CHEATCODES AND HINTS FOR GRML
==============================================================================
-These options work from the (isolinux/grub) bootprompt of grml based (live) systems.
+These options work from the (isolinux/grub) bootprompt of Grml based (live) systems.
The following kernel options are available (do NOT use them as 'grml $OPTION',
use them as '$OPTION'!):
grml Use default settings (same as just pressing return)
-grml2ram Copy grml's squashfs file to RAM and
+grml2ram Copy Grml's squashfs file to RAM and
run from there (compare with 'grml toram')
memtest Run Memtest86+ instead of Linux
fb1280x1024 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (1)
-fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: grml's default]
+fb1024x768 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (2) [notice: Grml's default]
fb800x600 Use fixed framebuffer graphics (3)
nofb Disable framebuffer
floppy Boot from floppydisk
hd / hd1 / hd2 / hd3 Boot from (local) primary / secondary /... harddisk
-failsafe Boot with (almost) no HW-detection
debug Get shells during process of booting for debugging
bootchart Create chart of booting sequence in /var/log/bootchart.tgz
forensic Do not touch any harddisks during hardware recognition
-serial Activate ttyS0 and start mgetty
+serial Activate ttyS0 and start a getty
grub Boot Grub bootloader (special all-in-one-image)
dos Boot FreeDOS
bsd Boot MirOS BSD
hdt Boot Hardware Detection Tool (from syslinux project)
-qemu Boot with special options for use in Qemu
-vmware Boot with special options for use in VMware
+
+Further documentation regarding the boot process can be found at:
+* http://git.grml.org/?p=live-initramfs-grml.git;a=blob_plain;f=manpages/live-initramfs.en.7.txt;hb=HEAD
+* http://git.grml.org/?p=live-boot-grml.git;a=blob;f=manpages/en/live-boot.7;hb=HEAD
+* http://git.debian.org/?p=kernel/initramfs-tools.git;a=blob_plain;f=initramfs-tools.8;hb=HEAD
+* http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
The following boot options can be combined.
-Notice: not all of the them are available on all the grml flavours.
+Notice: not all of them are available on all the Grml flavours.
For example the X window system is not part of grml-small.
Regional settings:
grml lang=at|de|cn|da|es|fr|it Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
grml lang=nl|pl|ru|sk|tr|tw|us Specify language ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE - utf8) + keyboard
grml lang=$LANG-iso Activate $LANG (use like in lines above) with iso-mode instead of utf8
-grml gmt Use GMT-based time
-grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use this timezone for TZ
+grml gmt Use GMT-based time (UTC=yes)
+grml utc Use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC=yes)
+grml localtime Use local time (UTC=no)
+grml tz=Europe/Vienna Use specified timezone for TZ
grml keyboard=us xkeyboard=us Use different keyboard layout (text-console/X)
-grml setkeycodes Set some special function keys for MS/HP keyboards
Configuration settings:
-----------------------
-grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Execute "grml.sh" and extract config.tbz from a partition:
+grml myconfig=/dev/fd0 Set the DCS dir (debs, config, scripts) to the root of this device
+ DCS dir defaults to the live image or a device labeled GRMLCFG
+ If a file /config.tbz exists, it is extracted from there.
/dev/fd0 for floppy disk
/dev/sda1 for USB-stick/first SCSI-device
+grml autoconfig=SOMELABEL Set the DCS dir to the root of the device labeled with SOMELABEL.
