mkobsidianiso

a script designed to generate bootable live ISO images from a provided mkobsidiansfs-created system image.

Overview

This script streamlines the creation of live ISOs, enabling users to package a complete system into a portable, bootable image. It is particularly useful for packing weird distros like Void which need Void, and for several other purposes.

Usage

To create a live ISO, mkobsidianiso requires a configuration file, the path to your root filesystem (which can be either a directory or a squashfs system image), and the desired output path for the ISO file.

mkobsidianiso [OPTIONS] <config> <rootfs> <output.iso>

Arguments

• <config>: Path to the configuration file.
• <rootfs>: The source root filesystem (a directory or a squashfs system image).
• <output.iso>: The path where the generated ISO file will be saved.

Options

• -k, --kernel <version>: Specify the kernel version to use. If not provided, the script attempts to auto-detect it from the root filesystem.
• -h, --help: Display the help message and exit.
• -v, --version: Display the script version and exit.

Configuration File Options

The <config> file is sourced by the script and can define the following variables:

• DISTRO: The distribution name displayed in the GRUB menu.
• ISO_NAME: The product name for the ISO file.
• ISO_VERSION: The product version for the ISO file.
• EXTRA_GRUB_CONFIG: Additional GRUB menu entries or configuration.
• BUSYBOX: Path to the BusyBox binary.
• EXTRA_BOOT_OPT: Extra boot options to append like quiet splash.
• BINARIES: Paths of binary files to copy to the system before booting and symlinking them.

Example

# Create an ISO using a configuration file, a rootfs directory, and output to obsidian.iso
mkobsidianiso myconfig.conf /path/to/your/rootfs obsidian.iso

# Create an ISO with a specific kernel version from a squashfs image
mkobsidianiso myconfig.conf -k 6.12.62_1 /path/to/rootfs.sfs custom_obsidian.iso

Dependencies

The script relies on the following tools, which must be installed on your system:

• mksquashfs (from squashfs-tools)
• grub-mkrescue (from grub)
• unzstd (from zstd)
• busybox (or busybox-static)

How it Works

1. Initialization: Sets up a temporary working directory and handles cleanup on exit.
2. Kernel Detection: Identifies or uses a specified kernel version from the root filesystem.
3. SquashFS Creation (if necessary): If a directory is provided as the root filesystem, it is converted into a compressed squashfs image (system.sfs).
4. Module Extraction: Extracts critical kernel modules (squashfs.ko, loop.ko, overlay.ko) required for the live environment.
5. BusyBox Integration: Copies the BusyBox binary into the ISO's sbin directory for essential utilities.
6. Init Script Generation: Creates a custom init script responsible for mounting the squashfs, setting up an overlay filesystem, and pivoting the root to the live system.
7. GRUB Configuration: Generates grub.cfg to enable booting the live ISO.
8. ISO Assembly: Utilizes grub-mkrescue to compile all components into the final bootable ISO image.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.