tisdag 4 september 2012

LiveCDCustomization make your own Linux / Ubuntu distribution


Why customize LiveCDs
You may wish to customise the Ubuntu Desktop LiveCd to:

  • make your own Linux / Ubuntu distribution
  • show off a particular application
  • localise to a certain language
  • remove software packages
  • add software packages
  • update software packages
  • change system defaults (theme, icons, desktop background, panels, browser homepage, etc) 

How to Customise the Ubuntu Desktop CD


The easiest way to create a custom LiveCD is to use Ubuntu Customization Kit. What follows is the manual way of accomplishing the same.
You might also want to create a LiveCD from an existing installation; in this case, Remastersys is for you.
IconsPage/warning.png This guide is for the Desktop LiveCd; there is another page referring to customisation of the Alternative Install Cd & the Server Install Cd. Also, there is a guide on how to create a LiveCd without using an existing LiveCd.

System Requirements


  • At least 3-5 GB of free space
  • At least 512 MB RAM and 1 GB swap (recommended)
  • squashfs-tools
  • genisoimage, which provides mkisofs
  • An Ubuntu kernel with squashfs support (present in Ubuntu 6.06 and later)
  • QEMU/KVM, VirtualBox or VMware for testing (optional)
IconsPage/warning.png When customizing 9.10 Karmic Koala (or later) in an 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope (or earlier) environment, squashfs-tools must be updated to version 4.0. Conversely, the version of squashfs-tools in Ubuntu 9.10 is not compatible with earlier versions of Ubuntu.
IconsPage/warning.png The architecture (Amd64 or i386) to be stored on the LiveCD should be the same as the architecture used to perform the customization, or the LiveCD may not run. It is not trivial to customize an AMD64 LiveCD using an i386 operating system, for example.

Install pre-requisities


  • Make sure that you have installed the needed tools 
sudo aptitude install squashfs-tools genisoimage

Obtain the base system


Note: the example shown here uses the ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso Desktop CD. Replace it with the name of your iso. For example, if you have a ubuntu-11.04-desktop-i386.iso image, the command: 
mv ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso ~/livecdtmp

would be changed to: 
mv ubuntu-11.04-desktop-i386.iso ~/livecdtmp

  • Move or copy it into an empty directory 
mkdir ~/livecdtmp
mv ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso ~/livecdtmp
cd ~/livecdtmp

Extract the CD .iso contents


Mount the Desktop .iso 
mkdir mnt
sudo mount -o loop ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso mnt

Extract .iso contents into dir 'extract-cd' 
mkdir extract-cd
sudo rsync --exclude=/casper/filesystem.squashfs -a mnt/ extract-cd

Extract the Desktop system


Extract the SquashFS filesystem 
sudo unsquashfs mnt/casper/filesystem.squashfs
sudo mv squashfs-root edit

Prepare and chroot


If you need the network connection within chroot 
sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf edit/etc/

Depending on your configuration, you may also need to copy the hosts file 
sudo cp /etc/hosts edit/etc/

sudo mount --bind /dev/ edit/dev
sudo chroot edit
mount -t proc none /proc
mount -t sysfs none /sys
mount -t devpts none /dev/pts

(these mount important directories of your host system - if you later decide to delete the edit/ directory, then make sure to unmount before doing so, otherwise your host system will become unusable at least temporarily until reboot)
To avoid locale issues and in order to import GPG keys 
export HOME=/root
export LC_ALL=C

Customizations


Apt-get


Prerequisites


In 9.10, before installing or upgrading packages you need to run 
dbus-uuidgen > /var/lib/dbus/machine-id

and 
dpkg-divert --local --rename --add /sbin/initctl
ln -s /bin/true /sbin/initctl

Tasks


To view installed packages by size 
dpkg-query -W --showformat='${Installed-Size}\t${Package}\n' | sort -nr | less

When you want to remove packages remember to use purge 
aptitude purge package-name

Custom Background for GNOME


Generally background files are located in /usr/share/backgrounds. Copy your png file there, adjust owner and file access, and edit the files:
  1. /usr/share/gnome-background-properties/ubuntu-wallpapers.xml and
  2. /usr/share/gconf/defaults/16_ubuntu-wallpapers or other files in the same directory. by changing the string /usr/share/backgrounds/warty-final-ubuntu.png to point to your file
Eventually change or add attributes to other configuration files such as: /var/lib/gconf/debian.defaults/%gconf-tree.xml or /etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults/%gconf-tree.xml).
Historical: More for Dapper...

Change gconf values (fonts, panels etc.)


To make any change on the gconf attributes you must add the value that you want in the file /etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults/%gconf-tree.xml. Adding a value in that file will change the default values of Gnome or other applications, so you can change fonts, backgrounds, themes, cursors etc.
Instead of editing the file with gedit or another text editor, you can use the gconftool-2, under the chroot environment, running the following line: 
gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults --type string --set yourkey "yourvalue"

where string, yourkey and yourvalue must be the type, key and value that you want to change...

