)
222 grml pci=bios Workaround for bad PCI controllers
223 grml ide2=0x180 nopcmcia Boot from PCMCIA-CD-ROM (some notebooks)
224 grml mem=128M Specify Memory size in MByte
225 grml libata.force=[ID:]VAL Force configurations for libata.
226 Usage example: grml libata.force=1:pio4
227 to force pio4 mode on device "ata1:00:"
228 grml libata.dma=0 Disable DMA on PATA and SATA devices
229 grml libata.ignore_hpa=1 Disable host protected area (which should enable the whole disk)
230 grml vga=normal [video=ofonly] No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
231 grml vga=ask [video=ofonly] Display menu for framebuffer mode
233 Installation related settings:
234 ------------------------------
236 Caution: do *not* use the grml2hd and/or debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
238 Install plain Debian via debian2hd bootoption (which runs grml-debootstrap in non-interactive mode):
240 debian2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for debian2hd are:
242 target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/hda1
243 grub= where to install grub to? Use grub syntax for specifying, e.g.: grub=hd0
244 groot= specify root device for usage in grub (use grub syntax), e.g.: groot=hd0,0
245 release= specify release of new Debian system (default is stable), e.g.: release=sid
246 mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
247 password= set passwort of user root without prompting for it, e.g.: password=AiTh5ahn
249 Usage example for automatic installation:
251 debian2hd target=/dev/hda1 grub=hd0 groot=hd0,0 mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
253 See http://grml.org/grml-debootstrap/ for more information.
255 Install grml via grml2hd bootoption (which runs grml2hd in non-interactive mode):
257 grml2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for grml2hd are:
259 user= user name for user which should be used at hd-install
260 filesystem={ext2|ext3|reiserfs|reiser4|jfs|xfs} filesystem to be used
261 mbr=/dev/... partition where MBR should be installed (default:=partition)
262 partition=/dev/... partition where grml should be installed
264 Usage example for booting:
265 grml2hd partition=/dev/hda4 mbr=/dev/hda filesystem=ext3 user=mika
267 Passwords of user root and user are "grml" - please adjust after hd-install!
269 See http://grml.org/grml2hd/ for more information.
274 *) If your Grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
275 errors like "squashfs: read error", or programs are crashing randomly,
276 then your CD image is probably defective or incomplete, your CD-burner
277 created a defective CD due to wrong writing speed or bad media or your
278 CD-ROM drive is broken. This is the most common error reported. Please
279 boot with "grml testcd" to check if the CD is OK, and/or even better,
280 verify the MD5 checksums that are present on the mirrors before writing
281 the CD. Check your CD low-level via running 'readcd -c2scan
282 dev=/dev/cdrom'. In some cases, defective IDE controllers cause this
283 error if you have DMA enabled. Also, please read the grml-FAQ.
285 *) In case of a failing hardware autodetection, try booting with any of
286 the "no-" options as shown in the table above, like in
287 grml noagp noapm noapic acpi=off nodma
288 to skip some critical parts of the autodetection system.
290 *) Some boards (especially those with E-ISA slots) apparently don't pass
291 the proper memory size to the linux-kernel. It may cause the message
292 "Panic: cannot mount root file system" and the system hangs. Use "grml
293 mem=128M" to solve that problem if your system has 128MByte memory for
294 example (caution: you MUST use a capital "M" here).
296 *) The "myconfig=/dev/partition" option allows you to reconfigure the
297 system after autoconfiguration by running a bourne shell script called
298 "grml.sh" and/or extracting configuration files from a file named
299 config.tbz from the root directory on the given device (or floppy).
300 Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ for more information regarding
301 the configuration framework of grml.
303 *) If you wish to remaster the CD, please don't forget to specify
305 -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table \
306 -b boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin -c boot/isolinux/boot.cat
308 as option to mkisofs. Otherwise your CD won't be bootable. The
309 directory live, containing the squashfs compressed filesystem file,
310 must be located in the top level directory of the CD.
312 *) Caution: screensavers: Don't start vlock or any other screensaver
313 that requires a password manually. There are no default passwords on
314 the live system - all accounts are LOCKED by default for security reasons.
315 Instead just invoke the script grml-lock which prompts for setting a
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