Create Debian 9 (Stretch) minimal ISO similar to DebianDog

[fredx181]

Here is an automated method for converting the Palemoon browser into a squashfs module.

Unpack the attachment below. It is NOT a fake .gz file!

It contains a script and a howto file. Read the file first.

[Update] Here are the matching scripts for OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

Nice ! added these also to NoRepo section:
https://fredx181.github.io/StretchDog/NoRepo/

@rijsmier

Now my serious question: Can I use Debian 9 (Stretch) as my main Linux program? Are you going to keep developing it for the foreseeable future? I really like openbox and the way you set it up. I have looked at Barry Kauler's new directions, but he seems to get bored and then he goes off in another direction. Also he is not using Debian, which I prefer.

One can never know, but I don't have plans to stop doing what I do now in the the near future.

Fred

[rcrsn51]

I have some apps packaged as squashfs modules that I only use occasionally, and I wanted a fast way to load them on-demand.

So I collected them into a common "squash repo" folder and made the following applet. It is just a front-end for the loadmodule command.

The applet has a system tray launcher. It runs from /root/Startup and will appear on the next reboot.

Update: V1.4 changes the function of the .group object. Previously, it was a text file that contained a list of module names. Now it is a subfolder of the repo that contains the actual modules in the group.

For example, a subfolder named Useful.group could contain a set of modules that you want to load together with one click.

Note: Some modules want to run 'update-mime-database /usr/share/mime' whenever they are loaded. This causes a long pause and disk thrashing.

To stop it, comment out line 124 of /usr/local/bin/loadmodule.
If needed, you can run the command manually with the Update Mime checkbox.

Remove the fake .gz extension.

---------------------

[rijsmier]

@fred

Thank you - I'm converting!

Reinier

[step]

I've been trying to run mklive_stretch on Fatdog64 but it fails. Specifically, when the script prepares the chroot environment, it doesn't create mount points, so mount --bind fails. I ended up adding mkdir -p chroot/{proc,dev/pts,sys,tmp} to the script. However, that isn't enough. The call to chroot chroot /bin/bash -c chroot_in fails with "chroot: /bin/bash: command not found". Indeed chroot/bin is empty bar for a broken symlink to busybox. I can't find where mklive_stretch populates the chroot bin directory prior to chrooting. So I suppose bin is populated from some of the downloaded packages or .tar.gz files. But how/where/when? I gave up trying to make it work on my own, and came here to ask for advice.

P.S. I downloaded debootstrap from http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/ ... 93_all.deb.

[rcrsn51]

Hi Fred:

The script /usr/local/bin/loadmodule has a bug.

Line 139 needs a full path. The 32bit version would be:

Code: Select all

/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas

Bill

[fredx181]

Hi step,

Tried on Fatdog 710 and the whole point is that the debootstrap process doesn't finish properly, by extracting and configuring the deb packages, that explains why /bin/bash not found in chroot (and that the directories proc sys dev are not created automatically in the chroot).

To make it work:
Besides installing debootstrap, install in Fatdog with gslapt: perl and dpkg
Optional: To create ISO, install xorriso from gslapt and isolinux package (isolinux not available from gslapt)
Debian package: http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/ma ... u1_all.deb
(untested on Fatdog)
Without xorriso and isolinux, ISO creation will fail, but the required files for a frugal install will be created. (in stretch/isodata/live)

@rcrsn51

The script /usr/local/bin/loadmodule has a bug.

Line 139 needs a full path. The 32bit version would be:

Code:
/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas

Thanks, fixed now in newer version (1.0.4) of package "sfsload", install with synaptic or apt-get.
(separate package for i386 and amd64 now)

Fred

[rcrsn51]

Hi Fred:

I have been looking at evince in your repo. The 32bit version needs libpoppler-glib8. It doesn't show as a dependency, but won't work without it.

I have patched it, bumped up the version number and posted the new package...

[Edit] Now in Fred's repo.

Bill

[fredx181]

Hi Fred:

I have been looking at evince in your repo. The 32bit version needs libpoppler-glib8. It doesn't show as a dependency, but won't work without it.

I have patched it, bumped up the version number and posted the new package here.

Bill

Ah, thanks again, added to 32bit repo now.

Fred

[rcrsn51]

And here is the 64bit version.

[Edit] Now in Fred's repo.