Making several gconf changes


Editing gconf by setting each value separately takes too much time. There is a better way:
Make a test user and adjust the settings as you wish. Run 
gconftool-2 --dump /the/settings/branch/you/need > ~/live/your-new-settings.xml
sudo chown root:root ~/live/your-new-settings.xml
sudo mv ~/live/your-new-settings.xml ~/live/edit/your-new-settings.xml

and then, in the chroot environment, run 
gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults --load /your-new-settings.xml
rm /your-new-settings.xml

This way you can import the whole branch, e.g. /apps/panel - all settings for Gnome's panels. Note that this way you import not only the keys, but also their descriptions, so all GConf descriptions will be changed to the language which was set for the test user, and there will be no way to safely change them back. Some programs (for example, keyboard shortcuts in Preferences menu) use descriptions from GConf.

Change default language of gfxboot


This customization must be done outside the chroot. 
sudo aptitude install dpkg-dev uck
apt-get source gfxboot-theme-ubuntu gfxboot
cd gfxboot-theme-ubuntu*/
make DEFAULT_LANG=fi
sudo cp -af boot/* ../extract-cd/isolinux/

Change "fi" to your preferred locale. Note that this does not change which languages are available in the F2 menu. For more info about gfxboot customization, see Ubuntu Customization Kit.
  • A other way to change the default language of gfxboot without rebuild the packages is to create a file name lang in the isolinux directory containing your locale's name.

Customization limits


After customization make sure that there are no users with an UID > 999. Otherwise your image won't boot because no initial user is available (see /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/10adduser). While in chroot: 
awk -F: '$3 > 999' /etc/passwd

If you get any hits, try changing the uid: 
usermod -u 500 $hit

Miscellaneous Defaults


You may wish to edit the files in /etc/default to change system behavior at startup. You might also edit /etc/profile, /etc/bash.bashrc, and /etc/bash_completion to change login settings for all users on the system. You cannot directly edit defaults for the live cd user (e.g., casper, ubuntu, or user) since that account is created at boot time. You can directly edit root's default files (/root in the chroot environment).
If you wish to change the default timezone used by the live cd, run: 
dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

If you have added a locale and wish to make it the default, update /etc/default/locale. You may have to compile the locale: 
locale-gen new_locale
update-locale LANG=new_locale LANGUAGE=new_locale LC_ALL=new_locale

These changes must be made as root in the chroot environment.

Advanced Customizations


Live CD Kernel


If you want to customize further the boot process, you can change the livecd kernel, by copying the vmlinuz and initrd you want in place of the ones you find in extract-cd/casper.
i.e. 
sudo cp edit/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-26-k7 extract-cd/casper/vmlinuz
sudo cp edit/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-26-k7 extract-cd/casper/initrd.gz

Note that the initial ramdisk filename for newer releases (since 9.10) is casper/initrd.lz (not .gz).

Removing the (Casper) Autologin


The autologin feature of the Jaunty/9.04 live CD is a bit of an on-the-fly boot-hack. After extracting the initrd.gz, you need to edit the casper-bottom/25configure_init script and then recreate the initrd.gz file, replacing the original in extract-cd/casper. The process to do so goes like this: 
# cd extract-cd/casper
# mkdir tempdir
# cd tempdir
# gunzip -dc ../initrd.gz | cpio -imvd --no-absolute-filenames
# cp scripts/casper-bottom/25configure_init scripts/casper-bottom/25configure_init.orig
# vi scripts/casper-bottom/25configure_init

Now look for line 25 which has the conditional statement to test $USERNAME.
Line 25 performs a conditional evaluation and if it evaluates to true, it will execute the code within the if block. The if block contains code to modify files used in the boot process to create the live cd autologin.
To disable the autologin feature, Remove $USERNAME, but just leave the quotes. The -n modifier tests the $USERNAME string to see if it's length is non-zero. By removing the variable, and leaving two double quotes, this statement evaluates to false because the two double quotes effectively make a zero-byte string. Be sure to leave no whitespace between the quotes because whitespace will make the evaluation true and execution wil fall into the if block. 
21:log_begin_msg "$DESCRIPTION"
22:
23:# Arrange for shells on virtual consoles, rather than login prompts
24:
25:if [ -n "$USERNAME" ]; then

After making the change, line 25 will look like this: 
25:if [ -n "" ]; then

Save the file and quit the editor. Then, from extract-cd/casper/tempdir run the following command to re-create the initrd.gz file. There are other methods for re-creating the initrd.gz file on this page which may work also.: 
# cp ../initrd.gz ../initrd.gz.orig
# find . | cpio -o -H newc | gzip -9 > ../initrd.gz

