customized debian cd 

http://groups.google.com/group/muc.lists.debian.user/browse_thread/thread/88f5937361e597ef

Newsgroups: muc.lists.debian.user
Date: 13 Nov 2001
> I'd like to made a customized debian cd. Can I dpkg --get-selections to
> get my installed package selection and put all of them into 1 or 2 CDs?
> Is it possible? How?

If all you want is a CD with all your packages on it, use apt-move. If you run it, it will move all downloaded debs into a local mirror that you can apt-get from.

If you want a custom boot CD, things get more difficult, since some stuff isn't packaged properly yet. What to do?

  1. Use apt-move to create a local mirror with your packages.

  2. Download doc, tools and indices from a ftp mirror. There is no packages that does it for you. You may also create a complete mirror using rsync; that will give you those directories, but also _all_ packages.

  3. Make sure you have boot floppies in your mirror, with current pointing to the one you want to use. You may create custom boot floppies (e.g. German ones) with the boot-floppies packages.

  4. Use debian-cd to create your CDs. To make tasks work, you need to create an override file and apt-ftparchive to merge that stuff. debian-cd unfortunately doesn't use apt-ftparchive. Edit /usr/share/debian-cd/CONF.sh to your taste.

  5. I created a script that does the job: 

--snip (mycd)--
#!/bin/sh

set -e

. CONF.sh

apt-get --download-only install $(/usr/sbin/debootstrap --print-debs --arch i386 woody)
apt-move update
cat /var/lib/apt/lists/*_binary-i386_Packages | > /mirrors/debian/override \
  perl -000 -ne '$p = $1 if /^Package: (.*)/mi; print "$p Task $1\n" if /^Task: (.*)/mi;'
apt-ftparchive generate /etc/apt/archive.conf

make distclean
make mirrorcheck
make status
make bin-list TASK=tasks/Debian_woody COMPLETE=1 SIZELIMIT=450000000
make bootable
make packages
make bin-extras CD=1 ROOTSRC=/mirrors/debian DIR=goodies
cat > $TDIR/archive.conf << --CONF--
Dir::ArchiveDir "$TDIR/$CODENAME-$ARCH/CD1";
Tree "dists/$CODENAME"
{
  Sections "local main contrib non-free non-US/main non-US/contrib non-US/non-free";
  Architectures "i386";
  ExtraOverride "/mirrors/debian/override";
}

--CONF--
apt-ftparchive generate $TDIR/archive.conf
make bin-md5list
make bin-images
make imagesums
--snip--

I created working CDs with that (btw Tasks only on CD1; you have to loop around the apt-ftparchive for all CDs). If you want to be able to do ReiserFS on your first CD, edit /usr/share/debian-de/tools/boot/woody/boot-i386 and set KTYPE[1] to "reiserfs".

Have fun!

Rudiger Kuhlmann

debian-cd netinst build quick tip needed 

http://groups.google.com/group/linux.debian.maint.boot/browse_thread/thread/bc84df2b9dfd52fe

Newsgroups: linux.debian.maint.boot
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005
> I'm playing with debian-installer and debian-cd to build a custom netinst
> image, but I feel a little unconfortable with debian-cd documentation.. maybe
> the list could help me.

debian-cd is a better bet

> Need: to just build a netinst cd from scratch having netboot 2.4 and 2.6
> images built from d-i svn and having a local apt mirror.
> Question: Where I can specify in CONF.sh or using other ways to just build a
> netinst image (the mini cd one) ?
# Only put the installer onto the cd (set NORECOMMENDS,... as well).
# INSTALLER_CD=0: nothing special (default)
# INSTALLER_CD=1: just add debian-installer (use TASK=tasks/debian-installer-$CODENAME)
# INSTALLER_CD=2: add d-i and base (use TASK=tasks/debian-installer+kernel-$CODENAME)
#export INSTALLER_CD=0

Joey Hess

debian-cd netinst build quick tip needed 

This exactly the answer I needed.

Your answer saved me a lot of time, I would like to thank you so much.

Marco Amadori

making a minimal CD 

http://groups.google.com/group/debian.cd/browse_thread/thread/f6fb8354fabbd10a

Newsgroups: debian.cd
Date: 8 Nov 2001
> I got the debian-cd package from CVS, but it seems somewhat
> inaccessible. I can't even figure out how best to create the local
> mirror that it requires. Is there any in-depth documentation on that

I have been doing this with relatively usable results, the following way:

How to make the CD?, I will paste my instruction list, but your milage may vary, it does for me too:

issue the following commands

  1. cd /usr/share/debian-cd (yet done)

  2. . CONF.sh

  3. make distclean

  4. make mirrorcheck

  5. make bin-list COMPLETE=1

  6. make -k bootable 

    -k: while some problems are not resolved

Yields an error which I ignore.

  1. make packages 

    yields:      ( /var/www/debian/indices/override.potato.main.gz: No
such file or directory
/var/www/debian/indices-non-US/override.potato.main.gz: No such file
or directory /var/www/debian/indices/override.potato.contrib.gz: No
such file or directory
/var/www/debian/indices-non-US/override.potato.contrib.gz: No such
file or directory /var/www/debian/indices/override.potato.non-free.gz:
No such file or directory
/var/www/debian/indices-non-US/override.potato.non-free.gz: No such
file or directory ) etc. etc.

  2. make bin-md5mlist

  3. make bin-images

Jorge-Leon

making a minimal CD 

I finally got around to building a CD following your advice. After removing the dists/ directory, I was left with a 25M ISO image - and it works perfectly. I am quite pleased. Thank you very much! The next thing would be to customize the installer. It is in boot/rescue.bin, is it not? Are there any documents concerning the creation of your own rescue.bin? I'm sure the source is available somewhere, right?

Juergen Fiedler