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How to create my own Debian based distro?

User discussion about Debian Development, Debian Project News and Announcements. Not for support questions.
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TuxHero
Posts: 2
Joined: 2017-01-15 23:53

How to create my own Debian based distro?

#1 Post by TuxHero »

Hi Guys
i'm i wanna make my own debian based distro
i'm following debian wiki of customcd but i don't which files i must use to create
my own distro is it net installers or debian it self and remastering it or what
i wanna someone help me and tell me the best way to this
Thanks

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dasein
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#2 Post by dasein »

Before you spend a lot of time and effort on this project, I'm going to encourage you to think about some pertinent questions:

Distrowatch identifies over 100 "active" respins/derivative distros as "based on Debian." Does this whiz-bang new "distro" of yours actually do something that these others do not? (Hint: you can't answer this question without researching all 100+ existing derivatives/respins.)

If you can't even figure out how to build it, how exactly do you plan to distribute it? Support it? Update it?

Given the fact that the majority of "vanity" distros don't survive, maybe consider that your energy and enthusiasm might be better channeled into contributing to an existing derivative/respin.


Bulkley
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#4 Post by Bulkley »

TuxHero wrote:Hi Guys
i'm i wanna make my own debian based distro
i'm following debian wiki of customcd but i don't which files i must use to create
my own distro is it net installers or debian it self and remastering it or what
i wanna someone help me and tell me the best way to this
Thanks
Problem: if we tell you which files to use and how to go about it then it won't be your distro; it will be ours. You probably don't want to be our flunky.

Try an alternative. Use either a virtual machine or a real spare machine and install minimum Debian. What you get won't even have X or any GUI. It will be what Linux started out as: completely command line. After you have that running smoothly, add whatever you want. If you don't like it, remove it. After a year or so you will know what you want in your distro.

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GarryRicketson
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Joined: 2015-01-20 22:16
Location: Durango, Mexico

Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#5 Post by GarryRicketson »

After giveing this a little more thought, probably the best way to learn everything
one needs to know to be able to create thier own distro would be to get involved
with the developement of a existing distro, start learning the various stages that
a distro or planned distro goes through, help with packaging, etc.
It is kind of one sided and selfish, to expect anyone to hold your hand and help
you develope a entire distro,just for you, (your own). Maybe offer to help the people that all ready know how, and in turn they will help show you how to do the things necessary.
You know, kind of like if you want to learn how to build a house, you start out being a
"helper", helping the brick layers. or carpenters, etc,..as a helper you learn to mix the cement first, then to carry the bricks to the brick layer, and also the cement, ...later if you are able to do all those things first, then you have time to watch the "master" working, and if and when the "master" feels you are ready, they will give you a chance to actually try putting the cement on, and placeing the brick where it goes,...once you get good at that, you need to start helping the carpenters,..and so on , then eventually you know everything you need to , to be able to actually build a entire house of your own,..and if you need or want other to help, you will know enough to tell them which tasks you need them to do, and also explain to them exactly how you want those tasks done,...
https://www.debian.org/intro/help

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HuangLao
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#6 Post by HuangLao »

OP, If you need to ask how to create a distro. it's probably a good sign you need to learn more and practice. Fire up a virtual machine and play with Slackware, LFS, install Debian from net install and build up, randomly remove stuff from packages and then figure out how to fix it. There used to be a distro, that was trashed by design and you had to figure out how to fix and clean it up (no not Ubuntu---lol). I can not recall its name and searches revealed nothing. Chalk it up as old man syndrome.

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dasein
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#7 Post by dasein »

HuangLao wrote:There used to be a distro, that was trashed by design and you had to figure out how to fix and clean it up
I remember that! Damn Vulnerable Linux, if memory serves. (And it often doesn't.)

I always thought that that was an insanely good idea. Great teaching tool. The prof who created it was inspired.

Too bad it's not around any more. Be a great tip for the beginners who claim they want to run Testing for the "learning experience."

