Building a live ISO: Difference between revisions

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(minor update, also works with FAI 5.3.6)
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= How to turn the FAI nfsroot into a file system for diskless clients =
= How to build a live ISO for running diskless clients =


Someone asked me about using the FAI nfsroot for a diskless
Building a live ISO:
client setup. The clients should PXE boot and have /tmp and /var as
tmpfs (means writable).


It's pretty easy. (Tested with FAI 4.1 and dracut 034-2 (wheezy) and with FAI 4.4~beta and dracut 40-1 (jessie)).
You can create a live ISO using two FAI commands. First, you need to
 
build your own live environment, containing all software including
First add all packages you like to have for your
configuration that you like to use. Using the command "fai dirinstall"
diskless clients to /etc/fai/NFSROOT.
you do an installation using the FAI config space into a directory
 
which will become your live system. After that you create a bootable
Create the FAI nfsroot
ISO which includes this directory tree using fai-cd.
 
<code>fai-make-nfsroot -v</code>
 
Then disable some FAI specific things inside the nfsroot:


<pre>
<pre>
chroot /srv/fai/nfsroot bash
  Define the FAI classes:
rm -f /etc/init.d/rcS
dpkg-divert --package fai-nfsroot --remove --rename /etc/init.d/rcS
insserv -r fai-abort
exit
</pre>


This also works with XFCE and xorg running a graphical desktop.
  cl="DEBIAN,BOOKWORM64,AMD64,FAIBASE,XFCE,XORG,DHCPC,DEMO,LIVEISO,LAST"


  Build the live environment directory tree:


That's it. Now, boot your client.
    # LC_ALL=C fai -v dirinstall -u xfce33 -c $cl -s file:///srv/fai/config /srv/xfce
Since FAI is using aufs (advanced multi layered unification filesystem version 3.x), the whole filesystem is writeable for the client, even it's mounted read-only.


  Then create the live ISO:


 
    # fai-cd -s500 -MH -d none -g /etc/fai/grub.cfg.live -n /srv/xfce live.iso
== How to create a Live CD with Xfce desktop ==
 
This is tested with FAI 5.0.3, Debian 8.0 (Jessie) and dracut
044+3-3. You will have an account called demo, the pw is fai.
Just confirmed that this is also working using FAI 5.3.6 with Debian 9 (stretch) and dracut 044+241-3
 
 
<pre>
fai-make-nfsroot -v
 
chroot /srv/fai/nfsroot bash
rm -f /etc/init.d/rcS
dpkg-divert --package fai-nfsroot --remove --rename /etc/init.d/rcS
insserv -r fai-abort
export LC_ALL=C
adduser --disabled-login --gecos "fai demo user" demo
ROOTPW='$1$kBnWcO.E$djxB128U7dMkrltJHPf6d1'
usermod -p "$ROOTPW" demo
 
apt-cache dumpavail > /var/lib/dpkg/available
aptitude -y install at-spi2-core locales lightdm xfce4 xterm xorg xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-input-all systemd-sysv sysvinit-core-
apt-get clean
 
# optional
# rm -f /etc/hosts /etc/resolv.conf* /etc/fai/fai.conf /var/lib/apt/lists/*_* /var/tmp/base.tar.xz
exit
</pre>
</pre>


Then create the CD/USB ISO image using this command
That's it. Now, boot your client.
 
<pre>
fai-cd -MJd '' -g ~/grub.cfg-diskless ~/fai-diskless.iso
</pre>


Here's the grub.cfg.diskless:
<pre>
## grub2 configuration
set default="FAI diskless client"
set timeout=3
set resolution=1024x768


if loadfont /boot/grub/ascii.pf2 ; then
Hint: The FAI nfsroot is not needed when building a live ISO.
  insmod png
  set gfxmode=640x480
  insmod gfxterm
  insmod vbe
  terminal_output gfxterm
fi


# make sure we can access partitions
insmod part_msdos
insmod part_gpt


if [ ${iso_path} ] ; then
'''Tip for beginners''': Using the FAIme web service https://fai-project.org/FAIme/live/ you can create your own customized live ISO without setting up an FAI server.
    set loopback="findiso=${iso_path}"
fi
 
menuentry "FAI diskless client" --unrestricted {
    set gfxpayload=$resolution
    linux  /boot/vmlinuz rd.live.image root=live:CDLABEL=FAI_CD rd.neednet ip=dhcp
    initrd  /boot/initrd.img
}
</pre>




This disk space for creating new files is limited by the amount of
You can download an ISO image, for and example of this Live CD
free space in the disk image (created inside fai-cd in subroutine
https://fai-project.org/fai-cd/debian12-live-xfce.iso
calculate_required_size). You will have about 200MB of free disk
space. This is NO persistens storage.

Latest revision as of 11:13, 5 September 2024

How to build a live ISO for running diskless clients

Building a live ISO:

You can create a live ISO using two FAI commands. First, you need to build your own live environment, containing all software including configuration that you like to use. Using the command "fai dirinstall" you do an installation using the FAI config space into a directory which will become your live system. After that you create a bootable ISO which includes this directory tree using fai-cd. 

  Define the FAI classes:

  cl="DEBIAN,BOOKWORM64,AMD64,FAIBASE,XFCE,XORG,DHCPC,DEMO,LIVEISO,LAST"

  Build the live environment directory tree:

    # LC_ALL=C fai -v dirinstall -u xfce33 -c $cl -s file:///srv/fai/config /srv/xfce

  Then create the live ISO:

    # fai-cd -s500 -MH -d none -g /etc/fai/grub.cfg.live -n /srv/xfce live.iso

That's it. Now, boot your client.


Hint: The FAI nfsroot is not needed when building a live ISO.


Tip for beginners: Using the FAIme web service https://fai-project.org/FAIme/live/ you can create your own customized live ISO without setting up an FAI server.


You can download an ISO image, for and example of this Live CD https://fai-project.org/fai-cd/debian12-live-xfce.iso

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