This will create a new initrd.gz file with no auto login. You can then continue to remaster the CD as described on this page. Be sure to create a user and password to login with before you remaster the cd. If you do not, you will not be able to login after booting!
Also, I have read a few articles mentioning that Karmic (9.10) uses initrd.lz instead of initrd.gz. I do not know if this is true, but should mention it in case you are not getting the expected results. To unpack the initrd.lz file, you need to do this: 
# cd extract-cd/casper
# mkdir lztempdir
# cd lztempdir
# lzma -dc -S .lz ../initrd.lz | cpio -imvd --no-absolute-filenames

And to re-create the initrd.lz file: 
# cp ../initrd.lz ../inird.lz.orig
# find . | cpio --quiet --dereference -o -H newc | lzma -7 > ../initrd.lz

Boot init


You have to edit the files in edit/usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/* For example you can change the hostname or the livecd user.
i.e. 
sudo nano edit/usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper

and edit the username or hostname 
sudo nano edit/usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/10adduser

to edit even the livecd user's password.
If you're customizing 10.04, you need to edit variables in /etc/casper.conf for the user and host names instead of modifying the scripts
P.S. in order to obtain an encrypted password, you have to use the mkpasswd program that's shipped with whois package!

Rebuilding initrd


After you've modified the kernel, init scripts or added new kernel modules, you need to rebuild the initrd.gz file and substitute it into the casper directory. 
sudo chroot edit
mkinitramfs -o /initrd.gz 2.6.15-26-k7

(replace the kernel version with the one that the CD will boot with - this can be found in edit/lib/modules) *** do I need to mount proc, sys, devpts after chroot here ? Gordon
Exit from the chroot jail and move this file to extract-cd/casper: 
exit
mv edit/initrd.gz extract-cd/casper/

Cleanup


Be sure to remove any temporary files which are no longer needed, as space on a CD is limited. A classic example is downloaded package files, which can be cleaned out using: 
aptitude clean

Or delete temporary files 
rm -rf /tmp/* ~/.bash_history

Or delete hosts file 
rm /etc/hosts

Or nameserver settings 
rm /etc/resolv.conf

If you installed software, be sure to run 
rm /var/lib/dbus/machine-id

and 
rm /sbin/initctl
dpkg-divert --rename --remove /sbin/initctl

from within the chroot environment.
now umount (unmount) special filesystems and exit chroot 
umount /proc || umount -lf /proc
umount /sys
umount /dev/pts
exit
sudo umount edit/dev

  • Note: if "umount /proc" command fails, "umount -lf /proc" will be used to retry automatically.

Producing the CD image


Assembling the file system


Regenerate manifest 
chmod +w extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest
sudo chroot edit dpkg-query -W --showformat='${Package} ${Version}\n' > extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest
sudo cp extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest-desktop
sudo sed -i '/ubiquity/d' extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest-desktop
sudo sed -i '/casper/d' extract-cd/casper/filesystem.manifest-desktop

Compress filesystem 
sudo rm extract-cd/casper/filesystem.squashfs
sudo mksquashfs edit extract-cd/casper/filesystem.squashfs -nolzma

  • Note: The -nolzma option is only available from Hardy , and was removed in Karmic. Also, the squashfs has to be generated using a version of mksquashfs that is compatible with the kernel used on the CD you are customizing. For example, you cannot generate a jaunty squashfs on karmic, as the jaunty kernel is not able to mount a squashfs prepared using mksquashfs from karmic.
For slightly higher compression at the cost of compression time, you can increase the block size: 
sudo mksquashfs edit extract-cd/casper/filesystem.squashfs -b 1048576

Update the filesystem.size file, which is needed by the installer: 
printf $(sudo du -sx --block-size=1 edit | cut -f1) > extract-cd/casper/filesystem.size

Set an image name in extract-cd/README.diskdefines 
sudo vim extract-cd/README.diskdefines

(you can use "sudo nano extract-cd/README.diskdefines" if you have difficulties understanding vim)
Remove old md5sum.txt and calculate new md5 sums 
cd extract-cd
sudo rm md5sum.txt
find -type f -print0 | sudo xargs -0 md5sum | grep -v isolinux/boot.cat | sudo tee md5sum.txt

Create the ISO image 
sudo mkisofs -D -r -V "$IMAGE_NAME" -cache-inodes -J -l -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o ../ubuntu-9.04.1-desktop-i386-custom.iso .

Testing the CD


Test using qemu emulator 
qemu -cdrom ubuntu-9.04.1-desktop-i386-custom.iso -boot d -m 512

Or if you have hardware acceleration for kvm 
kvm -cdrom ubuntu-9.04.1-desktop-i386-custom.iso -boot d -m 512

You can also test with virtualbox-ose, which is free software and available in the Ubuntu universe repository.