It also needs a postinst script with symlinks to newer libs.

What are you using for a PDF viewer?

[fredx181]

And here is the 64bit version.

It also needs a postinst script with symlinks to newer libs.

What are you using for a PDF viewer?

OK, nice, will add to 64bit repo later today.
I use epdfview, but I'm really not viewing pdf's much, some types won't open in epdfview, then I try to open with firefox, probably evince is better (?)

Fred

[step]

Thank you, Fred, it's working now. I didn't need to install perl because it's included in the devx, which I keep loaded. Also, dpkg is linked to busybox by default. However, I followed your advice and installed the full dpkg from the repo. I added a few lines for Fatdog after the opening comments:

Code: Select all

if [ -e /etc/fatdog-version ]; then
slapt-get -i dpkg xorriso &&
  installpkg debootstrap-1.0.93-all-DEB.txz isolinux-6.03+dfsg-14.1+deb9u1-all-DEB.txz ||
  exit 1
fi
export TERM=xterm # benefits all Puppies

The two *-DEB.txz files can be obtained by downloading the .deb packages that you and I linked above, and converting them with the Fatdog64 right-click menu entry.

Setting TERM avoids a fatal error in deebootstrap when the current TERM value is not in the database of known terminal types.

edit: I assembled quite a few Dogs quickly and easily. Thank you for this Factory!

[Lassar]

This debian stretch looks like it might be useful to
create a very minimal os.

I have played around with dcore, and it seems that
xorg is very bulkly and installs a lot of dependencies.

What is the best way to install a minimal xserver?

[dancytron]

This debian stretch looks like it might be useful to
create a very minimal os.

I have played around with dcore, and it seems that
xorg is very bulkly and installs a lot of dependencies.

What is the best way to install a minimal xserver?

Probably start out with one of the ./mklive-stretch -gui and choose either the openbox (1st choice) or jwm (3nd choice). Those are both pretty minimal, but you can look at the packages and probably delete a few. When you run it, it will generate a build-setup.conf file you can modify and run it again.

[rcrsn51]

My-squash-loader v1.2 posted above.

[rcrsn51]

Here is an update to PeasyScan. See the discussion here about using compression with PDF scans.

[Lassar]

I get this error.

"./mklive-stretch: line 1115: xorriso: command not found
FAILED"

It said that the iso should have been made.

I checked the "'/initrd/mnt/dev_save/Debian/stretch/chroot/usr/bin" and xorriso is in this
directory.

Why could it not find xorriso?

It looks like every thing is there. Could I use iso master to create the iso?

It looks to me that: "apt-get install " would make a linux system way too bulky.

I changed "apt-get install" to "apt-get install --no-install-recommends" in the script.

This shouldn't make a difference should it?

[dancytron]

It is already no recommends. If you look around line 673 you'll see.

# Setup install without install recommends
echo "APT::Install-Recommends "false"; APT::Install-Suggests "false";" > /etc/apt/apt.conf
sleep 1

Just guessing, but I think it closes the chroot and creates the ISO with the underlying operating system. So it isn't the chroot that is missing xorriso, but whatever you used to run the script.

I haven't created an ISO with ISO master, but I use it for frugal installs. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I'd try installing xorriso and then run the script first.

[fredx181]

Hi Lassar,

Indeed as Dan says, xorriso needs to be installed on the host system, on which distro are you running mklive-stretch ?
Also "isolinux" needs to be installed on host system for creating ISO.
See also above for how step did it on Fatdog, I guess it can be done on any Puppy, install xorriso from PPM and/or isolinux from deb:
http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/ma ... u1_all.deb

Fred

[fredx181]

My-squash-loader v1.2 posted above.
...
Here is an update to PeasyScan.

Thanks again, added to repo.
Btw, I did some more tests loading squashfs modules booting with systemd and without, systemd gave me problems with some modules, e.g. sometimes crashing X, crashing Thunar (when unloading) or the module failed to unload, no such problems when booting with sysvinit (default for Stretch-live and Stretchdog).
Did you experience such problems ? (I assume you tested more frequent lately?)

Fred

[rcrsn51]

All of my testing is WITHOUT systemd and I have seen no problems.

Is there a difference if you run loadmodule from the command line as opposed to inside the script?

Do these modules work if you auto-load them at bootup?