1 CHEATCODES AND HINTS FOR GRML
2 ==============================================================================
4 Isolinux bootprompt options:
5 ----------------------------
7 These options work from the isolinux bootprompt of Grml based (live) systems.
8 (Do NOT use them as 'grml $OPTION', use them as '$OPTION'!):
10 grml Use default settings (same as just pressing return)
11 grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and
12 run from there (compare with 'grml toram')
13 memtest Run Memtest86+ instead of Linux
14 fb1280x1024 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (1)
15 fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: Grml's default]
16 fb800x600 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (3)
17 nofb Disable framebuffer
18 floppy Boot from floppydisk
19 hd / hd1 / hd2 / hd3 Boot from (local) primary / secondary /... harddisk
20 debug Get shells during process of booting for debugging
21 forensic Do not touch any harddisks during hardware recognition
22 serial Activate ttyS0 and start a getty
23 grub Boot Grub bootloader (special all-in-one-image)
25 hdt Boot Hardware Detection Tool (from syslinux project)
27 Further documentation regarding the boot process can be found at:
28 * https://manpages.debian.org/live-boot-doc/live-boot.7.en.html
29 * https://manpages.debian.org/initramfs-tools-core/initramfs-tools.7.en.html
30 * https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.html
32 The following boot options can be combined.
33 Notice: not all of them are available on all the Grml flavours.
34 For example the X window system is not part of grml-small.
38 grml lang=at|de|cn|da|es|fr|it Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
39 grml lang=nl|pl|ru|sk|tr|tw|us Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
40 grml utc Hardware Clock is set to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
41 grml localtime Hardware Clock is set to local time (LOCAL), this is the default
42 grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use specified timezone for TZ, defaults to TZ=UTC
43 grml keyboard=us Use different keyboard layout
45 Configuration settings:
46 -----------------------
47 grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Set the DCS dir (debs, config, scripts) to the root of this device
48 DCS dir defaults to the live image or a device labeled GRMLCFG
49 If a file /config.tbz exists, it is extracted from there.
50 /dev/fd0 for floppy disk
51 /dev/sda1 for USB-stick/first SCSI-device
52 grml autoconfig=SOMELABEL Set the DCS dir to the root of the device labeled with SOMELABEL.
53 If undefined search for a device labeled with GRMLCFG.
54 grml netconfig=server/config.tbz Download file and extract configuration archive
55 grml netscript=server/file Download and execute file
56 grml partconf=/dev/sda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/sda2
57 to booting grml system
58 grml file=foobar.tbz Use specified file as name for configuration archive
59 instead of the default one (config.tbz)
60 grml extract=/etc Extract only /etc from configuration archive,
61 use it in combination with myconfig or netconfig
62 grml persistence Enable persistency feature, more details available at
63 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency
64 grml hostname=... Set hostname to given argument
65 grml hostname Set a random hostname
66 [Note: only available with releases newer than 2010.04]
67 grml nonetworking Do not create/overwrite /etc/network/interface during startup
68 grml distri=... Set distribution name to given argument. If a jpg file named like the
69 given distri name can be found in directory desktop on the ISO
70 (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
71 grml debnet Search through local partitions for file /etc/network/interfaces,
72 copy /etc/network to local system and restart networking then
73 grml dns=8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4 Set DNS resolvers during boot and for live system.
74 grml ip=... Standard Linux kernel ip= boot option. Arguments:
75 clientip:nfsserverip:gwip:netmask:hostname:device:autoconf
76 Valid values for autoconf: off, on, dhcp, bootp, rarp, both.
77 Almost everything is optional. Most common form: ip=dhcp
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
94 grml nobeep Disable welcome chime, sounded before grml-quickconfig starts.
96 Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and 'man 1 grml-autoconfig'
97 for more information regarding the configuration framework of Grml.
99 Booting related options:
100 ------------------------
101 grml toram Copy the whole CD/medium to RAM and run from there
102 grml toram=filename.squashfs Copy the specified file to RAM and run from there
103 Usage example: grml toram=grml-medium.squashfs
104 Notice: grml2ram is an alias for this option which
105 corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default
106 grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device
107 Setup can be done by executing:
108 rsync -a --progress /run/live/medium/live /media/sda1/
109 NOTE: you can can also use bootfrom=/dev/disk/by-label/yourlabel
110 (adjust yourlabel as needed), which should prevent choosing the
111 wrong block device (e.g. if more than one disk is present).
112 grml bootfrom=removable Restrict search for the live media to removable type only.
113 grml bootfrom=removable-usb Restrict search for the live media to usb mass storage only.
114 grml isofrom=[fs:][/device]/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting.
115 Useful when booting as a rescue system from a different device.
116 If you want to load the image from a device different from the root device
117 specified through the bootloader, prefix its device path to the path, like
118 in "/dev/sda1/grml.iso".