+ If undefined search for a device labeled with GRMLCFG.
grml netconfig=server/config.tbz Download file and extract configuration archive
-grml partconf=/dev/hda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/hda2
+grml netscript=server/file Download and execute file
+grml partconf=/dev/sda2 Copy files specified in /etc/grml/partconf from /dev/sda2
to booting grml system
grml file=foobar.tbz Use specified file as name for configuration archive
instead of the default one (config.tbz)
grml extract=/etc Extract only /etc from configuration archive,
use it in combination with myconfig or netconfig
-grml persistent Enable persistency feature, more details available at
+grml persistence Enable persistency feature, more details available at
http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=persistency
-grml home=/dev/hda2 Mount specified partition as grml homedir
-grml home=/dev/sda1/grml.img Mount loopback file as /home/grml
-grml home=scan Automatic search for grml homedir (using file grml.img)
-grml hostname=... Set hostname
+grml hostname=... Set hostname to given argument
+grml hostname Set a random hostname
+ [Note: only available with releases newer than 2010.04]
+grml nonetworking Do not create/overwrite /etc/network/interface during startup
grml distri=... Set distribution name to given argument. If a jpg file named like the
given distri name can be found in directory desktop on the ISO
- (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
+ (/cdrom/desktop/"$DISTRI") it will be taken as wallpaper for grml
grml debnet Search through local partitions for file /etc/network/interfaces,
copy /etc/network to local system and restart networking then
-grml mypath=... Add specified option into $PATH of Zsh.
+grml dns=8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4 Set DNS resolvers during boot and for live system.
+grml ip=... Standard Linux kernel ip= boot option. Arguments:
+ clientip:nfsserverip:gwip:netmask:hostname:device:autoconf
+ Valid values for autoconf: off, on, dhcp, bootp, rarp, both.
+ Almost everything is optional. Most common form: ip=dhcp
+grml mypath=... Add specified option into $PATH of Zsh
For example when using "grml mypath=/foobar" then /foobar
- will be added to the end of $PATH inside Zsh.
-grml noautoconfig Disable searching for device labeled GRMLCFG.
-
-Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and /usr/share/doc/grml-saveconfig/grml-config.html
-for more information regarding the configuration framework of grml.
+ will be added to the end of $PATH inside Zsh
+grml debs Install all Debian packages from the "debs" directory of your DCS
+ directory (see myconfig=, typically the root of your ISO image).
+grml debs=path-name-wildcard Install Debian packages from DCS directory (see myconfig=,
+ typically the root of your ISO image). If path does not contain a
+ "/" the package(s) will be installed from directory "debs" of the
+ DCS directory instead. The "path-name-wildcard" can contain
+ wildcards (e.g. debs=rat* will install a packages starting with "rat"
+ from directory debs/).
+grml scripts=path-name Execute script (defaulting to grml.sh) inside DCS dir. Path names
+ allowed. If path-name points to a directory, all scripts found in
+ the directory are executed.
+grml config=path-name Unpack archive that path-name points to
+grml noautoconfig Disable searching for device labeled GRMLCFG
+grml nobeep Disable welcome chime, sounded before grml-quickconfig starts.
+
+Notice: Take a look at http://grml.org/config/ and 'man 1 grml-autoconfig'
+for more information regarding the configuration framework of Grml.
Booting related options:
------------------------
-grml2ram Copy grml's squashfs file to RAM and run from there
grml toram Copy the whole CD/medium to RAM and run from there
grml toram=filename.squashfs Copy the specified file to RAM and run from there
Usage example: grml toram=grml-medium.squashfs
Notice: grml2ram is an alias for this option which
- corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default.
-
-grml tohd=/dev/sda1 Copy grml's squashfs file to harddisk partition for later
+ corresponds with the grml flavour settings by default
+grml tohd=/dev/sda1 Copy Grml's squashfs file to harddisk partition for later
use via "grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1"
-grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device.
+grml bootfrom=/dev/sda1 Use the squashfs file from directory 'live' of the specified device
Setup can be done booting 'grml tohd=/dev/sda1' or
- running 'rsync -a --progress /live/image/live /mnt/sda1/'.
-grml isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting.
+ running 'rsync -a --progress /lib/live/mount/medium/live /media/sda1/'
+grml bootfrom=removable Restrict search for the live media to removable type only.
+grml bootfrom=removable-usb Restrict search for the live media to usb mass storage only.
+grml isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso Use specified ISO image for booting
Useful when booting as a rescue system from harddisk - just boot
the according grml kernel and initrd using the bootoptions
- "boot=live isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso".
