[SOLVED] Converting/rebranding one distro to another

[GarryRicketson]

Thanks Steve, that clarifies why the OP does not have the directory,..
I have to run, but everyone can disregard some of what I said,..it won't apply,.. if there is no /etc/lsb-release file, then there is nothing to edit.


So what happens if you type :

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lsb_release -a 

at a command prompt ? (please post the put put, use code boxes)

There are other options , but for the moment, just to see if the command works, it should , it looks like you did get it installed ok.


I am going to do a search, using key words :

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How to change what lsb_release ics shows as the release on Debian  

But it may take me a while to get back, because I have some chores to do,
also I do not have a Debian system booted and running at the moment,..
You should also now have the manual pages, for 'lsb-release',since you installed it, try,

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man lsb_release

If lsb-release was installed, the manual should be there, again, I can't look at the specific parts that mention the directory, etc,.. until after I get my debian machine booted.
Something to keep in mind, the 'lsb_release' command, is not going to change what release or distributions you have installed , and editing the file, to make it say it is all Debian, will not change the fact that you have packages and another release mixed in IE: Tanglu .
RE:

The problem I am having now is that "Tanglu" occasionally still pops up, specifically in GRUB, and when I run lsb_release ics. Is there a way to change it to Debian instead of Tanglu?

What I mean is, even if you modify various files, so that they show Debian, as the release name, will not change the fact that some where
"tanglu" is still involved, since you are saying this is in grub, changing the release name, may very well effect your boot, and render it non-bootable.
Can you show us real out put, or exactly where in grub it says "tanglu" ?
========= edit =================
some Search results:
https://www.hiroom2.com/2017/02/21/linu ... b-release/
=========================
https://manpages.debian.org/stretch/lsb ... .1.en.html
From another result:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/91297/h ... thing-else

You really should not change the content of the /etc/lsb-release file.

As you have seen yourself, you will experience problems in applications like Software Center, as these programs need the correct release description. If you simply change this bit of information, the programs are unable to find the proper software repositories, because they are looking for something, which does not exist.

Reedit the file to the old values and Software Center will work again.

The OP may not like it, but honestly, I think the best thing they can do is
back up their home directory, and any other important data, and start fresh with a current debian sid install, and no more mixing in other releases, etc.https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian

Do you have packages that depend on the Tanglu release, ? If the same packages are not available in Debian repos, there are ways to build them for Debian.

[Thorny]

Hi Rod,
I don't think you need lsb-release unless you have some third party software that needs to find it and I think you've said that your system is now pure sid.

I feel confident that you are wise enough to have a current, backup and know how to use it.

I'm going to mention that the Jessie system I'm running at this moment does not have such a file, and running lsb_release returns, No LSB modules are available.

Maybe all you need to do is not issue that command lsb_release in order to not see what you don't want to see.

Do you have /etc/os-release as a link? Maybe all you need to do is read that to see the name Debian.

Now GRUB might be a different story but you haven't actually told us what you see regarding grub.

[edit] You are using a stock Debian kernel, aren't you?

Might it be something in /boot/grub/grub.cfg that names Tanglu?

or

Something in /etc/default/grub that adds something?

Perhaps all you need do is re-install the GRUB package from Sid. (but don't quote me on that, ha, ha.)

With a good backup, how much does it matter, live dangerously.

Or maybe tell us more about what you see about GRUB and Tanglu.

[RWIndiana]

The Sid lsb-release package does not seem to include any files in /etc, so it seems it's up to the distro builders to create and populate it manually. I sort of remember we had the discussion in MX Linux over a problem with tools like screenfetch and neofetch displaying Debian instead of MX Linux.

Thanks for the tips and the links, guys.

Okay, I just did this:

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DISTRIB_ID=Debian
DISTRIB_RELEASE=Sid
DISTRIB_CODENAME=sid
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Debian Sid"

I'm not sure if all that was necessary, but at this moment it seems to have worked! lsb_release -ics outputs Debian instead of Tanglu. Update-grub change "Tanglu GNU/Linux" on the title to "Debian GNU/Linux," but I haven't checked if the system is bootable yet.

Yes, I do have a full backup on a flash drive (bootable), I have learned the hard way never to be without that.

Do you have packages that depend on the Tanglu release, ? If the same packages are not available in Debian repos, there are ways to build them for Debian.

As far as I know, there are no Tanglu packages left in the system at all. Someday soon I will probably do a fresh install of Sid, changing the name and branding was just something I wanted to learn how to accomplish first. I always feel like I've failed somehow when I have to reinstall to fix something like this. I like to know exactly what's broken and how it could be fixed. I guess I'm a little weird (OCD?) that way.

Can you show us real out put, or exactly where in grub it says "tanglu" ?

Right now, since creating lsb-release it my grub.cfg says

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menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux'

Where before it said Tanglu in place of Debian. I will try deleting lsb-release again to see if the changes are permanent: Hmmm . . . deleting the file changes the lsb_release -i output back to Tanglu! So I'm still missing something. Is there another file that it would fall back on if lsb-release isn't there?

Hi Rod,
I don't think you need lsb-release unless you have some third party software that needs to find it and I think you've said that your system is now pure sid.

I feel confident that you are wise enough to have a current, backup and know how to use it.

I'm going to mention that the Jessie system I'm running at this moment does not have such a file, and running lsb_release returns, No LSB modules are available.

Maybe all you need to do is not issue that command lsb_release in order to not see what you don't want to see.

Do you have /etc/os-release as a link? Maybe all you need to do is read that to see the name Debian.

Now GRUB might be a different story but you haven't actually told us what you see regarding grub.

[edit] You are using a stock Debian kernel, aren't you?

Might it be something in /boot/grub/grub.cfg that names Tanglu?

or

Something in /etc/default/grub that adds something?

