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-Archiso For Dummies Like Me and You
--------------------------------------
-
-
-- What the hell is Archiso?
-
-Archiso is a small set of bash scripts that is capable of building fully
-functional Arch Linux based live CDs. It is a very generic tool, so it
-could potentially be used to generate anything from rescue systems,
-to install disks, to special interest live CD systems, and who knows what
-else. Simply put, if it involves Arch on a shiny coaster, it can do it.
-
-
-- Alright, so how does one install it?
-
-First off, Archiso has some dependencies:
- - mkinitcpio
- - cdrkit
- - squashfs-tools
- - aufs2 (only needed in target media)
- - aufs2-util (only needed in target media)
- - devtools for mkarchroot
- - syslinux
- - nbd
- - mkinitcpio-nfs-utils
-
-Archiso itself can be installed with the handy dandy included Makefile,
-and the incantation 'make install'.
-
-
-- Great, so how do you use this thing?
-
-The heart and soul of Archiso is mkarchiso. All of its options are
-documented in its usage output, so we won't go into detail here.
-Instead, let's go over the general process.
-
-The first thing you should probably do is create a directory to work
-in, and cd to it. This'll help keep things organized. Next, you'll want
-to create a mkinitcpio config file that suits your needs. Typically this
-means modifying whatever hooks you want. A typical set of hooks for
-archiso looks something like this:
-
-HOOKS="base udev archiso archiso_pxe_nbd pata scsi sata usb fw pcmcia filesystems usbinput"
-
-It's probably worth mentioning that hardware autodetection and things
-of that nature do not belong here. Only what's necessary to get the system
-on its feet, and out of the initcpio really belong here, fancier stuff
-can be done on the booted system anyway.
-
-You'll also want to create a list of packages you want installed on your
-live CD system. A file full of package names, one-per-line, is the format
-for this. Typically you'll want BASE and a kernel as a bare minimum, but
-you're free to install whatever else you want. This is *great* for
-special interest live CDs, just specify packages you want and gogogo.
-
-The last item of importance is what are called addons. Basically this
-means any other crap you might want to include on your live CD, including
-binary package repos, special configurations, random files, we don't
-know, be creative. mkarchiso expects them all to be put in a single
-directory, with an fstab-like config file. Currently two types of addons
-are supported, squashfs images that get layered onto the root union, and
-plain directories which can be bind mounted anywhere under the root.
-
-If you want to add a squashfs union layer:
-- Set up whatever you want to include in a separate directory someplace,
- as if that directory was / . Then run mksquahfs on it, and copy the
- created image to your addons directory.
-- Add an entry to your addons config file (which must be named 'config',
- by the way). Typical squashfs entries look like this:
- live_overlay.sqfs / squashfs
- Where the first component is the path to the image relative to your
- addons directory, the second is the mountpoint (irrelevant for
- squashfs, they will all get layered at /) and of course the third
- component is the type.
-- Be aware that the order of entries on the config matters! Entries will
- be layered on top of one another, later entries are mounted _UNDER_
- earlier entries (an unfortunate counterintuitive result of the way we
- have to mount the unions).
-
-If you want to add plain directories to bind mount:
-- Set up your directory somewhere, and copy it to your addon directory.
-- Add an entry to your addons config file, example entry:
- core /packages bind
- where the first component is the path to the directory relative to
- your addons directory, the second component is where you'd like it
- bind-mounted relative to the live CD's root filesystem, and the last
- component is the type.
-
-
-- How can build installation mediums like provided by Arch Linux?
-
-- Just follow these next steps as root.
-- Note that mkarchroot is optional, but with it, will ensure to have
- a clean enviroment for building isos.
-- This clean chroot, will take about 400MB (+130MB with all needed tools).
-- After make, max space usage is about 2GB.
-- In last step instead of just execute make, can be more selective:
- Execute "make net-iso" or make "core-iso".
- Do not execute make net-iso after make core-iso, otherwise net-iso
- will be really a core-iso.
-
-
-pacman -S devtools --needed
-mkarchroot /tmp/somedir base
-mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/somedir
-# vi/nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist and uncomment your prefered mirror.
-pacman -S git squashfs-tools syslinux devtools cdrkit make nbd mkinitcpio-nfs-utils
-cd /tmp
-git clone git://projects.archlinux.org/archiso.git
-cd archiso/archiso
-make install
-cd ../configs/syslinux-iso/
-make
-
-Done!
-
-vim: textwidth=72
+INDEX
+-----
+
+* Image types generated by mkarchiso.
+* File format for aitab.
+* Why the /isolinux and /arch/boot/syslinux directories?
+* Building the most basic Arch Linux live media. (configs/baseline)
+* Building official Arch Linux live media. (configs/releng)
+
+
+
+*** Image types generated by mkarchiso.
+
+* image-name.sfs SquashFS image with all files directly on it.
+* image-name.fs.sfs SquashFS with only one file inside (image-name.fs),
+ which is an image of some type of filesystem
+ (ext4, ext3, ext2, xfs), all files reside on it.
+* image-name.fs Like image-name.fs.sfs but without SquashFS.