+ "boot=live isofrom=/dev/sda1/grml.iso"
Notice: "fromiso" does the same as "isofrom", it's just there
- to prevent any typing errors.
-grml findiso=/grml_2009.05.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
+ to prevent any typing errors
+grml findiso=/grml_2010.12.iso Look for the specified ISO file on all disks where it usually
looks for the .squashfs file (so you don't have to know the device name
- as in isofrom=....). [Available since grml 2009.05]
-grml live-media-path=live Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium.
- By default, it is set to /live.
+ as in isofrom=....).
+grml fetch=$IP/filename.squashfs Download a squashfs image from a given url, copying to ram and booting it.
+ [Note: releases before 2011.05 didn't support DNS but IP only.]
+grml live-media-path=/live/grml... Sets the path to the live filesystem on the medium
+ By default, it is set to /live/$GRML_FLAVOUR/ (where $GRML_FLAVOUR
+ is corresponding to grml64-full, grml32-full, grml64-small,...
+ [Note: this option is mandatory since release 2011.12]
+grml nostats Don't send any information to the Grml project at startup.
+ Parameters sent are Grml version, if the cpu supports 64bit,
+ anonymized boot parameters and boot source (remote or local).
+ [Note: only available since release 2011.12]
grml module=grml Instead of using the default "$name.module" another file can
be specified without the extension ".module"; it should be placed
- on "/live" directory of the live medium.
+ on "/live" directory of the live medium
Useful for Multiboot USB pen, see
http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=tips#multiboot_usb_pen
+grml bootid=mybootid Use specified argument as identifier for the ISO.
+ mybootid is specified in /conf/bootid.txt on the ISO.
+ [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
+grml ignore_bootid Disable bootid verification.
+ [Note: only available since release 2010.04]
+
Debugging related settings:
---------------------------
-debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, most verbose
-grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, verbose
+grml debug Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose
+grml debug=1 Get shells during process of booting, using GNU screen, be verbose and
+ display shell code being executed in initramfs.
grml debug=noscreen Get shells during process of booting, verbose, but without using GNU screen
grml nocolor Disable colorized output while booting
grml log Log error messages while booting to /tmp/grml.log.`date +%Y%m%d`"
- and /var/log/boot.
+ and /var/log/boot
grml testcd Check CD data integrity and md5sums
Service related settings:
-------------------------
-grml ssh=password Set password for user grml and start ssh-server
+grml ssh=password Set password for root & grml user and start ssh-server
grml startup=script Start $script instead of grml-quickconfig on startup
grml nosyslog Do not start syslog daemon
grml nogpm Disable GPM daemon
grml noconsolefont Disable setting of console font (using consolechars)
grml noblank Disable console blanking
-grml tsplash Text based bootsplash
grml noquick Disable grml-quickconfig startup script
-grml small Do not start that many consoles
grml wondershaper=eth0,1000,500 Set up basic traffic shaping
grml services={postfix,mysql,...} Start service(s) which have an init-script (/etc/init.d/)
grml welcome Welcome message via soundoutput
grml gcc=3.4 gpp=3.4 Link /usr/bin/gcc, /usr/bin/cpp and /usr/bin/c++ to specified version
grml startx{=windowmanager} Start X window system automatically
Default window manager (if not provided): wm-ng (wrapper around fluxbox)
+grml nostartx If using startx as default bootoption the nostartx *disables* automatic
+ startup of X again. (This bootoption is relevant for grml based derivatives
+ which decide to enable startx by default only, plain grml does not use
+ automatic startup of X by default.)
+grml vnc=password Start VNC server with startup of X.org and sets the password to the specified
+ one. To automatically start the VNC server use the startx bootoption.
+ [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC server.]
+grml vnc_connect=host[:port] Connect to a listening VNC client ("vncviewer -listen" reverse connection).