Troubleshooting


Some experience problems virtualizing the iso after changing the livecd linux kernel. If you do, go click F6 when the boot screen is showing. Move the cursor between splash quiet and -- and write: all_generic_ide

Burning the image to CD


Simple! Just do 
cdrecord dev=/dev/cdrom ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386-custom.iso

Additional uses for the image


Install Ubuntu from a USB stick
Installation From Image Loaded On Hard Drive

Comments


If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to add them here.
If you are answering a question, please rewrite the question into a tip that answers the question. (to help keep things to the point.)
New questions at the bottom (I guess.)
I have created an small Customization Example (named Firebird Live CD) by adding an firebird2.1-superand flamerobin packages (this apply to ubuntu Hardy Heron also it was tested with xubuntu 8.04) http://flamerobin.blogspot.com/2008/08/creating-flamerobinfirebird-livecd-with.html
Warning: qemu did not work for me as given in the guide above. Even the normal 8.04 live cd would not boot correctly. Every time, I would get thrown into the ash shell (busybox, initramfs) and while there, a "cat /casper.log" would reveal that it was "Unable to find a medium containing a live filesystem". Just use virtualbox-ose. It actually works with virtualbox. However, after using apt-get to install virtualbox-ose, I had to run "sudo depmod" again in order for the vboxdrv module to be found by modprobe. Hope that helps!
-rocketman768
Warning: Squashfs is currently in development and is thus not finalized as a format. This means you cannot assume a filesystem.squashfs created using the Ubuntu 9.04 version of makesquashfs will be compatible with the squashfs drive an older live CD. I was customizing an Ubuntu 7.10 LiveCD and when testing it always booted it an (initramfs) prompt--the squashfs was not getting mounted as /. I had to build from within an Ubuntu 7.10 chroot to get it to work.
--Bob/Paul
I have created an small Customization Example (named Firebird Live CD) by adding an firebird-super-server and flamerobin packages (this apply to ubuntu dapper drake) http://flamerobin.blogspot.com/2006/05/creating-flamerobinfirebird-live-cd.html I created an updated guide with Ubuntu Festy Fawn also with an iso download for the Firebird/Flamerobin live cd http://flamerobin.blogspot.com/2007/09/creating-flamerobinfirebird-livecd-with.html
I have created tool for automatic remastering of live CD images. See http://uck.sourceforge.net/ .
Features:
  • GUI for simple creation of localized CDs (including changing gfxboot and installing language packs)
  • Script for customization of ISO, SquashFS and initrd on live CD.
http://www.atworkonline.it/~bibe/ubuntu/custom-livecd.htm seems to have some nice info. no license that I can see so we would need to ask permission from the author to us its material.
If you want to make the CD boot faster, you might try sorting the files so that they are in the CD in the order that they are accessed: http://lichota.net/%7Ekrzysiek/projects/kubuntu/dapper-livecd-optimization/
Great How To. I am having one issue however. I would like to use custom xorg.conf and sources.list files. Any tips on doing this? Thanks.
  • Simply, copy the files to edit/etc/ in the same way (and at the same time) that you copy in the resolv.conf and hosts files.
  • I have found that copying xorg.conf doesn't work, as the boot-time scripts overwrite it. Besides, you can't guarantee that a particular xorg.conf will run on all hosts. I'm currently trying to get the binary NVIDIA drivers to work out of the box if an NVIDIA card is present. If I figure out how to fix the xorg.conf, I'll post it here. --JeremyVisser
I've managed to get Synaptic running from within the chroot environment, but it does hang when I try to apply packages. What you do is run "Xnest -ac :1" to get an Xnest server to run on display :1 without access control so anyone can connect to it. Then, in the chroot environment, run "export DISPLAY=:1" to get programs to use the display. Then, type "metacity &" to be able to move windows. Finally, run "synaptic".
It works fine until you try to apply packages, where it hangs for me. --JeremyVisser
Shouldn't the mkinitramfs command use the casper scripts, like "mkinitramfs -o initrd.gz 2.6.15-23-386 -d /usr/share/initramfs-tools"?
There are tricks on how you can get to feel the GNOME system in your chroot environment.
1. Copy your xorg.conf in the chrooted "etc/X11/" directory. 
cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf edit/etc/X11/

2. Create generic devices on your chroot system using MAKEDEV 
cd /dev/
MAKEDEV generic

3. Start X or restart gdm 
/etc/init.d/gdm start

Supposed you want to make modifications on the Desktop, that will be used by all the new users, just change your $HOME to /etc/skel/ and start gdm or X. 
export HOME=/etc/skel/

If you want to load all the other stuff GNOME needs (i.e, dbus, avahi, network-manager), just boot as (single-user mode), and start dbus in your chrooted environment. 
/etc/init.d/dbus start

