Git repository: https://salsa.debian.org/live-team/live-build.git

git clone https://salsa.debian.org/live-team/live-build.git debian-live-build
cd debian-live-build
sudo make install
sudo lb --version
sudo lb clean --purge
sudo lb config
sudo lb build

We will have live-image-amd64.hybrid.iso ready to boot.

BlankOn Live Build

Currently the BlankOn Live Build config only tested with live-build version 20230502 or commit sha on dd916ac5be9428ff79a28fb6343f5d244acca438.

Git repository: https://github.com/BlankOn/blankon-live-build/

This repository contains configuration and script to build the ISO using Debian Live Build tool. Because of the nature of lb commands that could make a mess of the original configuration, the build script (build.sh) need to be run on separate working directory.

git clone https://github.com/BlankOn/blankon-live-build
mkdir live-build-workdir
cp blankon-live-build/build.sh live-build-workdir/build.sh
cd live-build-workdir
sudo ./build.sh https://github.com/BlankOn/blankon-live-build verbeek

General Workflow

Configuration Overview

config/binary - Configuration that represent the compiled binary of the ISO
config/boostrap - Anything that related to bootstrap
config/chroot - Anything that related to chroot.
config/common - Distribution and package related
config/source - Package source configuration
config/archives/blankon.key.binary and config/archives/blankon.key.chroot - Initially the lb will try to use the keyring package from --keyring-packages blankon-keyring argument, but in some cases, especially in chroot reconfiguration, these package is still missing and these blankon.key.* will serve as backup.
config/bootloaders - Boot loader configuration, currently using GRUB with custom background (config/bootloaders/grub-legacy/splash.xpm.gz)
config/hooks - Higher number will override the smaller ones.
- config/hooks/live - The hooks that will be executed when the OS booted in live session.
- config/hooks/normal - The hooks that will be executed during the ISO build process
config/package-lists/live.list.chroot - The list of the package that will be prepared for live session. There are live session specific packages listed here like live-boot, live-config, live-config-systemd

Hooks vs Packaging

Small modifications that related to system wide will be maintained in config/hooks. If a modification is heavily tied to certain packages, then these packages should be patched and repackaged into development repository instead.

Example:

We should alter the distribution name and remove irrelevant files in /etc that may cause problems --> Alter them with hook.
We have broken LibreOffice package that could be solved with small file modification. --> Patch LibreOffice and repackage through IRGSH.

What are important to setup / package / modify

Branding
- /etc/os-release
- About interface in GNOME's Settings
- Default GRUB background
- Default desktop background / wallpaper
- Installer customization
Default apps
System behaviours
- Default services
System convention
- Default font, etc

What to test

Trouble Shooting Guides

Failed to chroot

The error from live-build:

I: Extracting tzdata...
I: Extracting usr-is-merged...
I: Extracting util-linux...
I: Extracting zlib1g...
W: Failure trying to run: chroot "/home/user/iso/workdir/chroot" /bin/true
W: See /home/user/iso/workdir/chroot/debootstrap/debootstrap.log for details
E: An unexpected failure occurred, exiting...
Done in 00:00:43.

The debootstrap.log does not give much clue either,

mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/null: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/zero: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/full: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/random: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/urandom: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/tty: No such file or directory
mknod: /home/user/iso/build/chroot/dev/console: No such file or directory
chroot: failed to run command ‘/bin/true’: No such file or directory

The actual cause lies on missing base-files package. This package is blacklisted from repo. So, when we rebuild our repository (usually after corrupted incident), there will be no base-files package.

Solution: package your base-files first to our repository. Please see blacklisted packages here: https://github.com/BlankOn/revival/edit/main/Packages/MaintainerPackageList.md

Missing blankon-keyring package

The error generated from live-build:

Reading package lists...
Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
E: Unable to locate package blankon-keyring
E: An unexpected failure occurred, exiting...
P: Begin unmounting filesystems...
P: Saving caches...
Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Done in 00:01:56.

Solution:

You need to build the blankon-keyring package first:

Then inject it to repository.

sudo GNUPGHOME=/var/lib/irgsh/gnupg reprepro -v -v -v --nothingiserror --component main includedeb verbeek ./blankon-keyring/blankon-keyring_2020.11.25-4.5*.deb

Debian Live Build