+ Can be used to connect from devices behind firewalls as connection is
+ initiated from the VNC server instead of the VNC client. Has to be
+ combined with the vnc bootoption.
+ [Note: Grml 2011.12+ doesn't include a VNC client.]
Accessibility related settings:
--------------------------------
-grml blind Start Braille-Terminal (no X)
-grml swspeak Prepare system for use with software synthesizer through speakup
- Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
-grml swspeak=espeak Use espeakup (if available) as connector to speakup.
- Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
-grml swspeak=speechd Use speech-dispatcher / speechd-up (if available) as connector to speakup.
- Run 'swspeak' after booting up to activate sound output
+--------------------------------
grml brltty=type,port,table Parameters for Braille device (e.g.: brltty=al,/dev/ttyS0,text.de.tbl)
-grml speakup_synth=... Use speakup kernel module with given hardware type
+ See http://mielke.cc/brltty/guidelines.html for documentation.
Hardware related settings:
--------------------------
grml swap Activate present/detected swap partitions
grml noswraid Disable scanning for software raid arrays (creates /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf)
grml swraid Enable automatic assembling of software raid arrays
+grml nodmraid Do not enable present dmraid devices.
+grml dmraid=on Automatically enable any present dmraid devices.
+grml dmraid=off Actively try to stop any present dmraid devices.
grml nolvm Disable scanning for Logical Volumes (LVM)
grml lvm Automatically activate Logival Volumes (LVM) during boot
grml readonly Make sure all harddisk devices (/dev/hd* /dev/sd*) are forced to read-only mode
+grml ethdevice=... Use specified network device for network boot instead of default (eth0)
+grml ethdevice-timeout=... Use specified network configuration timeout instead of default (15sec)
grml xmodule=ati|fbdev|i810|mga Use specified X.org-Module (1)
grml xmodule=nv|radeon|savage|s3 Use specified X.org-Module (2)
grml xmodule=radeon|svga|i810 Use specified X.org-Module (3)
-grml no{acpi,agp,apm,cpu,dhcp} Skip parts of HW-detection (1)
+grml no{acpi,agp,cpu,dhcp} Skip parts of HW-detection (1)
grml no{dma,fstab,modem} Skip parts of HW-detection (2)
grml no{pcmcia,scsi,swap,usb} Skip parts of HW-detection (3)
-grml 915resolution=... Start resolution modify tool for Intel graphic chipset
- usage: $MODE,$XRESO,$YRESO
grml blacklist=modulename[,module2] Completely disable loading of specified module(s) via
blacklisting through udev's /etc/modprobe.d/grml
grml fwtimeout=50 Set firmware timeout via /sys/class/firmware/timeout to specified value
grml micvol=number Set mixer volume of microphone to level $number (default: 0)
grml pnpbios=off No PnP Bios initialization
grml acpi=off Disable ACPI Bios completely
-grml nousb2 Disable initialization of USB 2.x controller(s)
-grml nousb Disable initialization of USB in booting sequence
grml nofirewire Disable initialization of firewire devices in booting sequence
grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98 Try this, if PS/2 mouse doesn't work *)
grml pci=bios Workaround for bad PCI controllers
grml ide2=0x180 nopcmcia Boot from PCMCIA-CD-ROM (some notebooks)
grml mem=128M Specify Memory size in MByte
-grml dma Enable DMA accelleration for ALL IDE-Drives
-grml nodma ide=nodma Disable DMA accelleration for ALL IDE-Drives
-grml vga=normal [video=ofonly] No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
-grml vga=ask [video=ofonly] Display menu for framebuffer mode
+grml libata.force=[ID:]VAL Force configurations for libata.
+ Usage example: grml libata.force=1:pio4
+ to force pio4 mode on device "ata1:00:"
+grml libata.dma=0 Disable DMA on PATA and SATA devices
+grml libata.ignore_hpa=1 Disable host protected area (which should enable the whole disk)
+grml vga=normal No-framebuffer mode (does not influence X)
+grml vga=ask Display menu for framebuffer mode
+grml radeon.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Radeon driver.