An example of the whole procedure. (under single-user mode) 
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf edit/etc/
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf edit/etc/X11/
sudo chroot edit
mount -o none /proc
mount -o none /sys
export HOME=/etc/skel/
cd /dev/
MAKEDEV generic
/etc/init.d/dbus start
/etc/init.d/gdm start

--- joelbryan
Hello,
I am about to build a new Livecd and have a question: When I change the username, hostname and the user's password the user login automatically during booting the livesystem. But this is not desired. Is it correct, that I have to enter a password under a Desktop LiveCD when I delet the encrypted password in /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/10adduser ?
Thanks
Changing username and password will not change login behaviour, because this is done in /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/15autologin
--- Alexander Hosfeld
Having trouble starting a MySQL server from within the chroot jail. Any suggestions?
- Dave
Hey,
I am trying to make a customized live cd of Kubuntu 6.06 that will be completly preconfigured, so that when the user clicks on the install icon on KDE the installer should do everything by itself, meaning that the installer should not ask any questions to the user.
To do this I am trying to write a preseed file to tell the installer the information that it needs.
The problem is that even with this preseed file I could only tell the installer what is the username that it should use, the rest of the information is simply ignored by the installer.
I must be doing something wrong and would appreciate any and all help given me.
Thanks, Komyg
PS: Should I post my preseed file here?
If the livecd is not going to be used for the purposes of installing what files can be removed? Can the "pool" files containing the .debs be removed too?
- Mike
If I want to put in my LiveCD applications that aren't in the sources.list (like ooffice 2.2 or perl audio converter), what cain I do?
- Isoldanne
When you're in the chroot you can install applications just like you would on a live system. If you install from source you can feel free to delete the source tarbal and make folders after you do 'make install'.
- Bob/Paul
To get desired /etc/X11/xorg.conf one can modify the /usr/bin/dexconf. This script generates xorg.conf automatically in liveCD session according to the booted machine.
For example: 
# diff ~/bin/dexconf /usr/bin/dexconf
268,269c268
<       Option          "XkbLayout"     "us,il"
<       Option          "XkbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll"
---
>       Option          "XkbLayout"     "$XKB_LAYOUT"

-- yotam
I cant do chroot. When i run it a get this error
chroot: cannot run command `/bin/bash': No such file or directory
Please help me out
  • I had the same problem because the filesystem that I was working on was FAT32 instead of EXT2 or EXT3. Because of that, /bin/bash was not an executable I guess. If that is your case also, then please try again on a partition that is EXT2 or EXT3 (the Linux type of partition). Good luck, --vvim
Hi, I've created a simple script to ease remastering the Kubuntu Live CD. It uses aufs to avoid copying all the files back and forth.
Maybe it will be usefull to others too. The script must be run as root. 
CD="${1:-kubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso}" ; shift
# exit after any error:
set -e

which mkisofs mksquashfs tempfile sed

WDIR=`mktemp -d $PWD/kubuntu-remastered.XXXXXXXXXX`
ISO="$WDIR/${CD##*/}"
ISO="${ISO%.iso}-remastered-KDM.iso"
EXIT=""
function addExit {
    EXIT="$@ ; $EXIT"
    trap "$EXIT" EXIT HUP TERM INT QUIT
}
function mnt {
    local margs="$1" ; shift
    local mp="$WDIR/$1"
    for D in "$@" ; do
        mkdir -v -p "$WDIR/$D"
    done
    mount -v $margs "$mp"
    addExit "umount -v $mp"
}

# mount the CD image
mnt "-t auto $CD -o loop,ro" cd

# mount compressed filesystem
mnt "-t squashfs $WDIR/cd/casper/filesystem.squashfs -o ro,loop" sq

# create joined writable filesystem for the new CD
mnt "-t aufs -o br:$WDIR/cd-w=rw:$WDIR/cd=ro none" cd-u cd-w

# create joined writable filesystem for the new compressed squashfs filesystem
mnt "-t aufs -o br:$WDIR/sq-w=rw:$WDIR/sq=ro none" sq-u sq-w

echo ">>> Updating CD content"

(
    cd sq-u

    # DO YOUR CUSTOMIZATION STUFF HERE, CHROOT, MODIFY FILES, ETC.
    # ...
    # ...

)

echo ">>> Compressing filesystem"
mksquashfs $WDIR/sq-u/ $WDIR/cd-u/casper/filesystem.squashfs -noappend

echo ">>> Recomputing MD5 sums"
( cd $WDIR/cd-u && find . -type f -not -name md5sum.txt -not -path '*/isolinux/*' -print0 | xargs -0 -- md5sum > md5sum.txt )

echo ">>> Creating ISO image $ISO"
mkisofs \
    -V "Custom KUbuntu Live CD" \
    -r -cache-inodes -J -l \
    -b isolinux/isolinux.bin \
    -c isolinux/boot.cat \
    -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table \
    -o "$ISO" \
    $WDIR/cd-u

