BuildLiveCD

This package contains utilities used to create the LiveCD environment, consisting of three major scripts: UpdateEnvironment, CompressAndBuildISO as well as RefreshLiveCD.

We support two methods of ISO generation: The first method generates a new ISO from scratch, while the second method allows you to iterate upon an existing ISO.

Note

All commands below are supposed to be run as root.

Method 1

• UpdateEnvironment: This script fetches + compiles the ISOLINUX bootloader and the BusyBox package that lives in the LiveCD's initrd. It also fetches a copy of GoboLinux' InitRDScripts project, which is later packaged next to BusyBox in the initrd. The GoboLinux logo shown when booting the ISO is also handled here. This script converts the logo from PPM to LSS16 (the actual format understood by ISOLINUX.)

• CompressAndBuildISO: This script performs the automated generation of the LiveCD tree. It is divided in 4 different stages:

  1. ROLayer: given a list of GoboLinux binary packages and an empty target directory, this stage creates a new root filesystem tree (including /System/Settings, Aliens, and the legacy symlinks under /) and uncompresses all packages under /Programs. The default target directory is Output/ROLayer.

  2. SquashFS: creates a set of squashfs images from the ROLayer. The binary packages put on each squashfs image are selected according to the contents of the files at BuildLiveCD/Data/Packages-List-*. The generated squashfs files are saved under Output/ISO.

  3. InitRD: creates an initrd image by merging the InitRDScripts and BusyBox packages fetched earlier by UpdateEnvironment. The image, a compressed RAM filesystem, is stored as Output/ISO/isolinux/initrd once it's been prepared.

  4. ISO: this last stage runs mkisofs on Output/ISO (to produce an ISO file) and makes that ISO file hybrid so it boots when copied to a USB mass storage device. The output file is saved as Output/GoboLinux-NoVersion.iso.

Method 2

• RefreshLiveCD: This script provides an alternative, more simplistic approach by iterating upon an existing ISO as a base. The first time it is called, the script extracts all squashfs images from a reference ISO to a given work directory. When called a second time, it can take an extra argument: a path with a collection of tarballs (GoboLinux packages, in .tar.bz2 format). The script will then update the old versions with the new ones and will regenerate an ISO.

Important

Ensure that kernel module loop is loaded: sudo modprobe loop.

Usage:

# RefreshLiveCD <ISO_image> <work_dir> (<package_dir>)

Warning

Your currently symlinked kernel has to match the one found on the ISO – else initramfs generation will fail! In case of mismatch, you can supply your current/desired kernel via <package_dir> as a package.