119 Internally, the initrd will mount the given device, automatically detecting
121 If needed, prefix the file system separated with a colon character to
122 override the automatic detection, like in "reiserfs:/dev/sda1/grml.iso".
123 As an example, boot the according grml kernel and initrd using the
124 bootoptions "boot=live isofrom=btrfs:/dev/vda40/path/to/grml.iso"
125 NOTE: "fromiso" does the same as "isofrom", it's just there
126 to prevent any typing errors
127 NOTE: you can can also use isofrom=/dev/disk/by-label/yourlabel
128 (adjust yourlabel as needed), which should prevent choosing the
129 wrong block device (e.g. if more than one disk is present).
130 grml findiso=/grml_2010.12.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
131 looks for the .squashfs file (so you don't have to know the device name
133 grml fetch=$IP/filename.squashfs Download a squashfs image from a given url, copying to ram and booting it.
134 [Note: releases before 2011.05 didn't support DNS but IP only.]
135 grml live-media-path=/live/grml... Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium
136 By default, it is set to /live/$GRML_FLAVOUR/ (where $GRML_FLAVOUR
137 is corresponding to grml64-full, grml32-full, grml64-small,...
138 [Note: this option is mandatory since release 2011.12]
139 grml module=grml Instead of using the default "$name.module" another file can
140 be specified without the extension ".module"; it should be placed
141 on "/live" directory of the live medium
142 Useful for Multiboot USB pen, see
143 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=tips#multiboot_usb_pen
144 grml bootid=mybootid Use specified argument as identifier for the ISO.
145 mybootid is specified in /conf/bootid.txt on the ISO.
146 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
147 grml ignore_bootid Disable bootid verification.
148 [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
151 Debugging related settings:
152 ---------------------------
153 grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose
154 grml debug=1 Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose and
155 display shell code being executed in initramfs.
156 grml debug=noscreen Get shells during process of booting, verbose, but without using GNU screen
157 grml nocolor Disable colorized output while booting
158 Also set SYSTEMD_COLORS=0 to disable colors in systemd output
159 grml log Log error messages while booting to /tmp/grml.log.`date +%Y%m%d`"
161 grml testcd Check CD data integrity and md5sums
163 Security / login related settings:
164 ----------------------------------
166 grml ssh=password Set password for root & grml user and start ssh-server
167 grml passwd=... Set password for root & grml user
168 grml encpasswd=.... Set specified hash as password for root & grml user, use e.g.
169 'mkpasswd -H md5' to generate such a hash (available in Grml >=2013.09)
171 Service related settings:
172 -------------------------
173 grml startup=script Start $script instead of grml-quickconfig on startup
174 grml nosyslog Do not start syslog daemon
175 grml nogpm Disable GPM daemon
176 grml noconsolefont Disable setting of console font (using consolechars)
177 grml noblank Disable console blanking
178 grml noquick Disable grml-quickconfig startup script
179 grml wondershaper=eth0,1000,500 Set up basic traffic shaping
180 grml services={postfix,mysql,...} Start service(s) which have an init-script (/etc/init.d/)
181 grml welcome Welcome message via soundoutput
182 grml noeject Do NOT eject CD after halt/reboot
183 grml noprompt Do NOT prompt to remove the CD when halting/rebooting the system
184 grml startx{=windowmanager} Start X window system automatically
185 Default window manager (if not provided): wm-ng (wrapper around fluxbox)
186 grml nostartx If using startx as default bootoption the nostartx *disables* automatic
187 startup of X again. (This bootoption is relevant for grml based derivatives
188 which decide to enable startx by default only, plain grml does not use
189 automatic startup of X by default.)
190 grml vnc=password Start VNC server with startup of X.org and sets the password to the specified
191 one. To automatically start the VNC server use the startx bootoption.
192 [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC server.]
193 grml vnc_connect=host[:port] Connect to a listening VNC client ("vncviewer -listen" reverse connection).
194 Can be used to connect from devices behind firewalls as connection is
195 initiated from the VNC server instead of the VNC client. Has to be
196 combined with the vnc bootoption.
197 [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC client.]