Perhaps all you need do is re-install the GRUB package from Sid. (but don't quote me on that, ha, ha.)

With a good backup, how much does it matter, live dangerously.

Or maybe tell us more about what you see about GRUB and Tanglu.

Haha, I get it - "see no evil!"
Yes my os-release file shows Debian all the way. I guess next on the agenda is to check my grub files.

Okay this is what /etc/default/grub says:

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GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

It stays the same after I remove my custom lsb-release file and update-grub again. Although /boot/grub/grub.cfg is back to saying "Tanglu".


Well, lsb-release back in place. Now to see if my system crashes and burns when I try to reboot.

[RWIndiana]

Well, here I am again. Reboot apparently successful. It even showed the Debian blue splash screen in grub! Sweet! Unfortunately, I still can't rest until I figure out where "Tanglu" is coming from when lsb-release is deleted.

[stevepusser]

From what I remember, there were at least a couple other files in /etc that could be hiding Tanglu. You could look for a file with version in the name in that directory, or start doing a recursive grep in that folder for the "tanglu" string. Rpl in the repos is a cool terminal command that goes through any numbers of text files and replaces strings with one of your choice, so maybe you can turn that loose on your whole root directory and replace the string with "Debian".

[GarryRicketson]

That's good, when I saw what you said about the grub "menu entry" I was going to comment that I didn't think it would effect the boot.

I still can't rest until I figure out where "Tanglu" is coming from when lsb-release is deleted.

Don't know,... What do you get if you run ? :

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locate tanglu 

or "Tanglu" , I would try both, the lower case and upper case T.
It might give you some clue,

[RWIndiana]

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# locate Tanglu
/usr/share/python-apt/templates/Tanglu.info
/usr/share/python-apt/templates/Tanglu.mirrors

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# locate tanglu
/etc/tanglu-kde-default-settings
/etc/X11/Xsession.d/80tanglu-xmodmap
/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/tanglu-archive-keyring.gpg
/etc/dpkg/origins/tanglu
/etc/tanglu-kde-default-settings/directory-home
/etc/tanglu-kde-default-settings/directory-media
/etc/tanglu-kde-default-settings/hidden-media
/var/lib/dpkg/info/tanglu-kde-settings.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/tanglu-kde-settings.postrm
/var/lib/dpkg/info/tanglu-theme-kde.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/tanglu-theme-kde.postrm

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# cat /etc/dpkg/origins/
debian   default  tanglu   
root@Confluence:/etc# cat /etc/dpkg/origins/default 
Vendor: Tanglu
Vendor-URL: http://www.tanglu.org/
Bugs: http://tracker.tanglu.org/
Parent: Debian
root@Confluence:/etc# cat /etc/dpkg/origins/tanglu 
Vendor: Tanglu
Vendor-URL: http://www.tanglu.org/
Bugs: http://tracker.tanglu.org/
Parent: Debian
root@Confluence:/etc# cat /etc/dpkg/origins/debian 
Vendor: Debian
Vendor-URL: http://www.debian.org/
Bugs: debbugs://bugs.debian.org
root@Confluence:/etc# rm /etc/dpkg/origins/tanglu 
root@Confluence:/etc# cp /etc/dpkg/origins/debian /etc/dpkg/origins/default 
root@Confluence:/etc# lsb_release -i
Distributor ID: Debian

Well then . . . that did it! Thanks!

Obviously there's some cruft files left over that should be purged, but now I can sleep. Very cool.. Thanks ya'll for putting up with me, hopefully you don't feel this was a waste of your time.

[RWIndiana]

From what I remember, there were at least a couple other files in /etc that could be hiding Tanglu. You could look for a file with version in the name in that directory, or start doing a recursive grep in that folder for the "tanglu" string. Rpl in the repos is a cool terminal command that goes through any numbers of text files and replaces strings with one of your choice, so maybe you can turn that loose on your whole root directory and replace the string with "Debian".

Hey thanks, I did find a few more things that way.

[Thorny]

Rod,

You only posted one of the GRUB files I mentioned.

... Although /boot/grub/grub.cfg is back to saying "Tanglu".

We still haven't heard exactly where on the GRUB boot menu you see Tanglu.

But. you don't need to post the whole thing!

For example my menuentry line is:

menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-1156556c-394f-4917-b146-ac896aad7cbf' {

Does yours look like that, or something similar, or something different?

Is it on the menuentry line when the menu choices are presented at boot that you see Tangu?

Did you ever answer if you are using stock Debian kernel or not? Or, maybe I forgot to ask that question.

Thanks ya'll for putting up with me, hopefully you don't feel this was a waste of your time.

Rod, I'd guess that anyone still participating wouldn't feel like it was a waste of time. It's pretty much what we are here for and successes are always satisfying. Collaborating with people who think is satisfying.

[RWIndiana]

It used to say this:

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menuentry 'Tanglu GNU/Linux' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-ec358438-b9cc-4f0e-a689-5fd2a1b15d5a' {

But, with changing the /etc/dpkg/origins/default file (or creating a custom lsb-release which apparently overrides that file), it now says:

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menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-ec358438-b9cc-4f0e-a689-5fd2a1b15d5a' {

I do believe I have the stock kernel:

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# apt policy linux-image-amd64
linux-image-amd64:
  Installed: 4.14+89
  Candidate: 4.14+89
  Version table:
 *** 4.14+89 500
        500 http://ftp.debian.org/debian unstable/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Thorny]

So I assume, you no longer see Tangu at the GRUB menu. Great, it seems your issues are solved.

It has the potential of helping others with similar issues if you prepend [Solved] to the subject line of your original post.

Nice working with you and future good luck.

[RWIndiana]

Done, and thanks again!