# The trap ... callbacks will unmount everything.

--- Petr Pudlak
I need to know how to configure the live cd so that it does not use SWAP!
Please help me!
-- iceman
Hi, I've been experiencing problems with aptitude and I'm pretty sure its because I'm doing all this stuff on NTFS partition (according to this thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=521905). But I have no other choice,coz' I've got less then 1,7GB on my ext3 partition. Any suggestion ? THX
Error messages I've been getting, when trying to install or update aptitude:
"E: Couldn't make mmap of 25165824 bytes - mmap (19 No such device) W: Unable to munmap E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened."
-heethen (heethen at centrum dot cz)
I would suggest creating an ext3 filesystem within your NTFS partition. To create the file, type
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/hda1/workspace.img bs=1024 count=$((1024*1024*15))
Where I assumed your NTFS partition was on hda1, and you wanted to call the new filesystem workspace.img (it's really just a file within NTFS), and that you wanted 15Gb of room to work. (You don't need that much, but with 15Gb you should have plenty of room.) Then you format the new filesystem with the command
sudo /sbin/mkfs.ext3 /mnt/hda1/workspace.img
then create a mountpoint
sudo mkdir /mnt/workspace
then mount the new filesystem
sudo mount -o loop /mnt/hda1/workspace.img /mnt/workspace
You can then use as much space on the NTFS partition as you want, and have all the benefits of ext3 (like getting the *** thing to work). --Tom
Editing gconf by setting each value separately takes too much time. There is a better way:
Make a test user and adjust the settings as you wish. Run 
gconftool-2 --dump /the/settings/branch/you/need > ~/live/your-new-settings.xml
sudo chown root:root ~/live/your-new-settings.xml
sudo mv ~/live/your-new-settings.xml ~/live/edit/your-new-settings.xml

and then, in the chroot environment, run 
gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults --load /your-new-settings.xml
rm /your-new-settings.xml

This way you can import the whole branch, e.g. /apps/panel - all settings for Gnome's panels.
---Jacob Popov ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso
Is there no way to copy the user's gconf-values to the default gconf-values in the chrooted environment? This would be a lot easier than writing commands.
It took me a long time to find the details for configuring a static IP on the live CD without doing it in the root file system. This enables you to create a few boot options with different static details and a DHCP on but all from the same rootfs.
There is a casper parameter which is in the form:
ip=IFACE,ADDRESS,NETMASK,GATEWAY[:IFACE,ADDRESS,NETMASK,GATEWAY]*
--silid
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=839670
I think I have discovered how to do this:
1) Edit accordingly /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper-bottom/23networking
2) Run update-initramfs -u -k $version
- Robert
In order to get the livecd to boot from a static address found in the /etc/network/interfaces file.
I edit the /etc/network/interfaces file and add a static address for the interface eth0. 
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 10.xxx.xxx.xxx
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 10.xxx.xxx.1

edit somepath/isolinux/text.cfg add ip=frommedia after splash 
label live
  menu label ^Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.gz quiet splash ip=frommedia --

This was a little hard to find. Thanks Robert Nicholas A. Schembi Pittsburgh PA USA
I've tried installing adobe flash player but while it installs fine on chroot, and then shows as installed when booting from CD. Firefox thinks it is not installed and I need to install it manually. Anybody come upon a similar problem
I tried to customize Ubuntu Hardy by installing the RT kernel and did the changes as written in the howto... it goes well, but booting in vbox is really slow. What could be the cause? I tried is once again and also in another vbox installation, but still that problem. Would be nice if someone can point me to an solution! thanks in advance see also thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=7334890#post7334890 edit: I think it has something to do with the fact that it is an RT kernel (from Hardy) ... Someone with experience with adding custom RT kernels?
I wrote a script to automate the extraction / chroot / regeneration processes: http://david.decotigny.fr/wiki/wakka.php?wiki=RemasterUbuntu . It has been tested on a jaunty x86_64 host for a jaunty i386 CD image.
-- DavidDecotigny
To put the default user in the "video" group, 
printf "\nADD_EXTRA_GROUPS=1\nEXTRA_GROUPS="video"\n" >> /etc/adduser.conf

-- CarlKarsten
In order to edit a Karmic LiveCD in any release prior to Karmic, it looks like you will need to upgrade squashfs-tools to support SquashFS v4.0: 
root@maxwell:/home/Z_Custom# unsquashfs mnt/casper/filesystem.squashfs
Filesystem on mnt/casper/filesystem.squashfs is (4:0), which is a later filesystem version than I support!