Hey, maybe the OP could make that his distro! (Even More Vulnerable Linux FTW!) :mrgreen:

pcalvert
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#8 Post by pcalvert »

This should get you started:

Code: Select all

aptitude install live-build live-manual-html
This will make your studies more convenient:

Code: Select all

$ ln -s /usr/share/doc/live-manual/html/live-manual.en.html ~/"Live Systems manual"
Some other languages are also available:

Code: Select all

$ ls -1 /usr/share/doc/live-manual/html
Output:
live-manual
live-manual.ca.html
live-manual.en.html
live-manual.es.html
live-manual.fr.html
live-manual.it.html
live-manual.ja.html
live-manual.pl.html
Phil
Freespoke is a new search engine that respects user privacy and does not engage in censorship.

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GarryRicketson
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Location: Durango, Mexico

Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#9 Post by GarryRicketson »

In addition to what pcalvert shows,
these might be good starting points.
https://debian-live.alioth.debian.org/l ... al.en.html

==
https://www.debian.org/devel/debian-live/

If it was me, I would start with either Debian 6 or Debian 7, as my "live" base system.
If the OP needs to ask why, then they need to do some research, before starting,...

Also, that leads to something else to keep in mind, once you create "your own" distro,..
Never mind, Dasein all ready said it,....
Postby dasein » 2017-01-15 18:49 > If you can't even figure out how to build it, how exactly do you plan to distribute it? Support it? Update it?

Given the fact that the majority of "vanity" distros don't survive, maybe consider that your energy and enthusiasm might be better channeled into contributing to an existing derivative/respin.
Another Great teaching tool. and it is still being used and availabe:
Minix3 but it is not based on Debian, nor linux,...however
MINIX, is what Linus Torvalds used before he came up with his project, that became Linux,...
From :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Linux
n 1987, MINIX, a Unix-like system intended for academic use, was released by Andrew S. Tanenbaum to exemplify the principles conveyed in his textbook, Operating Systems: Design and Implementation. While source code for the system was available, modification and redistribution were restricted. In addition, MINIX's 16-bit design was not well adapted to the 32-bit features of the increasingly cheap and popular Intel 386 architecture for personal computers. In the early nineties a commercial UNIX operating system for Intel 386 PCs was too expensive for private users.
These factors and the lack of a widely adopted, free kernel provided the impetus for Torvalds' starting his project. He has stated that if either the GNU Hurd or 386BSD kernels had been available at the time, he likely would not have written his own.[10][11]
In 1991, in Helsinki, Linus Torvalds began a project that later became the Linux kernel. He wrote the program specifically for the hardware he was using and independent of an operating system because he wanted to use the functions of his new PC with an 80386 processor. Development was done on MINIX using the GNU C compiler. The GNU C Compiler is still the main choice for compiling Linux today. The code however, can be built with other compilers, such as the Intel C Compiler.
Minix3.4 , is the most recent, newest version of Minix.
Linus Torvalds, and Andrew Tanenbaum do not get along very well, but that is another topic.

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GarryRicketson
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Re: How to create my own Debian based distro?

#10 Post by GarryRicketson »

This is a package I noticed recently that could be of use
as well :
https://packages.debian.org/stable/bootcd
run your system from cd without need for disks

Build an image of your running Debian System with the command bootcdwrite. You can also build a bootcd ISO image via NFS on a remote System. When you run your system from CD you do not need any disks. All changes will be done in ram. To reuse this changes at next boot time you can save them on FLOPPY with the command bootcdflopcp. If booting from your CD-drive is not supported, booting from FLOPPY is possible. It is possible to install a new system from the running CD with the command bootcd2disk. Bootcd2disk can also find a target disk, format it and make it bootable automatically. Bootcd also supports lilo, grub, initrd, udev, lvm, transparent-compression ISO 9660 fs and syslinux/isolinux. The included FAQ describes how bootcd can do online or offline backups of other Linux distributions, resulting in restore-bootcds. The bootcdbackupwizard helps to create online backups.

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