NAME
live−helper − the Debian Live tool suite
SYNOPSIS
lh COMMAND [−h|−−help] [−u|−−usage] [−v|−−version] [−−breakpoints] [−−conffile] [−−debug] [−−force] [−−quiet] [−−verbose]
DESCRIPTION
live−helper is a set of scripts to build Debian Live system images. The idea behind live−helper is a tool suite that uses a configuration directory to completely automate and customize all aspects of building a Live image.
The COMMAND is a name of a live−helper command (see below).
More documentation about how to use live−helper is available in the individual manpages for each helper and in the manual at <http://live.debian.net/manual/>.
OPTIONS
Shared
live−helper options
The following command line options are supported by all
live−helper programs.
-h, −−help
display help and exit.
-u, −−usage
show usage and exit.
-v, −−version
output version information and exit.
Common
live−helper options
The following command line options are supported by most
live−helper programs. See the man page of each program
for a complete explanation of what each option does.
−−breakpoints
run with breakpoints.
−−conffile
use custom configuration file.
−−debug
show debug information.
−−force
force helper execution, even if stage file exists.
−−quiet
be quiet.
−−verbose
be verbose.
LIVE−HELPER COMMANDS
We divide live−helper into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level ("plumbing") commands.
Here is the complete list of all available live−helper commands. See their man pages for additional documentation.
HIGH−LEVEL COMMANDS (PORCELAIN)
We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some ancillary user utilities.
Main
porcelain commands
lh_config(1)
create configuration for live−helper
create the first stage by bootstrapping a basic debian system
create the second stage by customizing the chroot
create the third stage by generating a binary image
create the optional fourth stage by generating a source image
clean up system build directories
Ancillary
Commands
lh(1)
generic live−helper wrapper
alias for all stages
helper for using a local live−helper
ensure that a system is built as root
LOW−LEVEL COMMANDS (PLUMBING)
The actual work of live−helper is implemented in the low-level commands, called plumbing. They are not supposed to be used by end users, they should stick with porcelains as they ensure that all the different plumbing commands are executed in the right order. However, if you intend to reuse live−helper commands in your own scripts, then the plumbings might be of interest for you.
Note that the interface (set of options and the semantics) to these low−level commands are meant to be a lot more stable than Porcelain level commands. The interface to Porcelain commands on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the end user experience.
Bootstrap
commands
lh_bootstrap_cache(1)
cache bootstrap stage
bootstrap a Debian system with cdebootstrap(1)
bootstrap by copying the host system
bootstrap a Debian system with debootstrap(8)
Chroot
commands
lh_chroot_apt(1)
manage /etc/apt/apt.conf
cache chroot stage
manage /etc/debian_chroot
mount /dev/pts
manage /sbin/dpkg
execute hacks in chroot
execute hooks in chroot
manage /bin/hostname
manage /etc/hosts
lh_chroot_install−packages(1)
install queued packages into chroot
make build interactive
lh_chroot_linux−image(1)
manage /etc/kernel−img.conf
lh_chroot_local−hooks(1)
execute local hooks in chroot
lh_chroot_local−includes(1)
copy local files into chroot
install localization packages into chroot
lh_chroot_local−packages(1)
queue install of local packages into chroot
lh_chroot_local−patches(1)
apply local patches against chroot
lh_chroot_local−preseed(1)
use debconf local preseeding file
queue install of packages into chroot
queue install of packages lists into chroot
use debconf preseeding file
mount /proc
manage /etc/resolv.conf
mount /selinux
manage /etc/apt/sources.list
convert symlinks
mount /sys
configure sysvinit
lh_chroot_sysv−rc(1)
manage /usr/sbin/policy−rc.d
install tasks into chroot
Binary
commands
lh_binary_chroot(1)
copy chroot into chroot
lh_binary_debian−installer(1)
install debian−installer into binary
install disk information into binary
encrypts rootfs
installs grub into binary
installs grub2 into binary
copy files into binary
build iso binary image
lh_binary_linux−image(1)
install linux−image into binary
lh_binary_local−hooks(1)
execute local hooks in binary
lh_binary_local−includes(1)
copy files into binary
lh_binary_local−packageslists(1)
install local packages lists into binary
create manifest
create binary checksums (md5, sha1, and/or sha256)
installs a memtest into binary
build netboot binary image
build rootfs image
installs silo into binary
installs syslinux into binary
build harddisk binary image
build binary usb−hdd image
lh_binary_virtual−hdd(1)
build binary virtual−hdd image
lh_binary_win32−loader(1)
installs win32−loader into binary
installs yaboot into binary
Source
commands
lh_source_debian(1)
download sources
lh_source_debian−live(1)
copy debian−live config into source
install disk information into source
build iso source image
create source checksums (md5, sha1, and/or sha256)
build source net image
build source tarball
build source usb−hdd image
lh_source_virtual−hdd(1)
build source virtual−hdd image
CONFIG FILES
Many live−helper commands make use of files in the config/ directory to control what they do. Besides the common config/common, which is used by all live−helper commands, some additional files can be used to configure the behavior of specific live−helper commands. These files are typically named config/stage or config/stage_helper (where "stage" of course, is replaced with the name of the stage that they belong to, and "helper" with the name of the helper).
For example, lh_bootstrap_debootstrap uses files named config/bootstrap and config/bootstrap_debootstrap to read the options it will use. See the man pages of individual commands for details about the names and formats of the files they use. Generally, these files contain variables with values assigned, one variable per line. Some programs in live−helper use pairs of values or slightly more complicated variable assignments.
Note that live−helper will respect environment variables which are present in the context of the shell it is running. If variables can be read from config files, then they override environment variables, and if command line options are used, they override values from config files. If no value for a given variable can be found and thus is unset, live−helper will automatically set it to the default value.
In some rare cases, you may want to have different versions of these files for different architectures or distributions. If files named config/stage.arch or config/stage_helper.arch, and config/stage.dist or config/stage_helper.dist exist, where "arch" is the same as the output of "dpkg −−print−architecture" and "dist" is the same as the codename of the target distribution, then they will be used in preference to other, more general files.
All config files are shell scripts which are sourced by a live−helper program. That means they have to follow the normal shell syntax. You can also put comments in these files; lines beginning with "#" are ignored.
FILES
|
n/a |
SEE ALSO
live−initramfs(7)
This program is a part of live−helper.
HOMEPAGE
More information about live−helper and the Debian Live project can be found on the homepage at <http://live.debian.net/> and in the manual at <http://live.debian.net/manual/>.
BUGS
Bugs can be reported by submitting a bugreport for the live−helper package in the Debian Bug Tracking System at <http://bugs.debian.org/> or by writing a mail to the Debian Live mailing list at <debian-live [AT] lists.org>.
AUTHOR
live−helper was written by Daniel Baumann <daniel [AT] debian.org> for the Debian project.