+ (For testing purposes only. The option copytoram
+ for archiso hook does not have any effect on these images)
+
+
+
+*** File format for aitab.
+
+The aitab file holds information about the filesystems images that must be
+created by mkarchiso and mounted at initramfs stage from the archiso hook.
+It consists of some fields which define the behaviour of images.
+
+# <img> <mnt> <arch> <sfs_comp> <fs_type> <fs_size>
+
+<img> Image name without extension (.fs .fs.sfs .sfs).
+<mnt> Mount point.
+<arch> Architecture { i686 | x86_64 | any }.
+<sfs_comp> SquashFS compression type { gzip | lzo | xz }.
+ A special value of "none" denotes no usage of SquashFS.
+<fs_type> Set the filesystem type of the image { ext4 | ext3 | ext2 | xfs }.
+ A special value of "none" denotes no usage of a filesystem.
+ In that case all files are pushed directly to SquashFS filesystem.
+<fs_size> An absolute value of file system image size in MiB.
+ (example: 100, 1000, 4096, etc)
+ A relative value of file system free space [in percent].
+ {1%..99%} (example 50%, 10%, 7%).
+ This is an estimation, and calculated in a simple way.
+ Space used + 10% (estimated for metadata overhead) + desired %
+
+Note: Some combinations are invalid, example: sfs_comp=none and fs_type=none
+
+
+
+*** Why the /isolinux and /arch/boot/syslinux directories?
+
+The /isolinux directory holds files needed for the ISOLINUX boot loader
+module of SYSLINUX. ISOLINUX can not find config files on
+/arch/boot/syslinux, like other boot loaders modules (EXTLINUX, SYSLINUX, etc).
+When make your custom boot-pendrive, you need to copy /arch directory to it.
+/isolinux/isolinux.cfg just holds /arch/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
+
+
+
+*** Building the most basic Arch Linux live media. (configs/baseline)
+
+* First install devtools if needed, mkarchroot needs it.
+ [host] # pacman -S devtools
+
+* Create a chroot to work on it.
+ (prefix with linux32 if you want to build a 32 bits enviroment under 64 bits)
+ [host] # mkarchroot /tmp/chroot base
+
+* Enter it. (prefix with linux32 if needed).
+ [host] # mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot
+
+* Create a loopback device.
+ (mkarchiso does not create it, use other number if not available)
+ [chroot] # mknod /dev/loop0 b 7 0
+
+* Setup a mirror.
+ [chroot] # echo 'Server = MIRROR/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch' >> /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
+
+* Install aditional packages needed for mkarchiso.
+ (git is only needed to get a copy of archiso.git)
+ [chroot] # pacman -S git squashfs-tools syslinux devtools cdrkit make
+
+* Install archiso.
+ [chroot] # cd /tmp
+ [chroot] # git clone git://projects.archlinux.org/archiso.git
+ [chroot] # cd archiso/archiso
+ [chroot] # make install-program
+
+* Build a basic iso.
+ [chroot] # cd /tmp/archiso/configs/baseline
+ [chroot] # ./build.sh
+
+* Exit from chroot.
+ [chroot] # exit
+
+Note: If you want to customize, just see the configs/releng directory which is
+used to build official images with much more things.
+
+
+
+*** Building official Arch Linux live media. (configs/releng)
+
+Note: These steps should be done with 64 bits support.
+
+* Prepare a 32 bit chroot enviroment.
+
+linux32 mkarchroot /tmp/chroot32 base
+linux32 mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot32
+echo 'Server = MIRROR/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch' >> /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
+pacman -S squashfs-tools syslinux devtools cdrkit make mkinitcpio-nfs-utils nbd --noconfirm --needed
+exit
+
+* Prepare a 64 bits chroot enviroment.
+
+mkarchroot /tmp/chroot64 base
+mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot64
+echo 'Server = MIRROR/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch' >> /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
+pacman -S squashfs-tools syslinux devtools cdrkit make mkinitcpio-nfs-utils nbd --noconfirm --needed
+exit
+
+* Create a shared directory which archiso can access from both chroot enviroments.
+
+mkdir /tmp/shared
+cd /tmp/shared
+git clone git://github.com/djgera/archiso.git -b dm-snapshot
+cd
+mount --bind /tmp/shared /tmp/chroot32/tmp
+mount --bind /tmp/shared /tmp/chroot64/tmp
+
+* Enter 32 bits chroot enviroment, install mkarchiso,
+ then build core and netinstall single images.
+
+linux32 mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot32
+mknod /dev/loop1032 b 7 1032
+cd /tmp/archiso/archiso
+make install-program
+cd ../configs/releng/
+./build.sh all_iso_single
+
+* Enter 64 bits chroot enviroment, install mkarchiso,
+ then build core and netinstall single images.
+
+mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot64
+mknod /dev/loop1064 b 7 1064
+cd /tmp/archiso/archiso
+make install-program
+cd ../configs/releng/
+./build.sh all_iso_single
+
+* Finally build core and netinstall dual images
+ from any of the chroot enviroments. (The final result is the same).
+
+mkarchroot -r bash /tmp/chroot64
+cd /tmp/archiso/configs/releng/
+./build.sh all_iso_dual