I installed squashfs-tools_4.0-1 from the Karmic release into my Intrepid installation and it seems to be fine now. Maybe we should update these directions to reflect that?
Sincerely,
--John D. Zollo
Hi.. How can I add an a Post Installation script? I mean, I want to execute a script just after the installation process. THis script is simple and set a few things to customize the installation.
Any ideas?
Best Regards
-- Alejandro
Hallo, I'm trying to remaster ubuntu 9.10 livecd. I'm following instruction from this page. When I'm trying to boot from customized system it's seems I can't login to the system, so I can't got the system running.
I am following instruction from limitation part about user id. And make sure there are none of users has uid more then 999. But, after making the squashfs file system I got a message that told me about a user with uid 1000. Actually my host system has a user with uid 1000. I'm using this user to remaster ubuntu livecd.
Does my uid (1000) that I used for remastering the livecd make the new live cd can't login? If it does, how to fix it? Am I must use another user with uid less then 999 to remaster the livecd?
Best Regards
asw_te
Hello, what is the best way to remaster the Karmic release LiveCD (in VirtualBox) to include all the latest updates (more than 150) including new kernel and udev? The kernel changed from 2.6.31-14 to 2.6.31-16 and also udev.
apt-get autoremove removes the old headers, but I have to purge the old kernel manually (apt-get purge linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic).
The first problem is, update-initramfs -u -k all still runs for the old kernel, too. Only aptitude reinstall udev seems to stop this (depmod -a && dpkg --configure -a && dpkg-reconfigure udev does not help).
The second problem is, how do I prepare initrd and isolinux to run and install from a subdirectory (to create a multi-boot DVD)? The base of the DVD is Ubuntu, so / contains ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso, /kubuntu contains kubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso and so on. Most things run fine when I introduce the prefix to scripts/casper and /isolinux/text.cfg: 
LIVE_MEDIA_PATH=casper
$path/.disk/casper-uuid
append  file=/cdrom/preseed/kubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

becomes 
LIVE_MEDIA_PATH=kubuntu/casper
$path/kubuntu/.disk/casper-uuid
append  file=/cdrom/kubuntu/preseed/kubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/kubuntu/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

But the prefixed distributions show only an Install Ubuntu 9.10 link on the desktop, not Kubuntu (Xubuntu, LUbuntu, ...).
Thanks, René Leonhardt
Hi!
I was hoping to be able to remaster the Ubuntu Live disc so that I can stick it into almost any computer, have it boot up but NOT go into the GUI, just auto login and run a media player with arguements (like a stream address). Was hoping to be able to make my own easy internet radio appliance. Give old pentium computers with soundcards to businesses and they can play my station on their PA for free!
-- Matt
I updated the Karmic Live CD with the latest updates inside chroot using aptitude with update, dist-upgrade, purge linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic, install zsh zsh-doc, install ubuntu-restricted-extras, and enabled DVD playback.
The resulting iso file turned out larger than a CD, and I put it on a USB Disk. The system boots fine, has the latest updates and can play restricted formats 'out of the box'. When I travel, I can just carry a USB Disk instead of a computer!
All releases including Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala now have newer kernels available via updates. The kernel in the live CD *MUST* match the ones inside squashfs. If it does not, you get strange problems (like the wireless interface not being detected or CDs not being recognized)
i.e. for Karmic 
sudo cp edit/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-16-generic extract-cd/casper/vmlinuz
sudo cp edit/boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-16-generic extract-cd/casper/initrd.gz

Since Karmic uses initrd.lz, I had to uncompress the .gz file and put it back in .lz format. 
cd extract-cd/casper
sudo mv initrd.lz inird.lz.orig
gzip -dc initrd.gz | sudo lzma -7 > initrd.lz
cd ~/live

To conserve space, you can remove the original initrd files before changing the directory back 
sudo rm -f inird.lz.orig initrd.gz

Best, Pradeep Sekar
I have a few questions, I am remastering a copy of 9.04 for a community school program i ran into a few problems
#1 how do you remove the option to update to 9.10 in the update manager #2 how do you get the CD to be recongnized in ubiquity installer as the named distro instead of ubuntu 9.04 (when i go to reinstall the softare still says it is a ubuntu 9.04 cd) #3how do you install a new kernel into the live cd and install part, i was able to upgrade it to 28.18 but when i try putting 31 on it ...it just wont boot.
#4 i have a repos server, i edit the sources.list but ubuntu repos are still the primary, how do i change that over?
#5 finally, i took out gnome games, and i want to add a list of eduacational games, but i want that as a optional install. (some computers won have game son there) is there a way to add the /.Games folder without actaully having data in it? i tried doing this in the chroot adn root menu and it still does not show up on install...
Thank you
ashlessburn
Can anyone tell me how I can take out the option of installing the Live CD at boot. I just want them to be able to use it, not install.
Thanks
--Steve
You can edit the boot options in extract-cd/isolinux/text.cfg Delete all lines and sub-lines of a label you don't like: For example you can delete: 
label live-install
   menu label ^Install Ubuntu
   kernel /casper/vmlinuz
   append  file=/cdro...

