Creating a custom Debian CD

[fsmithred]

Set up the installation exactly how you want it. Install refractasnapshot-base and refractainstaller-base from the deb files. (You can use 'apt-get -f install' to get the dependencies when dpkg complains.) Refracta Snapshot uses rsync to make a copy of your system, then it rolls it up into a bootable live-CD. Refracta Installer uses rsync to copy the running live-CD to hard drive. In both cases, your software selection and configurations get copied.

Edit /etc/refractasnapshot.conf to your liking. Options are explained in the comments. Edit /usr/lib/refractasnapshot/snapshot_exclude.list if you need to add or remove anything from the rsync excludes list. Then run 'refractasnapshot' from a root terminal.

For wheezy, get the versions in the Tools section. For jessie/sid, get Testing versions.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/refracta/files/

I assume you only want the cli tools. If you want gui, there are gui packages in the same place. They require zenity or yad and a graphical environment (and a few more deps.)

[spacex]

Remastersys can still be used to create a snapshot of the working install. Even with Sid. With a few tweaks to the remastersys-installer it even works fine with Debian unstable and systemd. Only dealbreaker is uefi. Because that would have to be converted post-install. Or if someone could write a uefi-version of the Remastersys-installer, it would greatly benefit the Debian community and all the Debian derivatives. Or create something simular that is uefi-aware and able to do a native uefi-install. But that's beyond me.

Strange that someone isn't creating a good tool to do snapshot of a running system, and include a installer that is up to date with gpt/uefi and systemd. I someone did it, they would become very popular. I would have donated quite a bit, and I'm sure other would too. Otherwise I would have to dig into the Debian Live Manual, and I won't go there if I can avoid it

[spacex]

Oh, I didn't see the last comment. Does Refracta do UEFI OOTB ? Otherwise I would be left where I'm at with my modified Remastersys-scripts.

[fsmithred]

I don't have a computer with uefi to test it, but someone just told me that they patched refractasnapshot so that the snapshots will boot on a uefi system. Refracta Installer knows nothing about uefi. If someone wants to contribute code for that, I'll probably use it, and if someone wants to send me a new computer, I'll work on the code myself.

Refracta snapshot and installer do work with systemd. Getting them to work with jessie/sid without systemd is a little trickier. It can be done, but the fix hasn't been added to the tools yet. You have to edit one system file before making the snapshot, else it won't boot.

[anticapitalista]

... I would have donated quite a bit, and I'm sure other would too. ..

Get your wallet out and head over to the Refracta forum