198 grml getfile.retries=$NUM Retry the download of the files specified in the netconfig=... +
199 netscript=... options up to $NUM times
202 Accessibility related settings:
203 -------------------------------
204 grml brltty=type,port,table Parameters for Braille device (e.g.: brltty=al,/dev/ttyS0,text.de.tbl)
205 See http://mielke.cc/brltty/guidelines.html for documentation.
207 Hardware related settings:
208 --------------------------
209 grml swap Activate present/detected swap partitions
210 grml noswraid Disable scanning for software raid arrays (creates /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf)
211 grml swraid Enable automatic assembling of software raid arrays
212 grml nodmraid Do not enable present dmraid devices (deprecated as of releases in 2024)
213 grml dmraid=on Automatically enable any present dmraid devices (deprecated as of releases in 2024)
214 grml dmraid=off Actively try to stop any present dmraid devices (deprecated as of releases in 2024)
215 grml nolvm Disable scanning for Logical Volumes (LVM)
216 grml lvm Automatically activate Logival Volumes (LVM) during boot
217 grml read-only Make sure all harddisk devices (/dev/hd* /dev/sd*) are forced to read-only mode
218 grml ethdevice=... Use specified network device for network boot instead of default (eth0)
219 grml ethdevice-timeout=... Use specified network configuration timeout instead of default (15sec)
220 grml xmodule=ati|fbdev|i810|mga Use specified X.org-Module (1)
221 grml xmodule=nv|radeon|savage|s3 Use specified X.org-Module (2)
222 grml xmodule=radeon|svga|i810 Use specified X.org-Module (3)
223 grml no{acpi,cpu,dhcp,fstab,swap} Skip parts of HW-detection
224 grml blacklist=modulename[,module2] Completely disable loading of specified module(s) via
225 blacklisting through udev's /etc/modprobe.d/grml
226 grml nosound Mute sound devices (notice: this does not deactivate loading of sound drivers!)
227 grml vol=number Set mixer volumes to level $number
228 grml micvol=number Set mixer volume of microphone to level $number (default: 0)
229 grml acpi=off Disable ACPI Bios completely
230 grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98 Try this, if PS/2 mouse doesn't work *)
231 grml pci=bios Workaround for bad PCI controllers
232 grml libata.force=[ID:]VAL Force configurations for libata.
233 Usage example: grml libata.force=1:pio4
234 to force pio4 mode on device "ata1:00:"
235 grml libata.dma=0 Disable DMA on PATA and SATA devices
236 grml libata.ignore_hpa=1 Disable host protected area (which should enable the whole disk)
237 grml vga=normal No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
238 grml vga=ask Display menu for framebuffer mode
239 grml radeon.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Radeon driver.
240 grml i915.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Intel driver.
241 grml nouveau.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Nouveau driver.
242 grml cirrus.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Cirrus driver.
243 grml mgag200.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for MGAG200 driver.
245 Installation related settings:
246 ------------------------------
248 Caution: do *NOT* use the debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
250 Install plain Debian via debian2hd bootoption (which runs grml-debootstrap in non-interactive mode):
252 debian2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for debian2hd are:
254 target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/sda1
255 grub= where to install grub to, e.g.: grub=/dev/sda
256 release= specify release of new Debian system (default is stable), e.g.: release=sid
257 mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=http://ftp.debian.org/debian
258 password= set passwort of user root without prompting for it, e.g.: password=AiTh5ahn
260 Usage example for automatic installation:
262 debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=http://ftp.debian.org/debian password=foobar
264 See http://grml.org/grml-debootstrap/ for more information.
269 *) If your Grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
270 errors like "squashfs: read error", or programs are crashing randomly,
271 then your CD image is probably defective or incomplete, your CD-burner
272 created a defective CD due to wrong writing speed or bad media or your
273 CD-ROM drive is broken. This is the most common error reported. Please
274 boot with "grml testcd" to check if the CD is OK, and/or even better,
275 verify the MD5 checksums that are present on the mirrors before writing
276 the CD. Check your CD low-level via running 'readcd -c2scan
277 dev=/dev/cdrom'. In some cases, defective IDE controllers cause this
278 error if you have DMA enabled. Also, please read the grml-FAQ.
280 *) In case of a failing hardware autodetection, try booting with any of
281 the "no-" options as shown in the table above, like in
282 grml noagp noapic acpi=off nodma
283 to skip some critical parts of the autodetection system.
285 *) The "myconfig=/dev/partition" option allows you to reconfigure the
286 system after autoconfiguration by running a bourne shell script called
287 "grml.sh" and/or extracting configuration files from a file named
288 config.tbz from the root directory on the given device (or floppy).
289 Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ for more information regarding
290 the configuration framework of grml.
292 *) If you wish to remaster the CD, please don't forget to specify
294 -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table \
295 -b boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin -c boot/isolinux/boot.cat
297 as option to mkisofs. Otherwise your CD won't be bootable. The
298 directory live, containing the squashfs compressed filesystem file,
299 must be located in the top level directory of the CD.
301 *) Caution: screensavers: Don't start physlock or any other screensaver
302 that requires a password manually. There are no default passwords on
303 the live system - all accounts are LOCKED by default for security reasons.
304 Instead just invoke the script grml-lock which prompts for setting a
projects / grml-live.git / blob