-- jancelis
To remove the autologin, you make us work in the extract-cd directory. Does this mean that this process has to be the last one ? Do we have to do it after all the modifications on the edit directory ? Do we have to first create the new user in the chroot ? thx --lsga
I'm having trouble properly adding a repository. How do you add one to a live cd? --Muscovy
Hi, I'm working on a unnattended install CD using Ubuntu Lucid 10.04, and I found that if you erase /sbin/initctl the automatic install doesn't run. Also the instruction to generate the initctl using dpkg-divert is not working. So be careful...
Alejandro
I customize the live cd and install apache2 , webmin ,,, but how to make it start after the automatic-login ?
Gordon
I use a version of Ubuntu that does not automatically Start the graphical system (startx command) How can I add that to be run at boot?
RJ
I am currently working on a minor update given 10.10 is out. Unfortunately, I got held up and now time has run out. Mainly I wanted to make the scripts more copy/paste friendly. So I added a few env-variables and use those throughout the script. I've done the replacements already, but I didn't get aroud to do some testing.
In the meantime, I'll dump my current version into the above link to save my work.
exhuma
aptitude can't purge packages.
The program 'aptitude' can be found in the following packages:
  • aptitude
  • aptitude-gtk (You will have to enable component called 'universe')
Try: apt-get install <selected package>
Unable to find a medium containing a live file system (SOLUTION)
When creating a live-usb with Unetbootin from Windows (Vista/7) you sometimes get this error. A friend of mine suggested another solution than all of the above. Create the USB stick with Unetbootin from a Linux (Ubuntu) box and NOT a windows system. Apparently something is different between the two because now my system just boots flawlessly!
SantanaNL
Regarding the "Unable to find a medium containing a live file system"--
I had this same problem when trying to install Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10, and 10.10 netbook edition on a netbook using a USB stick. I tried creating all three using 10.10's boot disk creator, 11.04's boot disk creator, Unetbootin on 11.04, and Unetbootin on Windows 7. In all cases, I was able to make it to the usb boot menu and would select 'Install'. The Ubuntu logo would show that it was processing for a while and then fail with the above message in a terminal.
In the end, it wasn't a problem with the iso or the created USB stick. The USB drive just wasn't mounted (or would become unmounted after I tell it to go through the 'Install' procedure. Since I couldn't figure out how to boot the usb from the provided terminal, I just tried removing and reinserting the USB drive once I saw the Ubuntu logo and the progress blips.
I was able to get past this problem twice, so far, with this solution.
bananax182
For all of you semi new maybe not quite as knowledgeable Ubuntu users, as myself, the live CD environment does not utilize all of the typical repositories that it would as if you installed it. You might need to add the particular repository of interest to install a program for your live CD.
For instance, I wanted to create a live CD with dcfldd on it. I had to edit etc/apt/sources.list within the chrooted environment to add the universe repository. I uncommented the following to lines in etc/apt/sources.list to install dcfldd: 
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty universe

Then just updated apt and installed as normal: 
apt-get update
apt-get install dcfldd

Sorry if everyone already knew this. I just figured it may be helpful to users like myself.
mrgrant
Hi Smile :) I'm sure people appreciate comments such as your MrGrant. Otherwise people might feel they are the only ones suffering from something or maybe feel they are to blame.
On a normal LiveCd there is an "installer" icon. DOes anyone know how i can get that icon onto a normal Ubuntu desktop? I have done a full install to a large usb-stick and installed things like "GPartEd" but i definitely miss havign that installer icon & functionality. Regards from Tom Smile :)
I am looking to update or see an update to this guide that addresses a custom launcher on unity. So the idea is once the desktop and unity have resolved to the scree, I can click on a custom launcher with out looking in dash to find it. This message should be replaced with this information, in case someone else beats me to the punch.
Chad
I am a total beginner. How do I take my current computer configuration and turn it into a install CD? Thanks!
Nick Smile :) (Sorry if my question sounds dumb)
Hi Nick :)
This link might help
but i would avoid it. It's not dumb, just tricky.
Instead you can back-up all your settings, config files/folders and data by backing up the /home folder. You can move your /home to a new partition to separate your data (including configs and stuff) from the Operating System. That allows you to re-install the OS without messing anything up
It's even possible to have 2 different Operating Systems sharing the same /home although it's not recommended.
Better places to ask questions are
and Launchpad
Regards from
Tom Smile :)
I think this entry could be improved by adding some explanation of what we are trying to accomplish with these commands. Pretty much any time it says "you need to use" or "remember to" it would be great to know why. Just my two cents.
Mike
LiveCDCustomization (senast redigerad 2012-04-26 21:23:47 av sleepycat)
Upplagd av kl.
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