+grml i915.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Intel driver.
+grml nouveau.modeset=0 nomodeset Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) for Nouveau driver.
Installation related settings:
------------------------------
-Caution: do *not* use the grml2hd and/or debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
+Caution: do *NOT* use the debian2hd bootoption if you do not know what you are doing!
Install plain Debian via debian2hd bootoption (which runs grml-debootstrap in non-interactive mode):
debian2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for debian2hd are:
- target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/hda1
- grub= where to install grub to? Use grub syntax for specifying, e.g.: grub=hd0
- groot= specify root device for usage in grub (use grub syntax), e.g.: groot=hd0,0
+ target= target partition/directory of the new Debian system, e.g.: target=/dev/sda1
+ grub= where to install grub to, e.g.: grub=/dev/sda
release= specify release of new Debian system (default is stable), e.g.: release=sid
- mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian
+ mirror= specify mirror for apt-get/aptitude, e,g.: mirror=http://cdn.debian.net/debian
password= set passwort of user root without prompting for it, e.g.: password=AiTh5ahn
Usage example for automatic installation:
- debian2hd target=/dev/hda1 grub=hd0 groot=hd0,0 mirror=ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian password=foobar
+ debian2hd target=/dev/sda1 grub=/dev/sda mirror=http://cdn.debian.net/debian password=foobar
See http://grml.org/grml-debootstrap/ for more information.
-Install grml via grml2hd bootoption (which runs grml2hd in non-interactive mode):
-
-grml2hd <options> ... whereas valid options for grml2hd are:
-
- user= user name for user which should be used at hd-install
- filesystem={ext2|ext3|reiserfs|reiser4|jfs|xfs} filesystem to be used
- mbr=/dev/... partition where MBR should be installed (default:=partition)
- partition=/dev/... partition where grml should be installed
-
- Usage example for booting:
- grml2hd partition=/dev/hda4 mbr=/dev/hda filesystem=ext3 user=mika
-
- Passwords of user root and user are "grml" - please adjust after hd-install!
-
- See http://grml.org/grml2hd/ for more information.
-
Additional notes:
-----------------
-*) Try "grml pci=irqmask=0x0e98" if (you have a notebook and) your
-PS/2 mouse doesn't work. (Possibly caused by a BIOS-flaw on your board,
-BIOS updates can help.) Sometimes, switching to the text console with
-Control-Alt-F1 and back to the X-screen with Control-Alt-F7 solves the
-problem without rebooting, since the X server reinitializes the mouse
-driver during that procedure.
-
-*) If your grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
+*) If your Grml-CD makes strange noises during boot, or you see frequent
errors like "squashfs: read error", or programs are crashing randomly,
then your CD image is probably defective or incomplete, your CD-burner
created a defective CD due to wrong writing speed or bad media or your
*) In case of a failing hardware autodetection, try booting with any of
the "no-" options as shown in the table above, like in
- grml noagp noapm noapic acpi=off nodma
+ grml noagp noapic acpi=off nodma
to skip some critical parts of the autodetection system.
*) Some boards (especially those with E-ISA slots) apparently don't pass
directory live, containing the squashfs compressed filesystem file,
must be located in the top level directory of the CD.
-*) Caution: screensavers: Don't start xlock/vlock or any other screensaver
-that requires a password. There are no default passwords on grml,
-i.e. all accounts are LOCKED unless you explicitly set a password.
-See also README.txt about this issue.
-Hint: If you accidentially started a screensaver switch to one of the
-textconsoles by Control-Alt-F1 and kill the screensaver (or just set a
-password for the grml user). Take a look at the script grml-lock.
+*) Caution: screensavers: Don't start vlock or any other screensaver
+that requires a password manually. There are no default passwords on
+the live system - all accounts are LOCKED by default for security reasons.
+Instead just invoke the script grml-lock which prompts for setting a
+password.
# EOF
projects / grml-live.git / blobdiff