Debian Live-Build: Live System Kernel Installer - Kernel Doesn't Match

Creating a Custom Debian Live ISO Booting Automatically with SSH Enabled for Remote Installation Servers

This article will guide you through the process of creating a custom Debian Live ISO that boots automatically with SSH enabled for remote installation servers. We'll use the Debian Installer Launcher (debian-installer-launcher) instead of partman.

Prerequisites

• A Debian system with the live-build package installed.
• Familiarity with Debian package management and shell scripting.

Steps

1. Create a Live Build Configuration

   First, create a new live-build configuration file. This file will contain all the settings for your custom ISO.

   sudo nano /srv/live-build/configs/my-custom-live
   

   Add the following lines to the file:

   # Base system
   APT {
       Architectures "amd64";
       Codename "buster";
   }
   
   # Components
   COMPONENTS {
       main;
       live;
   }
   
   # Live environment
   LIVE_VERSION {
       CODENAME "buster";
       INITRAMFS_COMPRESSION "xz";
       ISOLINUX_THEME "debian";
   }
   
   # Boot options
   FIRSTRUN {
       run_command "systemctl enable ssh";
       run_command "systemctl start ssh";
   }
   

   Save and close the file.

2. Build the Custom ISO

   Now, build the custom ISO using the live-build command:

   sudo live-build --config /srv/live-build/configs/my-custom-live -- -d -t netboot -o my-custom-live.iso
   

   This command will create a new ISO named my-custom-live.iso in the /srv/live-build/builds/my-custom-live directory.

3. Boot the Custom ISO

   Burn the ISO to a USB stick or boot it in a virtual machine to test the SSH-enabled Debian Live system.

Summary

• We created a custom Debian Live ISO using live-build.
• The ISO boots automatically with SSH enabled, allowing for remote installation servers.

References

• Debian Live Build System
• Debian Installer Launcher
• Live-build package