How do I create a system image ISO?

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-10-13 14:51

I really love this distro, and as of yet not had to do a re-install in months, but were I to, would have to reconfigure, and install a whole heap of apps since added. How then do I go about creating a 'system image' (to include config files) on an iso, in the eventuality I need to reinstall? Or more aptly, a sort of save state install?

oldhoghead · posted: 2010-10-13 15:22

Stuart,

There are several ways to do this,

I use luckyBackup, it is installed in antiX 8.5 you can find it in the control center under the disks tab (Backup your system) and by Menu> Applications> System Tools> luckyBackup

It is an excellent bakup program, a gui for rsync basically but really enhanced.

Also you can make a list of all the apps you've installed from Mepis 8.0 Users Manual Section 8.8

Back up a list of installed program packages:

It's also a good idea to save in your /home/username directory a file that contains the list of programs that you have installed with Synaptic, apt-get or KPackage (see Section 7: Software Management ). If in the future you need to reinstall, you'll just have to paste the names of the files to an apt-get install command. You can create an inventory of all packages on your system installed since installation with:

dpkg --get-selections >list_packages.txt

To reinstall ALL those packages at once:

dpkg --set-selections <list_packages.txt
apt-get update
apt-get dselect-upgrade

edit: Duh, I forgot there is also remastersys, ( I have not used this, but I need to __{{emoticon}}__
you'll find it
Menu> Applications> System Tools> Remastersys Backup
another edit: I just used remastersys backup and it created an iso & md5sum, haven't checked it out yet to verify, will do that later today. Odd though the size was 1gb!!! Seems very large for my antiX install.

cheers,
ohh

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-10-14 01:05

I'm still only quarter of the way through luckyBackiup's manual, but it looks to be pretty decent. I think my best solution would be to somehow schedule 'dpkg --set-selections >packages.txt' to run daily (here's another question!), as too lB's syncing feature, targeted on confg dirs only (off the top of my head: /etc, hidden dirs at $HOME, /usr...) to write at a /Backup location (here making use of lB's deamon.)

Providing I can 'writeback' the /backup config data via lB after a fresh install, and a 'dpkg --set-selections <packages.txt', this should work, no? In theory the 'return paths' for the config files may not exist, if, for example, an application only creates them when ran, and not at installation - this is the only thing I can think that could go wrong. Does all this sound right?

oldhoghead · posted: 2010-10-22 19:20

As a follow-up on the remastersys, I created a backup and have sucessfully booted it in Vbox and am in fact posting this now from that custom iso, so far the verdict is good on this option.

cheers,
ohh

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-10-26 16:29

Looking where you suggested, I couldn't see remastersys in the menu, but see there is a remaster.sh script in the terminal - I shoud run this?

This sounds like a better bet than lb as it actually creates an iso. So is your iso literally just a copy (inc. conf files) of your system at the time of creation?

oldhoghead · posted: 2010-10-26 17:42

Stuart,

I installed remastersys from synaptic and it's depends
Don't know why I was thinking it was already installed, grey matter breakdown I suppose __{{emoticon}}__

It made a backup copy of my working install and runs fine in VBox just like the actual install.

cheers,
ohh

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-10-26 17:47

I considered that, but don't know the package name. Obv, I tried remaster*, and did an 'apt-file search'...

oldhoghead · posted: 2010-10-26 19:18

Stuart,

That is the name of the program:

here's my history in synaptic:

Code: Select all

Installed the following packages:
libcrypt-passwdmd5-perl (1.3-9)
live-boot (2.0.0-1)
live-boot-initramfs-tools (2.0.0-1)
live-config (2.0.2-1)
live-config-sysvinit (2.0.2-1)
live-initramfs (2.0.0-1)
remastersys (2.0.19-1)
syslinux (2:4.02+dfsg-3)
syslinux-common (2:4.02+dfsg-3)
user-setup (1.33)
uuid-runtime (2.17.2-3.1)

my sources list,
you will have to add the one for remastersys to your /etc/apt/sources.list

Code: Select all

# See sources.list(5) for more information

# Note:If you want maximum stability, only use the stable repos.
# If you want to install kde3.5, you MUST only use the stable repos.
# (this will change when kde3.5 is no longer available in stable)

# MEPIS 8 series. 
# Use to install headers and linux-kbuild from MEPIS repo for MEPIS kernel.
# deb ftp://ftp.mepis.com/mepis/ mepis-8.5 main
# MEPIS mirrors
# deb http://fr1.mepis-deb.org/mepis/ mepis-8.0 main
# deb http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/ftp.mepis.org/mepis/ mepis-8.0 main

# Debian Testing. 
# Testing enabled for 'rolling' release.
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ testing/updates main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free

# Debian Stable.
# This will 'soon' be"Squeeze". Use for maximum stability INSTEAD of
# the 'rolling' TESTING release concept.
# So, for max stability, UNCOMMENT the next two 'deb' lines and
# COMMENT-OUT the corresponding 'deb' lines in TESTING above.
# deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
# deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free

# Multimedia Stable and Testing
deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ testing main non-free
# deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ stable main non-free

# Goggles music manager
deb http://apt.progchild.de/ stable main

# opera
# deb http://deb.opera.com/opera/ lenny non-free

# virtualbox
# deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/ lenny non-free

# liquorix kernels
deb http://liquorix.net/debian/ sid main
deb http://ftp.belnet.be/mirror/liquorix.net/debian/ sid main

###### Debian Unstable/Sid##########
########
###### Use at your own risk! ########
# deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free
# deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ unstable main non-free
deb http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/repository squeeze

# Aptosid sources added by smxi
deb http://aptosid.com/debian/ sid main fix.main

cheers,
ohh

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-10-26 22:39

That'll be it. Thanks!