Create debian-installer ISO images using debian-cd for ports architectures
This website describes the basic steps how you can create such images yourself. The instructions should - with minor modifcations - work for other architectures like alpha or sparc too.
What you need to know
Prebuilt debian unstable packages are available at the repository at http://ftp.ports.debian.org/debian-ports/
In most cases it's not possible to install from the debian ports repository, because
- it is a moving target, which means that the Linux kernel udeb packages which are needed by the kernel on the ISO/liffile may not be available any longer at a later date, and
- the bootloader (e.g. palo for parisc, aboot for alpha, silo for sparc) is not available there (because those architectures are not any longer release architectures, so the bootloaders are not being built any long), and
- the partitioning tools during installation for the architecture might be missing for the same reason (e.g. partman-palo for parisc).
Basic steps
- Create a local copy of the debian-ports repository
- Build the debian-installer packages
- Add missing boot loader / partitioning tools packages to the repository
- Build the final iso image
Create a local copy of the debian-ports repository
Install reprepro apt-get install reprepro
- Create a directory which will hold the copied packages (around 60 GB storage needed!)
apt-get install reprepro mkdir -p /srv/debian-sparc64-archive cd /srv/debian-sparc64-archive wget https://people.debian.org/~glaubitz/reprepro-conf-sparc64.tgz tar xf reprepro-conf-sparc64.tgz rm reprepro-conf-sparc64.tgz # now modify the files in conf/* to your needs # now run "reprepro update" to pull all files from debian-ports reprepro update
Build the debian-installer packages
Read on how to check out the debian installer. It's done below.
apt-get install mr subversion
apt-get build-dep debian-installer
mkdir -p /srv/d-i/{tmp,bootstrap}
# See: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/CheckOut
cd /srv/d-i
svn co svn://anonscm.debian.org/svn/d-i/trunk debian-installer
cd debian-installer
scripts/git-setup
mr -p checkout
# check out other packages for your architecture into the packages directory (optional)
# for a list see here: https://alioth.debian.org/plugins/scmgit/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=project_list;pf=d-i
cd /srv/d-i/debian-installer/packages
# for alpha:
git clone https://anonscm.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/aboot.git
git clone https://anonscm.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/aboot-installer.git
# for parisc: (should no longer be necessary, the packages are in ''unreleased'')
git clone https://alioth.debian.org/anonscm/git/d-i/attic/palo-installer.git
git clone https://alioth.debian.org/anonscm/git/d-i/attic/partman-palo.git
# for sparc64: (should no longer be necessary, the packages are in ''unreleased'')
git clone https://alioth.debian.org/anonscm/git/d-i/attic/silo-installer.git
# then build the debian-installer with all packages
cd /srv/d-i/debian-installer/installer
dpkg-buildpackage
Add boot loader installer and partitioning tools packages to the repository
The architecture-specific packages (palo-installer, silo-installer, ...) were built above. Install them into your local reprepro archive directory.
NOTE: This should no longer be necessary on sparc64 and hppa as the necessary packages are part of the unreleased distribution.
cd /srv/d-i/debian-sparc64-archive/ reprepro includeudeb unstable /srv/d-i/debian-installer/installer/build/apt.udeb/cache/archives/*udeb
Include your platform boot loader
NOTE: This should no longer be necessary on sparc64 and hppa as the necessary packages are part of the unreleased distribution.
Build the boot loader for your platform (palo, silo, ...) and install the deb package as done above (use includedeb instead of includeudeb).
cd /srv/d-i/debian-sparc64-archive/ reprepro includedeb unstable <path_to_your_bootloader>
Set up debian-cd
debian-cd will build the installer images. Download it, configure it and let it build the image:
cd /srv/d-i/ git clone https://alioth.debian.org/anonscm/git/debian-cd/debian-cd.git # patch debian-cd cd debian-cd wget https://people.debian.org/~glaubitz/debian-cd-sparc64.patch patch -p1 < debian-cd-sparc64.patch # after patching check changes with "git diff" and modify as needed # adjust the kernel options (KERNEL_PARAMS in CONF.sh) $ apt-get install lynx-cur tofrodos
Build the final ISO images
cd debian-cd ./easy-build.sh NETINST $ARCH ./easy-build.sh CD $ARCH
Other prebuilt files for parisc: * http://parisc.osuosl.org/debian/palo-installer_0.0.15_hppa.udeb * http://parisc.osuosl.org/debian/partman-palo_20_hppa.udeb